Posted on 02/15/2010 6:03:52 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
Today is not Presidents' Day. The holiday's official title is George Washington's Birthday. It is a day for celebrating the Father of our Country, whose greatness is often forgotten.
Few Americans know that George Washington never received more than elementary-level schooling. But he was a whiz at math, and his sharp mind and appetite for adventure led him to surveying, then to the Army.
Incredibly, in his first military adventure, the totally untrained soldier led an attack on a French force near the Ohio River, killing a French ambassador. Thus began the French and Indian War. Washington was captured and signed a statement, written in French, admitting to what were basically war crimes. In his next battle, Washington advised Gen. Edward Braddock to avoid traditional battle lines in an open field. Braddock ignored him, and the Indians slaughtered the British, killing Braddock. London blamed the colonials, including Washington.
Today, a young soldier's career probably would be over -- if he ever got into the Army with such little education to begin with. Washington soldiered on, eventually leading a small force of mostly militiamen to victory over the greatest military power the world had ever seen.
In 1788, a popular song in the new United States of America was "Great Washington shall rule the land." But Washington wanted nothing of it. He was nearly broke and needed to restore his farm to profitability. But without campaigning for the job, he was unanimously elected President. He wrote of the results: "My movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution ... ."
On his ride to New York City, then the capital, he was serenaded by citizens singing, "Welcome, mighty chief!" Had he sought them, dictatorial powers were his for the taking. But on his inauguration, he wore a plain brown suit fitting of an average American, the first step in his plan to establish that Presidents were citizen executives, nothing more.
"As the first of everything in our situation will serve to establish a precedent, it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles," he wrote to James Madison. Following his principles, he spent the next eight years retiring the national debt, avoiding foreign entanglements and trying to ensure the stability of the young national government.
When he retired, George Washington was reviled by a large portion of the citizens who owed him their freedom. To avoid war, he had accepted a humiliating treaty with Britain. The newly formed opposition press brutally attacked and mocked him. But Washington never responded. He let the press and the people deride him as he rode home to Mount Vernon, where he died two years later.
Today, George Washington is the dour old man on the dollar bill. In his time, he was a colossus, the general who risked everything to defeat an empire, only to reject his own crown and retire to his farm after ensuring that no one would have the power he refused to take for himself. We owe him everything. Let us remember that, if not every day, at least on this one.
How we have fallen. Washington, a great man, patriot, leader.
Obama - a Marxist race hustler who lies about his religion and background. He can’t even bring himself to release his college transcripts.
To hell with his birth certificate, how about his college transcripts like Bush, Kerry and Gore released.
We elected a Black Panther as President.
You are correct Sir! Washington was sui generis, the linchpin and scaffolding upon which all was built. Past is prologue. All hail the mighty Washington, in Flexner’s words, the Indispensible Man.
Washinton stands head and shoulders above every other president, literally and figuratively, by far the greatest.
America’s Cincinnatus
I fully agree! He was the man!
While we’ve had a couple of other greats serve as president, Washington made the whole greatness of America possible. He truly was our first citizen in many ways.
Without Washington as our first President we may not have survived long enough to have a second President.
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Incredibly, in his first military adventure, the totally untrained soldier led an attack on a French force near the Ohio River, killing a French ambassador. Thus began the French and Indian WarThat little tidbit was never taught in US History 'back in the day'. Even though we did study the French and Indian War and Revolution -- and for sure about George Washington and all our Founders.
I only found out by watching the History Channel.
Washington was a devout man who prayed daily for wisdom and succor during the war. He, as the president of the constitutional convention, did more than any other man (including oft-credited Madison) to shape the form of government this nation would have. There are far too many acts of his noble nature to list here, but two “miracles” that preserved his life need to be retold.
During the Battle of Monongahela (the second battle mentioned in the article) the British column was ambushed while they marched along their newly made road in the woods. The Indians specifically targeted the officers on horseback; General Braddock, and virtually all the officers were quickly killed or mortally wounded, save one. Despite repeated efforts to bring him down, Washington remained unharmed, and managed to prevent the complete annihilation of the army by leading an organized retreat. The Mohawk chieftain eventually told his warriors to cease firing at Washington because (in his own words) “He is protected by the Great Spirit!” After the battle, Washington found no less than FIVE bullet holes through his coat!
The second occasion was during the Battle of Brandywine in the Revolution. During that battle, a Major (Ferguson, I believe) of the British snipers had a senior American officer on a white horse right in his sights at close range, a sure shot he knew, but just as he was preparing to pull the trigger, he said he had an overwhelming sense telling him NOT to shoot this man. He didn't, and learned after the battle, that he could have killed Washington himself. He personally felt thereafter that it was the Lord telling him to spare Washington.
These stories used to be taught to our children in school up until the 60s, when Washington, and Divine Providence in general, started to be denigrated.
I, personally, consider George Washington to be a saint, and am sure that if he had been a clergyman he would have been canonized!
Washington was NOT a “totally untrained soldier”, he was a Captain in the Virginia Colonial Army!
WE WERE taught about this in school in Virginia where I grew up. The territory was officially part of Virginia and the French had been encroaching into it and fomenting unrest among the Indians against the English. That was the reason for Washington and his men being sent in.
Yes. I know that - from the History Channel series.
My only point was that we weren't taught about him starting, or any involvement in, the French and Indian War. Another item from that series was that Washington wanted an Officer's Commission in the British Army which he never received. Like you say he was in the Virginia Colonial Army.
That being said, none of it tarnishes his Greatness as one of our Founding Fathers. Or the resolve he showed fighting the Brits with the minimum of support he received from the Continental Congress (money to pay soldiers, more arms, or more troops).
Hands down, Obama will go down in the annals of history as the worst president ever to inhabit the White House. Hopefully, he won’t be our nation’s last.
Ironically, Patrick Ferguson was killed on Kings Mountain by American snipers who had NO qualms about killing officers.
“Patrick Ferguson was killed on Kings Mountain..”
I didn’t know that. It’s sad, or perhaps the Lord decided to reward him early for obedience.
How long ago was that? You had never heard of Fort Necessity?
Elementary School in the 50's early 60's, graduated HS in '66. No, never taught about Fort Necessity in US History.
Our history books & materials were generally 'lacking'. In one Elementary school classroom the 'World map' was made just after WWI. And in HS we didn't even get to the Korean War. Book ended at WWII iirc.
[Chicago Public Schools. Good Teachers then, out of date books and materials.]
Ping-a-roo.
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