Member-only story
In Defense of George Washington
Why all Americans should (still) respect their father
If you’re a George Washington fan, you know December is a key month for his legacy. One could say he gave the American people two wonderful “Christmas gifts” this month.
In December 1776, the Revolutionary War was lost. It was over. General George Washington was, at that time, the Commander-in-Chief of a dwindling and beat-up Continental Army. Yet Washington snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by pulling off one of the most daring attacks in military history. On Christmas Night 1776, he led his army across the icy Delaware River, marched through the night, and in the morning attacked the unprepared Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey.
The defeat of the Hessians rejuvenated the war effort and breathed new life into the cause for independence. Washington followed this up by outmaneuvering the British to score a victory at Princeton before settling into winter quarters.
Oh, and he personally kept the Continental Army from evaporating in the winter of 1776–77 due to enlistments expiring. That’s a whole other story. Indeed, General Washington deserves every accolade, monument, and site named after him just for keeping the Continental Army in the field throughout the Revolutionary War! That in and of itself was a…
