A Farmer Answers the Call

By Ken Chapman, Ph.D.
Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.
On June 15, 1775, the eve of the American Revolution, John Adams rose from his seat in Congress and made his nomination for the appointment of general and commander- in-chief of the United Colonies. His fellow statesmen quickly confirmed his nomination. Who did they appoint to this position that would likely determine the outcome of the American Revolution? The answer is George Washington. Why would the founding fathers of our country choose Washington, a forty-three-year-old gentleman farmer from Virginia as the man to face experienced British Generals such as Sir William Howe and Charles Lord Cornwallis?
Though born in 1732 to the family of a Virginia planter, young George was not content to stay on the farm. As a teenager, he learned surveying and traveled in the wilderness as far as the Shenandoah Valley as part of a surveying team for Lord Fairfax. A few years after that, Washington joined the Virginia Militia and began studying military tactics. In 1753, he was selected for an important mission. The French had entered the Ohio River Valley and were preparing to build a fort on land the British had claimed but not yet settled. An envoy would be needed to blaze a trail through the hostile wilderness, meet with the French commander, and deliver a message from the British Crown demanding that the rival group relinquish their claim and depart from the region. It was a difficult assignment requiring many qualities—skill and stamina to travel through rough wilderness, courage to face hostile Native Americans, and diplomatic ability to interact with the French. And though he was only twenty-one years old, Washington received the assignment. He completed it with great success and delivered the message to the French commander near modern day Pittsburgh. He returned with the French response in the dead of winter through the territory of Native Americans who tried to hunt him down and kill him.
In 1754 because of his success, Washington was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and selected to lead 160 soldiers back into the area to fight the French. A year later, he again returned to the Ohio River Valley as a volunteer aide to General Edward Braddock. It was in the company of Braddock that Washington made his reputation as a brave warrior under fire. When the British and Colonial forces, under Braddock’s command, were ambushed by French and Native American fighters in a ravine near the Monongahela River, Washington took action. He seemed to be everywhere at once. He charged to Braddock’s side to help inspire the regular troops to fight their way out of the ambush. He rode to the rear bringing the Virginia Militia up to the fight. And as officer after officer was killed or wounded, including General Braddock, Washington rallied and directed the troops. He is credited with saving the men who finally did escape. In all, sixty officers were killed. During the battle, Washington himself had two horses shot from under him and after the fight, discovered that four bullets had ripped through his coat. It was reported that so many Native Americans had tried to kill him and failed that they finally gave up, believing that Washington was under the special protection of the “Great Spirit.” A month later, a twenty-three-year-old Washington found himself promoted to Colonel and became a regimental commander over all Virginia forces.
When he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, he resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon, determined to serve through political, rather than military leadership. For a decade and a half, he did so and was elected to the first and second Continental Congresses, which led to his appointment as leader of the Continental Army in 1775.
Washington had earned the right to lead the army and for six years, he masterfully commanded the troops while facing a superior enemy, endured great hardship, and battled more experienced generals. But he managed to sustain the freedom of the United States and in 1781, he defeated the British troops and forced the surrender of General Cornwallis.
Though Washington preserved the fledgling government through battle with Britain, he also faced serious problems at home. More than once, people recommended to him that he make himself king of the country. And after Congress neglected to pay the officers of the army for a considerable period, a group of them met in Newberg, New York, to discuss the action they might take against the government. In a final attempt to calm them, Washington read them a letter he had recently received from Congress. Then, in one moment that altered the course of history, he paused, looked at the letter with difficulty and finally reached into his pocket for his eyeglasses. Quietly he remarked, “I have already grown gray in the service of my country. I am now going blind.”
These comments stunned his officers and it turned the tide of their opinion. Washington’s biographer, James Fletcher commented, “This was probably the most important single gathering ever held in the United States. The young country found a hero in the officer who had led them through war and would now lead them in peace. It was the witness of his behavior that prevailed over the verbal arguments of those who opposed him.”
A month later, to the great surprise of many, Washington resigned his commission as commander of the army. The British had surrendered and as far as Washington was concerned, he wanted only one thing—the opportunity to return to his beloved Mount Vernon. So, he did just that. He retired to Mount Vernon. But when the country needed to elect its first president, someone who could guide them through those first precarious years, they looked again to Washington—a man who valued service rather than power. The Electoral College was unanimous in its choice of him as president. With all his accomplishments, George Washington’s final request was that the following inscription appear on his tombstone: “George Washington 1732 – 1799, Farmer.
Of all the many patriots and leaders who had risen to liberate the people of the United States, and there were many, George Washington, more than any other, had earned the right to lead. That is what leaders do. They do not demand the right to lead; they earn the right to lead. They earn the respect of others by managing their own words and behavior. They earn the right to lead by being an example for others to follow.