Washington as a general Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Washington as a general - Term Paper Example Washington was born on February 22, 1732. From an early age, Washington had shown characteristics of being strong, brave, leadership and eagerness for battle, all of which would help him later in his life in his service in the military. His military service spanned more than forty years. Although he is best remembered as a general for the role he played in the American Revolutionary War, his military career had started many years before during the Seven Years War in which he served as a major. His clear sense of duty as a soldier and his foresightedness during this war campaign earned him considerable respect and it was his performance during this war that earned him the position of an Army commander during the Revolutionary War2. John Adams had to this to say about Washington and his military prowess â€Å"I had no hesitation to declare that I had but one gentleman in my mind for that command and it was a gentleman from Virginia, who was among us and very well known to all of us; a gentleman, whose skill and experience as an officer, whose independent fortune, great talents and excellent universal character would command the approbation of all America, and unite the cordial exertions of all the colonies better than any other person in the Union†3. Washington’s Military Strengths 1. ... Since there was no escape route, Washington was forced to surrender. After that episode, he never again went to war and allowed his men to be entrapped in a position that was hard to escape from4. Washington was not only ready to learn from his own mistakes, he also gathered a lot of information from the mistakes of the attacking side. For instance, his side’s victory at Bunker Hill was made possible because Washington was able to tell the strategy that the British wanted to use. This happened because the British were not careful enough and were too arrogant to think that it would be impossible to loose to the Continental Army. It was one mistake that they were to pay dearly, by loosing the war and the colony5. 2. He was a Courageous and Daring Leader Washington was never afraid to face the opposing army no matter the situation. His use of the element of surprise gave the Continental Army several victories. For instance, in 1776, he attacked and completely overwhelmed an unsus pecting Hessian army at Trenton across the Delaware River. This was after the British had sworn to engage the American army in one big war that they had much confidence of winning. This surprise element caught the British completely by surprise and they were forced to retreat and spend the winter in far away New York. On the other hand, the Americans were able to take control of both Princeton and Trenton in New Jersey6. 3. He Chose Wisely Washington made sure that the people he surrounded himself with were of a character as good as his. Most of his chosen leaders in the army were men who were strong emotionally and physically. He chose only those men who were patriotic and not out in search of