Revolutionary War: How Good Was George Washington?

Summary

American History Hit: Revolutionary War Episode Summary Episode: "Revolutionary War: How Good Was George Washington?" | Release Date: July 17, 2025

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Introduction: Revisiting George Washington's Leadership

In this episode of American History Hit, host Don Wildman delves into the complex legacy of George Washington, questioning the revered general's strategic prowess during the American Revolutionary War. Setting the stage at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Don examines Emanuel Leutze's iconic yet historically embellished painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware," to prompt a deeper exploration of Washington's true role and effectiveness as a military leader.

Washington's Ascension to Commander-in-Chief

Key Discussion Points:

• Selection by the Continental Congress: Don and guest Major Jonathan D. Bratton discuss how Washington was chosen as the leader of the Continental Army in 1775. Bratton emphasizes that Washington’s prior experience as a brigade commander in the colonial wars made him the most viable option despite the Continental Congress's broader political considerations.

Notable Quote:

"He is the only provincial to have experience commanding a brigade-sized element... that was kind of a big deal."
— Major Jonathan D. Bratton [06:21]

Strategic Challenges and Adaptability

Key Discussion Points:

• Early Setbacks: Washington's involvement in the French and Indian War, particularly his failed expedition towards Pittsburgh, is highlighted as a significant early challenge that shaped his military approach.
• Balance Between Military and Political Realities: The episode explores the tension Washington faced between maintaining military cohesion and responding to political pressures from leaders like John Adams and regional Congresses.

Notable Quote:

"Washington's greatest strength... is that he learns very early on... he constantly changes his strategic vision as the situation changes."
— Bratton [17:00]

Tactical Decisions and Battlefield Performance

Key Discussion Points:

• Defensive Strategies: Washington's preference for positional warfare and the preservation of his army over holding specific geographic points, such as his retreat from New York and Philadelphia, is analyzed. These decisions, often criticized, are reinterpreted as strategic maneuvers to prolong the war and keep the Continental Army intact.
• Critical Engagements: The discussions cover pivotal battles like Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Saratoga, evaluating Washington’s decision-making processes and risk assessments during these conflicts.

Notable Quote:

"He is preserving the army... trading space for time... which is the most important thing for the American cause."
— Bratton [12:48]

Coordination with French Allies

Key Discussion Points:

• Alliance Formation: The episode examines Washington’s efforts to collaborate with French military leaders like Rochambeau, highlighting the complexities and challenges of coordinating joint operations.
• Yorktown Campaign: The meticulous planning and bold execution of the Yorktown siege demonstrate Washington’s ability to adapt and seize decisive opportunities, culminating in the British surrender.

Notable Quote:

"If you can do the small things well... you're going to do the big things."
— Bratton [34:22]

Leadership Qualities and Personal Growth

Key Discussion Points:

• Humility and Resilience: Washington's humility and ability to withstand criticism from subordinates and political figures are emphasized as critical factors in his enduring legacy.
• Humanizing a Legend: The conversation acknowledges the human emotions, insecurities, and personal growth Washington experienced, which contributed to his effectiveness as both a military leader and the first President of the United States.

Notable Quote:

"His ability to see that hard decisions have to be made and live with them for the rest of his life is one of his great strong points."
— Bratton [39:08]

Conclusion: Evaluating Washington's Legacy

Don Wildman and Major Bratton conclude that George Washington was a strategic and adaptable leader whose decisions, though sometimes resulting in tactical losses, ultimately preserved the Continental Army and paved the way for American independence. Washington's legacy as a humble yet resolute leader is reaffirmed, highlighting his significant yet often understated contributions to the Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States.

Final Insight:

"Humility was a big part of Washington's battlefield strategy and leadership style."
— Bratton [37:58]

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About the Guest: Major Jonathan D. Bratton

Major Jonathan D. Bratton is an engineer, officer, and army historian who has contributed to several episodes in the Revolutionary War series on American History Hit. His expertise provides a nuanced understanding of military strategies and leadership dynamics during the American Revolution.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the "Revolutionary War: How Good Was George Washington?" episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the full podcast.

Transcript

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[Don Wildman]

Hello there and welcome to one of the toniest neighborhoods on Manhattan's Upper east side. Right here on Fifth Avenue on the iconic front steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ground zero for the famous Met Gala, that annual spectacle of celebrity and fashionable extremes. But come with me. We're going inside. I want to show you something. Couple of facts. The Met holds a staggering collection. 1.5 million works of art, they say, tens of thousands of which can be viewed across a dizzying maze of galleries. Right now, we're crossing the great hall with its vaulted ceiling and we're heading up those stairs to the American wing. Stay close, you might get lost. And here we are, room 760. This is what we've come for. Take a look. End of the room. There, commanding the space on its very own wall, the world famous Washington crossing the Delaware. Painted by a German, emanuel Leutzer. A 21 by 12 foot epic on canvas. Something else, right? George Washington heroically posed, right foot propped on a seat, torso draped in a cloak, leading ragtag troops across an icy river on Christmas night 1776 to ambush the British in Trenton. It is the indelible image of a truly pivotal event. But a couple of things. First, they didn't cross crowded in such small boats. I mean, there were 1200 men. That required longer flat bottomed Durham boats, big enough for more men, horses, even artillery. And forget the Hollywood lighting. This was the middle of a miserable storm, driving wind, sleet, snow at night, dead of winter. The real scene would have been far less cinematic and with a lot more ice in the river. And oh yeah, the flag, that's the Stars and stripes there in the painting. But that design wasn't adopted as the new nation standard for another six or seven months. But hey, artistic license, right? After all, this was painted 70 years later in the 1850s in Germany. It's still a genius painting hanging in the Met for good reason. One that effectively prompts all sorts of historical questions, not least about the man himself. What was Washington's true role in the revolution? Yes, he led the army for eight and a half years through its high points and so many terrible lows. But forget the iconic painting, forget that iconic hero there. How central was this man Washington in leading the revolution itself? Greetings all. Welcome to American history. Hit. Thanks for joining us. He is remembered as the father of our Nation. George Washington, first President of the United States, served from April 1789 to March 1797. Played a key role in the drafting of the Constitution, the foundation of the US Government to this day. But before he became a statesman, Washington was of course, a military man. Led patriot forces through the long sloggy years of the Revolutionary War. His leadership is legendary. Yet even in his own time, he was both celebrated and criticized. That duality remains so as America's 250th anniversary looms. The it's worth revisiting Washington's wartime record. Not just his triumphs, but also his setbacks to better understand how his very human qualities shaped the outcome of the war and the nation that Followed him through it and in many ways, Washington himself. We do this in the company of Major Jonathan D. Bratton, engineer officer and army historian. Thank you so much, Jonathan. Nice to be with you.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

It is an absolute pleasure to be here.

[Don Wildman]

Effective military leadership, a discipline with many facets. Strategic vision, decisiveness under pressure, the ability to inspire and unite your troops, and an understanding of human nature. But it's in the realm of tactics that Washington is a mixed bag. We're going to get to discuss the way he fought several battles, but first I want to understand how he got the job. How did George Washington become the leader of the revolutionary forces?

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Yeah, great question. And one that actually I think opens up a bunch of rabbit holes in which we could dive or not dive, depending on how deep one would want to go. Because, yes, by 1775 you have Washington as chosen by the Continental Congress, as the de facto head of this thing, this Continental army, whatever that was even going to mean at the time. The short answer is because he did actually have the most experience leading troops at that tactical level, most provincials, through the colonial wars. So the periods of the 1740s, 50s and 60s tended to have logistics jobs essentially, or in what we today in the army would call sustainment. Washington is the only provincial, as they were called, to have experience commanding a brigade sized element. So several maneuver units of regiments grouped into one formation. And while he didn't really ever fight a battle as a brigade commander, just the simple experience of a provincial being entrusted with a brigade command was kind of a big deal. So when you're looking from the sphere of 1775 and the continental Congress to who should command this army, Washington hops up definitely as an option, but honestly, I think it has less to do with his tactical prowess or not than where he's from and the situation of the Continental army and this sort of, you know, what are we, are we in a rebellion? Are we an independence movement? What's happening here in 1775? It's because he's from Virginia.

[Don Wildman]

Yeah, he's coming from the strong place of Virginia, which is a very different place than New England. You know, in terms of the organization that is behind him, much more powerful. He was born into an upper middle class family, locally schooled, self educated, had aspirations. Very important part of this because you, if you came from his background, the way you would advance yourself would be through military adventure. I mean that was a, a big.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Tradition through military adventure. Or, you know, being the older son.

[Don Wildman]

Yes, exactly.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

We have to remember that this is a British shaped society. And so the older son is going to have more opportunities. Your younger sons are going to have to look at things like, you know, getting a real job, a clergy member serving in the military, whether the army or navy. His older brother Lawrence is going to serve in the British Army.

[Don Wildman]

Yeah.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

And for younger Washington, he's looking at getting an actual job as a surveyor. And so his life is shaped by possibilities and lack of possibilities. The areas that are open to him do have really amazing potential, but it's not the same as sort of this older son, this scion of empire that he kind of is striving for. So I think we always have to look at Washington in the terms of what he wants to be or how he wants to be perceived, because that's not always the way that he actually is.

[Don Wildman]

Sure. He marries up. He marries up.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

He does.

[Don Wildman]

Martha Custis. Smart move there. And you start to see, you know, this is a man who's on a course of ambition. He has a bigger life in mind, and becoming part of the military is part of that. He, of course, enlists in the Virginia Militia, which then becomes engaged in what we call the French and Indian War in America. Seven years war over here in London. By the way, I'm sitting in London as I talk about this. Very exciting for me, whole different perspective on American history. Let me tell you that he will lead a force in the French and Indian War, and. And things don't necessarily go well for him. He has a big failure there, out there towards what becomes Pittsburgh.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

He does. But he's also presented a pretty monumental task, if you think. I was actually just recently out that way. And when you think about we just say the word Pittsburgh and we can automatically imagine, you know, Pittsburgh, Steelers, industrial city, all these things. Not that this is the backwater of empire. This is essentially, you know, in London saying, we're going to the forks of Ohio. You're also. Might as well just say we're also going to the moon as well and, you know, far reaches of India. When we talk about Washington's expedition, he is doing a nearly impossible thing. And he's not doing it at the behest of the Crown. He's doing it at the behest of land companies to move out and essentially secure this. This region for the Virginia Company. And, yeah, as you say, it goes wrong. And we could spend a lot of time talking about Washington's tactical failures, but also the constraints that he's placed in.

[Don Wildman]

Right.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

He's very far.

[Don Wildman]

He's not viewed as a failure in this regard. You know, it was a military situation that was dealing with, and it doesn't reflect too badly on him. He becomes a lieutenant colonel, but he is not allowed to become an officer in the British army, which is a really important part of the story. And as a result of the rise of rebellion going on and what he becomes involved in, which is a kind of other story here. May of 1775, he attends the Continental Congress in his full military uniform. Is he advertising himself for the job?

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

100%, yeah. He's advertising that, hey, I have the experience. And also you need me, you rebellious colonies of New England. Remember, it is only New England at this point that is in active rebellion against the Crown. So they need to create. In order to create a continental army. In order to create an army and a rebellion that spans the entire coast. They need Virginia.

[Don Wildman]

Yeah.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

They need the southern colonies. They need the middle colonies. This is an effort to try to bring everyone else into the war. So it's not just New England that's. That's fighting this thing alone.

[Don Wildman]

Yeah.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

So absolutely, he's advocating for it. Others are advocating on his behalf as well. He's not. He has a good many supporters.

[Don Wildman]

Right. It's more of a summary point that should come at the end. But I want to point out, you know, compare this to Lincoln and his many generals. I mean, the American Revolution is unique in that it has one commander in chief, sort of. That's the. Not the name of it, but one commander in charge of this whole time for all those years. It's a remarkable fact and a tribute to Washington as we will talk about six weeks later. His effort pays off. He is, he is appointed commander in Chief on June 15, 1775, but he is in charge of the army outside of Boston, which is where the action is at this point. So I want to ask a general question which is really going to feed into all the different subject matter here. How good a strategist was he considered? That has so much to do with the criticism that comes to Washington over the ages. And it's not necessarily positive, is it?

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

I think you have to look at which Washington are we talking about? Are we talking about 1775 Washington, where he's literally just trying to create basic discipline and order in an army that could he sometimes refer to as an armed Mob. Is this 1777 Washington where he is, you know, on the backside of his defeats in New York and he's trying to forecast British moves against Philadelphia and Albany? Or is this 1780, 81 Washington where he is working skillfully with with French allies and trying to pick the best moment to gain a decisive battle. Because you have Washington's greatest strength, you said he hangs on. His greatest strength is he learns very early on. He's very much keyed into this idea of positional warfare and holding positions at all costs. Eventually he will not care about positions. He will happily give up Philadelphia to the British in 1777 because he knows it's not going to do him any good. And in fact, Howe realizes that after he takes Philadelphia and goes, well, I didn't destroy the Continental Army. I don't know what I'm doing here. So if we look at Washington's strategic vision, it is constantly changing just as the situation changes. But what he realizes the most and the most important thing that he brings post 1776 is that the Continental army itself, keeping that army in the field, an army in being and a constant thorn in the side to the British, is the most important thing for the American cause. And this is what he's going to send down to his commanders, as this is your priority to keep an army in the field. As long as there's an army fighting, we have a chance.

[Don Wildman]

I'll be right back with Jonathan after this break.

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[Don Wildman]

Humility has a lot to do with Washington's reputation, isn't it? It's an extraordinary quality to have in a military leader, but he loses more battles than he wins, unless you consider retreat a form of battle, you know, form of winning. Because he preserves the army, as you say.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Well, it is the question of what do we mean by win? This is a big question that we have in military history communities right now, especially in the light of the last 20 years, 23 years of American conflict. What does it mean to win? What does that look like? How do we define winning to the military, to the government, and to the American people, or to the general populace at large? And for Washington, winning looks like not losing. He makes the statement of we need to be able to create time. Time is Washington's friend. Time is the Continental Army's friend. And there is no Continental army leader who has more wins than tactical losses. We make the joke that in order to be a Continental army commander, you have to have presided over at least one major calamitous disaster. And that's sort of how you're accepted into the fold. But if you look at most leaders, they are not winning huge battles. There are. There are some wins in there, but they're few and far between. The wins that are there are so incredibly important, placed in time and space as to cause key, critical loss to the British capabilities in that given theater, that they are kind of remarkable. And the losses are such that except for maybe Camden, you have a Continental army that remains in the field and to some extent New York 76 and able to fight another day.

[Don Wildman]

A eulogy was given by someone after his death. Washington had a greatness in, quote, formation of extensive and masterly plans and the watchful seizure of every advantage. But he himself said in 1776 that he had a want of experience to move on a large scale. He had a limited and contracted knowledge in military matters. So this is a man who's learning as he goes, isn't it? I think that's a really important factor throughout the war. He is understanding that he's under schooled.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

In this type of warfare, underschooled, but also in what is the army that he is working with. So in seven, he undergoes a reform of the Continental army at least three, if not four times. There's at least three establishments of the Continental army, the most notable being from 1775 to 1776, where he oversees a complete transformation of the army, subbing entirely new units in for old ones under the eyes of the British. And he makes this quip, you know, if there's probably nothing so difficult as, as forming a new army out of an old one, unless it is under the little guns of the enemy, which he does. And so he is constantly trying to figure out what is the best type of formation, what is the best army for achieving my, my political and military ends. But he wants his forces to be on par with the regulars. He wants to be able to pull off the tactical maneuvers, the double envelopments, that sort of standard at the time. He wants them to be able to march and reconnoiter in the same time as the British. But this is an army that is literally growing. It is not sure what it is. It is a volunteer force and Americans are very independent minded. It's going to take a lot of time to turn this army into a proper fighting force. And Washington is fighting for that time. So he's got time on his mind in both aspects.

[Don Wildman]

So much of a, of a strategist. The requirements of strategy is to understand the land you're fighting on, you know, how you're going to set up your troops and so forth. And this was what he was criticized for, for not really understanding how best to do this, even by leaders below him like Charles Lee and so forth. Had great criticisms in the Congress. People looked at his choices as very skeptically.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Well, if you're in charge, everyone's going to criticize you. And if you've got Charles Lee as a subordinate, no matter what you do, he's going to criticize you. I think the remarkable thing about Washington is that he weathers this criticism and it's coming in from all sides. Even John Adams at a certain point comes for Washington when you've got multiple attempts, the Conway Cabal, he's got subordinates who scheme against him, Horatio Gates, et cetera. But he also does some sort of remarkable things, as you say, he learns. So in 1776 he loses forts. Washington and Lee, really major disasters. One of those, he loses a garrison of 3,500 troops. That's a lot of soldiers. 1776. But that's where he goes, all right, we are not holding static positions anymore like this. The most important thing is your army. And what's also interesting is he's learning that war is not just a military thing, it is political. He wanted to only defend a small piece of the area around New York. The leadership of New York State and New York City said, no, we and the Continental Congress said, you must preserve New York. This is a thing that Benjamin Lincoln is going to run into again in 1780 with the siege of Charleston. Benjamin Lincoln wants to pull his 5,000 continentals out of Charleston. He realizes it's a trap. They will all get captured if they remain there. But the political leadership of South Carolina says, no, it is your job to protect this infrastructure, to protect these people. And in fact, if you do withdraw your army, we and the militia will turn on you and attack you. That is a remarkable political situation to be in. So Washington and his subordinate commanders are walking this fine line of, yes, we are military leaders, but we answer to a political authority, and we have to find that spot where everyone is happy. And it ends in two of the largest disasters of the revolution is New York and Charleston.

[Don Wildman]

So that retreat that he eventually makes from New York, from Long island and then the battle of Brooklyn and all that across Manhattan and then up White Plains and so forth, that's part of his choice. Despite the orders he was getting from.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Congress, he has to at that point, because he has been driven out from position to position. Congress wants him to hold at every strong point, stop and defend this next position. What Washington ends up doing in order to preserve the army is literally just moving from point to point, trading space for time through the fall of 1776 until he's able to recross. But what he's also doing is he's trying to buy time for troops to move from the northern theater. We always think of, oh, the revolution is just this one thing that's happening around Washington at all times. Now he's got multiple theaters of the war. So troops in the northern theater are waiting for a British invasion from Canada. That invasion force pulls back with the onset of winter. And now 5 to 10,000 fresh, relatively fresh ish continentals and militia can be pulled from the northern theater down to the main with the main army. And that is what gives him this ability to execute his counter attack at Trenton and Princeton, which many laud him for as being this example of never giving up resiliency, audacity, and Seizing a key moment even when you were at your darkest.

[Don Wildman]

But that was a very close call. I mean, things could go, have gone very wrong at that point. He got lucky in many regards. Very complicated plan in Princeton and Trenton.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Very complicated plan. Part of the attack at Trenton doesn't even go off. You know, one commander does not cross because the weather conditions are too bad. Washington weighs risk constantly. If you want to look at Washington from sort of a gambler's perspective, he uses prudent risk. He takes risks, absolutely. If you look at his example of Brandywine in 1777, he is taking a risk by deploying his forces basically to the point where it will take. He knows Howe will have to march at least four to six hours out of his way. And so he, he posts his basically just to that line to be able to catch where he knows what, how's capabilities are, which is how he knows that he is about to be flank. He moves a division to cover his flank. There's a whole bunch of subordinates who get some things wrong. And he ends up doing a fighting withdrawal to the end of the day. It ends up being called a defeat. But Howe can't move for another three days because he has so many casualties. His baggage is miles away and he's essentially lost his mobility. While Washington fades back to prepare for another battle and ends up, he does end up giving up Philadelphia, but mainly because it is of zero use to the continental cause at this point. When we look at Washington's tactical strengths, weaknesses, it gets complicated because we often like to see things in clear terms of oh, it's a win or it's a loss or most of the time it's way more complicated.

[Don Wildman]

Yeah, but you can understand people's doubts. I mean, he's lost New York, he's lost Philadelphia. We're two years into the war at this point or thereabouts. It's not going well by many estimations and then continues to be a real struggle throughout.

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[Don Wildman]

He's also criticized for a failure to act in the south, only committing troops there when actually ordered by Congress.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

So the south is a weird theater because you have the British turning there in 1778-1779 with Germain's and Lord North's Southern strategy for the American cause. The south, there's not as many people there. For the British, those are the most wealthy colonies. They are the ones who are importer or exporting rather really expensive stuff. You know, rice, cotton, indigo, sugar, all that stuff. You know, the Northern colonies, not so much. Northern colonies are great as a export dumping market. Dump all British goods there. So for the Southern theater, it's very, very, very hard to string together any type of cohesive campaign plan from the Continental perspective when you have so few large population areas and you don't have a huge population to draw troops from. If you actually look at what Washington does is he very reluctantly weakens his own army. You can actually look at the Virginia troops go to the south in 1779, 1780, and then after that you've got Maryland troops being stripped down to the Southern theater. And then by 1780-81, Pennsylvania troops are going into the Southern theater. He is literally having to reinforce this area because there are not enough continental or militia troops in the Southern theater to sustain that as that region as its own fighting force. So he is having to draw away from his own strength. It's not that he doesn't want to reinforce, but he can so barely spare soldiers from his own department. And throwing, you know, it's sort of like throwing good money after bad. Why am I going to reinforce failure when I could possibly reinforce success. Because the Southern theater has been a string of failures until Greene gets there and understands that what he has to do is essentially a small war. Draw the British out into the countryside, maybe win a battle, but lose a bunch, but wear down their will to fight. And that's what eventually gets Cornwallis so annoyed that he heads off towards Virginia in 1781.

[Don Wildman]

And I'm way out of chronology here, but Saratoga, which is so much the story of the middle of the war and the fact that we get the French engaged here, he's not even there for that battle.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

He's not, but he shapes it, remember? So as the commander in Chief. So in 1777, the Forticonderoga erroneously referred to as the Gibraltar of the North. Just don't call anything a Gibraltar unless it's actually Gibraltar. It's a sure way for it to fall. Fort Ticonderoga falls, but the garrison remains intact because the Northern army retreats out of Fort Ticonderoga, mainly because the commander, following Washington's injunction, preserve your force, he keeps the Northern army intact. The Northern army falls back again, trading space for time, causing Burgoyne to deploy his forces further, have it lengthen his supply lines, and really put himself at the end of this tenuous line of communication back to Canada. And as the Northern army retreats into New York, further south towards Albany, it is getting strengthened. And one of the ways that it's getting strengthened is Washington is stripping his army of some of its best leaders. So Benedict Arnold, Benjamin Lincoln are two general officers he sends up who are both instrumental in the battle of Saratoga. He will send the. I don't want to call it elite forces, but very, very good troops, the Provisional Rifle Corps under Daniel Morgan with its accompanying light infantry. And he sends about a brigade to a brigade and a half of Continentals that are sort of theater reserve from New York. So he all that while he knows Howe is going to fight him for Philadelphia. He needs these forces. But he also sees that there is an opportunity here to possibly do something greater if Burgoyne is drawn so deep into New York, he can possibly be surrounded, brought to battle, and maybe even surrender. So, yes, he's not there. But you have to look at how he's shaping campaigns through his deployment of forces.

[Don Wildman]

We've mentioned the French. How was he engaged with them? Rochambeau? Were they at the table together? Did they make these plans together? I've always wondered about that.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

The French come in with a treaty of amity and alliance in 1778. And then it's two and a half to three years of everybody trying to figure out, how do we coordinate together? Because you have to go off of wind and tide with a French navy, Everything is. Everything is driven by naval power. Don't tell Dan I said that. He'll get too excited. But everything is driven by naval power. What is the royal Navy doing? And can the French maneuver up from their bases in the Caribbean to the colonies? So they attempt a relief of Savannah, 1779, 1780. It's an absolute bloody disaster. And that sort of tempers everyone's mindset of, what are we looking for? So Washington really, really, really wants New York. That's what he wants. He has not forgiven himself for 1776. He wants to take New York. He wants to cooperate with the French. There's an attempt to cooperate with the French in Rhode island in 79. It doesn't come off well, mostly due to weather. So with these little moments of, hey, let's try to make this thing work. Oh, we can't make it work. Let's try to find this moment. You know, it didn't work out. We weren't able to offload the troops in time. And so 1781 is this moment of Washington is going to retake New York. But then they get intelligence that Cornwallis has told Clinton in New York, hey, I'm at Yorktown. This is my force. Come pick me up, Because I'm in a very vulnerable position. And Washington takes another one of his risks. Yorktown is not a given. It is not a given that you're going to move 9,000 troops over land and sea in about three weeks and then lay siege to a garrison. And so this is where he and Rochambeau and the comte d' Estaing of the naval forces sort of come to this agreement of, hey, we're going to do this thing, and the French have to go win naval supremacy. You have to have the Battle of the Capes. It is a tactical draw. A storm comes in, blows everybody out to sea. That's good enough. Sometimes a draw is good enough. And it means that the British cannot reinforce and they can't get off the Yorktown peninsula.

[Don Wildman]

But the boldness of that endeavor is remarkable. I mean, most Americans, I would venture to say, don't understand that the final play of the. Of the revolution requires enormous amounts of marching troops, hundreds and hundreds of miles. I live in a place in. Outside north of New York, and there's a place called French Hill right down. Down the street that's where the French lived, you know, coming back from, from Virginia. But they were having to move from New England, where they got off those ships, all the way down the eastern seaboard in order to get to Yorktown. That's a bad night for a military leader to realize he's up against that. But that's Washington.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

And that's also warfare in the 18th century. We, we tend to do armchair quarterbacking of, oh, why couldn't they just move this force over here and do that? Yeah, well, because geography, that's why it's insane. Looking at the feats that it took to move British troops into western Pennsylvania in the 1750s, it is a crazy power projection. It's incredible what these people were able to do. And that's what Washington, the strength of this alliance is showing that, yes, we are going to move troops from Rhode island and New York and New Hampshire to Virginia, multiple land routes, multiple sea routes, and with siege equipment, all to converge in space and time at one point. And they do it. And it's remarkable. I always say, if you can do in 18th, 19th century warfare, if you can do the small things well, AKA move one body of troops and things from point A to point B at the time that you need to, you're going to do the big things. Well, doing fundamentals is the key to 18th, 19th century warfare.

[Don Wildman]

You're answering my question and the broad question asked by this episode, which is, was he a good strategist? I think everything you're saying was, yes, indeed he was. Because even the battles that he's losing, he's reacting as if playing multi level chess. He's moving his troops around, he's advancing his plan, you know, along a timeline larger than what is day to day. For sure. He's doing the work to envision this whole effort as it goes, which is incredible given the lack of resources that he starts out with for sure and always has the big question to me, and I think this is the problem with him not sitting down and writing his memoirs is we never understand how he grew as a person throughout this war so that he delivers that to becoming the President. It's a really fascinating journey that we just can't be sure about.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

And it's made doubly difficult by the fact that those around him, if they write about it at the time, it's reliable. Washington becomes a huge post war figure, you know, just larger than life. So the post war writings you really have to take with a massive grain, like a mountain of salt. Right? Because this is a guy who now has. He's outlived all of his detractors, his naysayers, rose to be not just the general that creates the country, but then the first president. And he's just this. Oversees the Constitutional Convention, this towering figure. And so when people are writing about him after his death, they're writing about that Washington, not the Washington who is sitting there at 1776 going, I don't have enough troops. What do I do? I don't even know if I can trust half my generals. I'm not sure of this situation.

[Don Wildman]

We project upon him the psychology that we assume is necessary to get through that stuff. But I'm sure there were many more nooks and crannies of insecurities and fear, sadness, depression. I mean, the man was full of emotion. We know that. And all of that goes into really, who is this person that proves to be a legendary figure, deservedly so, in my opinion.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Yes, again, I think we need to temper ourselves with. He is a human, and he is filled with human flaws. And I think he would probably be one of the first to say that greatness was not a thing that he aspired to towards. I think he wanted. He desperately wanted to be a good leader. He wanted to be liked. He really wanted to be respected. But his most remarkable features is where he turns greatness away, where he says, I don't want more power.

[Don Wildman]

Interesting.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Any time in military history where someone turns aside an opportunity for more power is a moment of note where he, at the end of the war, he resigns his commission to the Congress. He says farewell to his army. He does not opt to even ask to remain, hey, I'll be a general in charge of this, you know, whatever this US army is going to be for the future Republic. He steps aside from power. He steps aside from the presidency. After his terms, he routinely just wants to get back to sort of living a normal life, whatever that would even look like. And he never really gets that just a little bit before.

[Don Wildman]

His irony is this very ambitious young man ends up, you know, be careful what you ask for in his movie. This guy becomes a mythical God. And he didn't even mean to, you know. And in that regard, I think we can walk away from the subject for the time being, saying, humility, as I mentioned before, emerges as an enormous word which is such an important factor in a real leader. And you see it all over his record and then, of course, as a statesman and things that are famous about him, but I think in even his reactions on battlefield or staring at maps, humility was a big part of that.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

As well, I would agree. And tempered with also the knowledge that sometimes hard decisions really do have to be made. Even if they're not right, they have to be made. That is one of the injunctions of sort of military life is that hard decisions have to be made. The buck literally does stop at the top. So as much as he was criticized by all of his subordinates, they were not the ones making those decisions. He had to make them and live with them for the rest of his life. And his ability to see that, I think, is one of his great strong points.

[Don Wildman]

What a surprise. We've come up with a positive outlook on George Washington. That's two Americans talking about him. Major Jonathan Bratton is an engineer, officer and army historian who has joined us for several episodes on our revolutionary series. Please have a listen. Thank you so much. Jonathan.

[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

Thank you so much. It's been an absolute joy to be on here and I really appreciate the opportunity.

[Don Wildman]

Hey, thanks for listening to American History hit. You know, every week we release new episodes, two new episodes dropping Mondays and Thursdays. All kinds of content from mysterious missing colonies to powerful political movements to some of the biggest battles across the centuries. Don't miss an episode by hitting like and follow. You help us out, which is great, but you'll also be reminded when our shows are on. And while you're at it, share it with a friend. American History hit with me, Don Wildman. So grateful for your support.

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[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

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[Don Wildman]

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[Major Jonathan D. Bratton]

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[Don Wildman]

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