George Washington

I am humble and proud to be called the Father of this great nation. It is an honor bestowed beyond my youthful dreams, and simple ambitions. I often think the honor would be better served being placed upon the author of our Declaration of Independence, my friend and fellow Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, or any of the other framers of the Constitution. Great men all, who well deserved the honor bestowed upon me. They held my deepest admiration, and I was honored to be among them as they founded the basic ideals for our country.

I am here to show you my life, begun in simple trappings in a small community in West Moreland County, Virginia. My father, Augustine Washington, married my mother after his first wife died, leaving him with two sons. He was not a man of wealth and prestige, he was a simple planter. It would not be said he was a gentleman farmer, nor the lord of a plantation, but a man with some land, which he managed, and earned a living for his family.

Image is of the site of my birthplace..

You know of my involvement as a General of the Army when we fought the British for our freedom. Much has been written of my crossing the Delaware River to do battle with Lord Cornwallis and his troops.

I am not writing to review my life and times as a General, or as the first President of the United States. I have come to give you a glimpse of my time, before those that have been written in great lengths by historians throughout our history.

This 1772 painting by Peale of Washington as colonel of the Virginia Regiment, is the earliest known portrait

Born a year after their marriage, I was very fond of my mother Mary Ball. She was an austere, self disciplined woman who often seemed to lack sentimentality towards any of her six children. As the eldest, I was quite aware of her sensibility, and also aware of her loving heart, hidden beneath the veneer of her stoic courage.

We moved from Westmoreland County twice before my father died when I was eleven, eventually settling near Fredericksburg. I am sad to report my education was quite limited. Unlike children of the gentry, who could afford tutors, I was taught by my mother and my older, half brother Lawrence, whom I greatly admired. I had some schooling in the local schoolhouse but my formal education ended when I was fourteen.

I was not only limited in formal education, but in social skills as well. I have a great indebtedness to Lawrence, who was the epitome of social graces and charm, and was most anxious to teach me when I visited him at his home, Mt. Vernon.

In spite of my humble and limited education, I was quite good at mathematics and learned some of the basics of surveying. Eventually at the age of seventeen, I became a surveyor and was quite content in that field. I was able to make a substantial living, and even buy some land, hoping to someday become a gentleman farmer.

Image is my half brother Lawrence who was my mentor..

Alas, I was most saddened when my dear brother and mentor died of tuberculosis. For a long time I was morose, in deep sorrow, grieving as I had not even grieved with the passing of my father. To ease the pain, I took on a great deal of work, neglected my personal life, and almost became a recluse. That all was turned about in two years when Lawrence's daughter died, and I inherited Mt. Vernon. I vowed I would finish the dream of my brother, to embellish the home and lands, and make it one of the great plantations in Virginia.

I was not granted much time to fulfill the dream. Since I had also inherited his rank as Major in the Virginia militia. In less than a year I was ordered by Governor Dimwiddle to deliver a message to the French, who were occupying the land near an area that is known today as Pittsburgh. At that time it was part of the Virginia western frontier. It was a very long and arduous journey of 900 miles during freezing weather and many hazards.

A few months later, the Governor advanced my rank to Lt. Colonel and sent me with 150 men to do battle with the French in the Ohio territory. Sadly, and with great humiliation, I lost the battle. It has been noted in history that this skirmish was what started the French and Indian War.

Unfortunately, it was not my first defeat in battle. I regrettably recall the battle of New York City, when General Howe's army defeated us at Long Island. But, I am not here to speak of my life during those times. Historians have noted it in great detail.

I returned to Mt. Vernon after my defeat by the French, resigned my military position, and again endeavored to become a successful landowner and farmer. It was at this time I met and married Martha Dandridge Custis, a handsome and appealing widow, mother of two children who became very dear to me. The gossip mongers insisted I married my Martha for her wealth and estate near Williamsburg. I shall give no credence to this tale.

After two defeats, I was finally elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, a group of landowners who met regularly in Williamsburg to form laws that could be approved, or not, by the Governor, his council of six well known citizens, or directors in London. At that time we were still a colony of the English Crown.

It was my adventure into politics and you know from history where that took me.

Did I actually chop down a cherry tree and admit it to my father, or, as such a young lad was I covering for my older half brother, Lawerence?

Did I throw a dollar across the Delaware, or might it have been a narrow stretch of the Potomac?

One fact I know is true. I loved my country.

Image is a mezzotint of Martha Washington, based on a 1757 portrait by Wollaston

If you enjoyed reading this personal perspective of George Washington, you may enjoy reading Benjamin Franklin, his view