Qualities of George Washington

Qualities of Washington

In his book Maverick Military Leaders, Robert Harvey outlines sixteen traits evidenced in the life of most, if not all, maverick military leaders. In the case of George Washington, the most relevant of these are "resolution in the face of terrible setbacks," "an ability to improvise and seize unexpected tactical advantage on the battlefield," and "a fatherly devotion to [his] own men, seeing to their needs during the long periods of inaction and refusing to risk their lives unnecessarily" (Harvey, 2008, p. xlvi). After examining Washington's military exploits during the American Revolution, it will become clear that a large part of his success against the British stemmed from embodying these three traits, because they helped Washington, and the colonial military, overcome immense odds.

Washington's resolution in the face of terrible setbacks is evident throughout the American Revolution, because the Continental Army continuously faced demoralizing defeats and difficulties. For example, in 1776, Washington's "whole campaign from New York to Delaware had been a string of disasters, defeats, miscalculations and retreats" (Harvey, 2008, p. 52). His force had been reduced to just 3,000 from an initial 20,000, and even those that remained were demoralized (Harvey, 2008, p. 52). Nevertheless, Washington was able to recover from this string of defeats and encourage his men, so that on Christmas night of that year, he completed his famous crossing of the Delaware river in "a beautifully executed and heroic (under the arctic conditions) night ambush" (Harvey, 2008, p. 54-55). Where lesser military leaders might have given up after the disastrous campaign of the summer and fall, Washington was able to stay resolute in the face of overwhelming odds, and he carried this trait with him for the rest of the Revolution. His success with crossing the Delaware following months of defeat is only one example of the way in which Washington was able to remain steadfast in his dedication to the cause in the face of difficulties, because the Continental Army would face even more defeat and despair in the months ahead.

The example of the crossing of the Delaware similarly demonstrates Washington's ability to improvise and seize unexpected tactical advantages, because from the British perspective, he simply should not have been able to do what he did on Christmas night, 1776. The British did not pursue the rebel army across the Delaware river in November, based on the "belief that victory was now inevitable and that a mopping up of the remnants of American forces was all that would be required the following spring" (Harvey 53). Instead, the allowed the Continental Army to escape, under the belief that their depleted numbers, supplies, and morale would keep them from achieving any kind of substantial success or advance. Recognizing "the British state of complacency and lack of preparation," Washington realized that "this was too good an opportunity to miss, even for his ragged forces," and so, "with his back to the wall, this normally most cautious and cool-headed of leaders decided to gamble everything on a single, bold throw of the dice" (Harvey, 2008, p. 52, 53). Thus, in less than a month, Washington improvised an entirely new battle plan and seized the advantage offered to him by the British. Coupled with his relentless dedication to his cause, Washington's ability to react and improvise throughout the war is what allowed the relatively untrained and poorly supplied Continental Army to overcome the might of the British empire.

The third trait, a fatherly devotion to his men, is evident throughout Washington's military career. Though he was careful to maintain a certain distance between himself and his men in order to ensure a modicum of respect (or at least fear), he nevertheless care deeply about their well-being (Harvey, 2008, p. 39). For example, when he became the leader of the Continental Army, one of his first orders was for the men to be issued fresh bedding and food, and he organized colonial women to produce 14,000 new coats for the army (Harvey, 2008, p. 43). Similarly, even though from August to November 1776 was spent on the run from the British, the chase was born out of Washington's desire to not waste his men's lives when he did not think they could win. Thus, he abandoned New York to the British, but he at least succeeded in avoiding the massacre that surely would have followed had he attempted to secure the city against "a numerically superior enemy in countryside that was largely hostile" (Harvey, 2008, p. 45-46). The care Washington had for his men is also demonstrated by the devotion they had for him; though early on the Continental Army saw its numbers decrease substantially due to desertion, those that remained respected Washington enough that they were even willing to march through the snow without shoes in the middle of winter (Harvey, 2008,p. 55).