Part 10 (1/2)

Fired by sparkling intelligence and unstoppable ambition, Alexander Haton and later as treasury secretary because the two reed on so many policy issues

”Baron” von Steuben Colorful, flamboyant, and profane, Steuben perfor a new professionalis discipline in the Continental Arton's presidency

At first a trusted adviser to Washi+ngton and his peerless tutor on the Constitution, Jaed unexpectedly as his ress

While Washi+ngton's secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson teamed up with Madison, in a sometimes covert partnershi+p, to contest the policies of the ad a major political party in the process

An ardent adton early in the Revolutionary War, Tho critic

As the editor of an opposition paper, Philip Freneau heaped so ton that the exasperated president denounced hi Powel, a ence and literary flair, was Washi+ngton'shis presidency

This iton captures both her sweetness and her sadness in later years

Frances ”fanny” Bassett, a niece of Martha Washi+ngton's, came to live at Mount Vernon in early adolescence and, with her winning personality, ended up as a ton Faton includes the two Custis grandchildren they reared: George Washi+ngton Parke Custis, left, and Eleanor Parke Custis, right The slave depicted at right may have been Williae and Martha Washi+ngton includes the two Custis grandchildren they reared: George Washi+ngton Parke Custis, left, and Eleanor Parke Custis, right The slave depicted at right may have been Williaing President Washi+ngton shows just how haggard and careworn he appeared during his contentious second terton's attach from his persistent concern for his personal papers, which he saw as guaranteeing his posthu his record froton fussed over these docue and reflected his awareness that his personal saga was inextricably entwined with that of the new nation As early as August 1776, while bracing for Howe's assault on New York, he had shown solicitude for his papers, sending a box of the year he had a chest with strong hinges constructed to hold theton asked Congress to hire secretaries to make copies of his wartime correspondence ”Unless a set of writers are e them,” he explained, ”it will not be in my power to accomplish this necessary work and equally impracticable perhaps to preserve froh originals, Washi+ngton wanted clerks rote ”a fair hand” to produce a inals, Washi+ngton wanted clerks rote ”a fair hand” to produce a nificent set of bound papers33 Lieutenant Colonel Richard Varick, the former aide to Benedict Arnold, was appointed to head the editorial team and at various times hired six different clerks to assist hiton told Varick that he wanted ”a similarity and beauty in the whole execution” with ”all the writingto be upon black lines equidistant All the books to have the saent a manner that therethat, in the uidelines It was no less astounding that he elicited an appropriation for the project, even as he coranted to his army For more than two years, Varick and his clerks beavered away at the gigantic effort in Poughkeepsie, New York They worked eight-hour days and filled up twenty-eight voluton hoped this written record would stand as a polished y for athat, in the uidelines It was no less astounding that he elicited an appropriation for the project, even as he coranted to his army For more than two years, Varick and his clerks beavered away at the gigantic effort in Poughkeepsie, New York They worked eight-hour days and filled up twenty-eight voluton hoped this written record would stand as a polished y for a man who shrank from overt self-proed Washi+ngton's wartile memorable sentence about her son's outsize success Withabout than any other mother in American history, she took no evident pride in her son's accorapher wrote that Mary was ”so far fro partial to the Aretted the side her son had taken in the contest between her king and her country”35 The best one can say about Mary Washi+ngton is that she did not exploit her son's renown for her own benefit Instead, she leveled a steady strea that he had abandoned her ”She had always been resentful of anything he had done that was not in her service,” wrote Jae's activities that she was believed by lect” The best one can say about Mary Washi+ngton is that she did not exploit her son's renown for her own benefit Instead, she leveled a steady strea that he had abandoned her ”She had always been resentful of anything he had done that was not in her service,” wrote Jae's activities that she was believed by lect”36 For a son as dutiful as George Washi+ngton, this was a strange accusation and only made him more distant frole letter during the entire war, proest ton's life” was ”his lack of affection for his ton, this was a strange accusation and only made him more distant frole letter during the entire war, proest ton's life” was ”his lack of affection for his mother”37 Observers noted a si von Closen, an aide to Rochaton, he left this iton and her sister, both ladies no less venerable in their way than the General was in his” Observers noted a si von Closen, an aide to Rochaton, he left this iton and her sister, both ladies no less venerable in their way than the General was in his”38 Before the Revolution, as noted earlier, Washi+ngton had set up hisand instructed Lund Washi+ngton to attend to her financial needs in his absence He agreed to pay rent to her based on the proceeds froed property had never yielded even half the reed to pay her, so that the ”rent” constituted a large outright subsidy He had even sold off slaves to pay the exorbitant property taxes During the war Washi+ngton had never received a single complaint about Lund's treatment of his mother and must have assumed she was perfectly content In fact, Mary was far froled with poor health, wartirave illness of her son-in-law and next-door neighbor, Fielding Lewis Yet Washi+ngton heard nothing from her directly about these proble fashi+on

After consulting with the French at Newport in February 1781, Washi+ngton returned to New Windsor to discover one of the most bizarre letters of his career Benjainia asseton, with soated a ency pension: ”Some Gent[leme]n of the last assembly proposed to apply to that body for assistance to yourto the heavy taxes she was oblig[e]d to pay I took a liberty to put a stop to this, supposing you would be displeased at such an application I rant the request and it now only rests with you to say whether it shall beWashi+ngton, Harrison had stalled in writing the letter Clearly Mary had made no effort to forewarn her son of her petition She had now progressed froerously erratic Perhaps afraid of infuriating or insulting Washi+ngton, Harrison had stalled in writing the letter Clearly Mary had made no effort to forewarn her son of her petition She had now progressed froerously erratic

Froton's abashed response, one can tell that he had not heard about the matter before or communicated with his mother in years He wasson and that his mother had consequently thrown herself upon the charity of the state The charge of neglect was substantially the same one Mary had trotted out since he first rode off to the French and Indian War Now, aton sat down and recounted for Harrison his tortured history with hisbefore the war and instructed Lund to take care of her He seees: ”Whence her distresses can arise, therefore, I know not, never having received any complaintConfident I am that she has not a child that would not divide the last sixpence to relieve her from real real distress This she has been repeatedly assured of by me And all of us, I a ourher But, in fact, she has an ample income of her own” distress This she has been repeatedly assured of by me And all of us, I a ourher But, in fact, she has an aton asked the asseton asked the asse any action

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Plundering Scoundrels AS THE WAR WANED in the northern states, it waxed ever hotter in the South The British, sty southern Loyalists, nonetheless continued to fight aggressively Lord Cornwallis ached to avenge the humiliation Banastre Tarleton suffered at Cowpens in January For three weeks Nathanael Greene's ragtag aroose chase; then, on March 15, 1781, Cornwallis spotted his chance, as his men approached a phalanx of local militia that Greene had lined up south of Guilford Court House in North Carolina After firing one volley, the North Carolina men dispersed, as Greene had ordered, but the Continental soldiers stubbornly held their ground in fierce conaled a belated retreat ”I never saw such fighting since God made me,” declared a thunderstruck Cornwallis, who had a horse shot froe1 Desperate for victory and in defiance of his officers, Cornwallis ordered hisBritish marksmen inadvertently to slay British soldiers Desperate for victory and in defiance of his officers, Cornwallis ordered hisBritish marksmen inadvertently to slay British soldiers

Technically a British victory, the battle cost Cornwallis dearly: 532 dead and wounded soldiers, more than a quarter of his force As Charles James Fox pointed out in Parliament, ”Another such victory would ruin the British Army”2 Nathanael Greene concurred: ”They had the splendor, we the advantage” Nathanael Greene concurred: ”They had the splendor, we the advantage”3 Cornwallis decided to inia to link up with Benedict Arnold He was being worn down by the wily, resourceful Greene, who caton understood that Greene, despite the defeat, had acquitted hih the honors of the field did not fall to your lot,” Washi+ngton told him, ”I am convinced you deserved them” Cornwallis decided to inia to link up with Benedict Arnold He was being worn down by the wily, resourceful Greene, who caton understood that Greene, despite the defeat, had acquitted hih the honors of the field did not fall to your lot,” Washi+ngton told him, ”I a in Virginia, the pieceton's arinia heartland, they gladly laid waste to the estates of Revolutionary leaders, and Washi+ngton knew that Mount Vernon adier General Benedict Arnold led his British and Tory troops along the Ja hoth operated to advantage in a state atered by rivers After activating the ton tohis presence ”would restore [the] full confidence of salvation”5 For Washi+ngton, who longed to be hoe was hard to hear ”nobody, I persuade myself, can doubt my inclination to be immediately employed in the defense of that country where all ton, who longed to be hoe was hard to hear ”nobody, I persuade myself, can doubt my inclination to be immediately employed in the defense of that country where all my property and connections are,” he replied6 Nonetheless he cited ”powerful objections” to leaving his ar them hundreds of miles south Nonetheless he cited ”powerful objections” to leaving his ar thee nuinia under Lafayette, but he didn't wish to join hi with the French to take New York, which Washi+ngton still envisioned as the climactic battle of the Revolution He had already diverted a large nuinia under Lafayette, but he didn't wish to join hi with the French to take New York, which Washi+ngton still envisioned as the climactic battle of the Revolution

Inter reveries about his old life at Mount Vernon Early on he had written hoth, the mental connection with his estate still unbroken Now, he told a correspondent, he had ”long been a stranger” to such ”private indulgences”8 Nevertheless he still deluged Lund Washi+ngton with minute questions about a place he hadn't set eyes on for six years ”How ?” he asked in March 1781 ”How ress of the covered ays connecting theto repair the pavement of the piazza?” he wished to know Nevertheless he still deluged Lund Washi+ngton with minute questions about a place he hadn't set eyes on for six years ”How ?” he asked in March 1781 ”How ress of the covered ays connecting theto repair the paveic recollections of Mount Vernon were shattered weeks later when a British sloop, the Savage, Savage, dropped anchor in the Potomac near the plantation Captain Thomas Graves had burned hoinia bank Then he sent ashore a party to Mount Vernon to dee store of food and offered asyluton's slaves-fourteen men and three wo the leader of the Aton knew that his boss wanted him to resist any cooperation with the British, and at first he balked at their demands Then he went aboard the dropped anchor in the Potomac near the plantation Captain Thomas Graves had burned hoinia bank Then he sent ashore a party to Mount Vernon to dee store of food and offered asyluton's slaves-fourteen men and three wo the leader of the Aton knew that his boss wanted him to resist any cooperation with the British, and at first he balked at their de provisions as a peace offering After this conference he consented to send sheep, hogs, and other supplies to save Mount Vernon and possibly to recover the departed slaves Maybe Lund wondered whether Washi+ngton, at bottonant Lafayette warned Washi+ngton of the unfortunate precedent Lund had set: ”This being done by the gentleman who, in some measure, represents you at your house will certainly have a bad effect and contrasts with spirited answers froly” bearing provisions as a peace offering After this conference he consented to send sheep, hogs, and other supplies to save Mount Vernon and possibly to recover the departed slaves Maybe Lund wondered whether Washi+ngton, at bottonant Lafayette warned Washi+ngton of the unfortunate precedent Lund had set: ”This being done by the gentleman who, in some measure, represents you at your house will certainly have a bad effect and contrasts with spirited answers froly”10 As Lafayette expected, Washi+ngton reacted with unalloyed horror when he learned that Lund had boarded the Savage Savage to negotiate with the enerave rebuke to his steward for his decision to ”cootiate with the enerave rebuke to his steward for his decision to ”co scoundrels,”11 as he dubbed them ”It would have been a less painful circumstance to me to have heard that, in consequence of your non-compliance with their request, they had burnt my house and laid the plantation in ruins” as he dubbed them ”It would have been a less painful circumstance to me to have heard that, in consequence of your non-compliance with their request, they had burnt ton showed his classic stoicis or bow to anyone Since Lund was his proxy, he felt personally humiliated by the incident In a fatalistic ht a superior naval force to Virginia, ”I have as little doubt of its ending in the loss of all roes and in the destruction of ton showed his classic stoicis or bow to anyone Since Lund was his proxy, he felt personally humiliated by the incident In a fatalistic ht a superior naval force to Virginia, ”I have as little doubt of its ending in the loss of all roes and in the destruction of my houses But I am prepared for the event”13 He ordered Lund to reton was then laid up with recurrent liver trouble, abdominal pain, and jaundice So traumatized was her husband by the He ordered Lund to reton was then laid up with recurrent liver trouble, abdominal pain, and jaundice So traue incident that when theof a British Aret-well present-the Washi+ngtons had stayed at her New York hoift from the enemy incident that when theof a British Aret-well present-the Washi+ngtons had stayed at her New York hoift fro into a ain believed that the Continental Ar before his eyes, that he had been doomed to lead a phanto the winter that it was at tiarrison West Point His idle troops had languished since Novelorious offensive caloomy defensive one”14 As Greene and Lafayette won honors in the South, he was reduced to a helpless bystander, upstaged by his own disciples As Greene and Lafayette won honors in the South, he was reduced to a helpless bystander, upstaged by his own disciples

Washi+ngton dispatched Major General William Heath to raise supplies from the northern states and predicted his arry army was down to a one-day ration of ton couldn't pay the teamsters to transport theton, who began to think he would never see the end of the conflict As he confided to General John Ar that ”divine government” favored the patriots, ”but the period for its accomplishm[en]tand evening hours and every moment (unoccupied by business) pants for retirement”15