George Washington is generally considered to have been the "indispensable man" of the Revolution, an epithet he undoubtedly deserves. Paradoxically, however, he was by disposition one of the least revolutionary men in America, yet he was a great revolutionary leader. Although he is not often described as a brilliant general, he was more than adequate to the occasion. His most significant achievement was holding the Revolution together through some very difficult years. He eventually got significant assistance from European officers, most notably the Marquis de Lafayette, Baron Johann de Kalb, Count Casimir Pulaski, Thaddeus Kosciusko, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, and others. Washington's goal was to create a regular 18th-century-style army and fight traditional battles against the British, but that goal was difficult to achieve under the circumstances.
Washington knew very little of the formal science of war—he was not a military theorist and had not studied the great published works on war. Lacking a talent for conducting training, he turned that task over to subordinates, especially the Europeans such as Baron von Steuben, a former aide to the Prussian Frederick the Great. Nevertheless, Washington was able, loyal, cautious, devoted, and patient—and he brought great dignity to the cause.
Washington's essential gift was in his character. Although he could never be called humble, he was nevertheless uncorrupted and not tempted by power. He was remarkably respectful of civil authority, even though he had ample reason to be contemptuous. He often fumed privately about the lack of support he received from Congress and wrote letters of protest about shortages within his army. Overall he was unquestionably a wise and good man and a dedicated leader—he cared for his officers and men and commanded their loyalty, respect, and affection.
Washington's strategy was necessarily reactionary—he was obliged to keep out of harm's way wherever possible. On the advice of Lieutenant Alexander Hamilton and others, he maneuvered so as to keep his army from being trapped between the British Army and the sea. He worked hard to address the problem of lack of unity based on his soldiers' regional loyalties. He continually maintained that the Army was American, not a collection of various colonial militias. Keeping his soldiers' fighting spirits up was a struggle against what Thomas Paine called "summer soldiers." Although the length of the war unified the Americans, it also exhausted Washington and his men. The fact that he never gave in to despair or lost faith in the eventual outcome was a remarkable achievement.
Washington's subordinates included Artemas Ward, who had commanded Massachusetts militia; Charles Lee, a veteran of the British army; New York's Philip Schuyler; Israel Putnam, an ex-tavern keeper; Horatio Gates, who became adjutant general; Nathaniel Greene; and Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox," (on whom the Mel Gibson character in The Patriot was based.) As has been true in most wars, generals could at times be petty, jealous, and quarrelsome, and even disloyal—as Benedict Arnold demonstrated—another reason why Washington's steadfastness at the top was so important.20
World History
