It is definitely no compliment to be labeled a 'Benedict Arnold'. That name carries with it the stinging impact of the accusation Traitor! History shows us that, for this man, it was a well-deserved accusation, but history also shows us that there was a time when it was not deserved at all.
Things change.
Though Benedict Arnold will forever be impressed in American memory as a traitor, before that event, he wore the revered titles of Colonel, General, Brigadier General and Major General while fighting for the American cause. Do you, like me, wonder, How did this happen? Why? Arnold fought alongside the famous patriot Ethan Allen in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga less than a month after the first shots of the war were fired at Lexington and Concord. Five months later, he led 1,100 troops along the Kennebec River wilderness route towards Quebec, intending to take that city for the revolutionary cause. During those times that "tried men's souls", he commanded a flotilla of ships on Lake Champlain that withstood a British offensive and caused its retreat. And yet, even so, Arnold ultimately became the man who clandestinely negotiated with the enemy to surrender West Point for money and status. He became the man who burned and raided colonial towns, and captured their forts.
In The Blackwell Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, it is suggested that Arnold's growing debt after his second marriage, and his feelings of being unfairly criticized and unappreciated by his countrymen, were the factors that led to his turncoat behavior. In September of 1780, his true colors being exposed, Benedict Arnold fled to England and was, in fact, rewarded with "substantial financial remuneration" and a brigadier generalship.
Most astonishing of all, to me, is the fact that Benedict Arnold, the patriot, had been a particular favorite of George Washington's. I quote our first Commander-in-Chief, in lauding Arnold for his military endeavors: "It is not in the power of any man to command success, but you have done more - you have deserved it."
Things most definitely change.
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts..." (1 Corinthians 4:5)
I don't imagine that our young George Washington had the slightest inkling, at age eleven, that he would become the monumental figure in American history that he did. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd assume just the opposite. Prospects for the future looked bleak. The point I want to make here is that, though your situations and background may seem lacking, you don't have to assume the worst. You may in fact look back one day from your vantage point of success and realize that because of those very circumstances, you ended up where you did. When you thought you were wandering around, lost and without a purpose, you were actually following the road map to your future.
A couple of illustrations, if I may -
because George Washington did not have the financial means to pursue his education, he pursued instead the study of surveying land. (George found some of his deceased father's surveying equipment at the Ferry Farm homestead, where the Washington family was then living.) That study provided him with the skills that led to the military appointments eventually resulting in his presidency. Granted, I'm simplifying the process, but the thread of Destiny is definitely there.
because George Washington lost his father at an early age, at an early age also he was compelled by those circumstances to begin to develop a responsibility for others under his care (command?). Little did he know then, that guiding, caring for and (to the best of his ability) protecting the other four younger children in this fatherless family was but the beginning of a pattern that would be his for the rest of his life. He would move on to military command, then managing a plantation, responsible for not only its tobacco and wheat harvests but the lives and well-being of its many slaves. (Note: Washington's ownership of slaves and his evolving views on slavery, as his life progressed, are topics for another time.) Finally, the boy who led a family of four would become the man who led a revolutionary army through over five years of bloodshed to one of the most powerful triumphs in all of history. He would become the man who led the nation that emerged through those first eight years of glorious liberty, the President who established, with a minimum of conflict and strife, its new government .
I'm wondering if I should alter my blog title, as it seems that I am almost unable to move past my ever-increasing fascination with our country's first President. The more I learn about him, the more I want to learn! So...I apologize if my repeated articles on George Washington are making some people wish I'd move on! But, be warned, I may be standing on the corner of George Washington Avenue and Revolutionary War Boulevard for awhile....the view is riveting.
I love hearing, or reading, about triumphs against all odds. Who doesn't? We all have come from and through some kind of deprivation or hardship, if we aren't in it right now as well! A mistake, though, is believing that you can't achieve your goal because of what you haven't had, what you don't have now, or who you think you aren't and can't become.
Some years back, I had a friend named Debbie, a divorced single mom who held down a full-time job as a maintenance (wo)man at an apartment complex for seniors. Most of the time, her garb was clunky work boots and a drab work shirt and pants. She saw herself as drab. Her life, in her opinion, was all about responsibility: her job and caring for three pre-teens. She didn't see how any man could find her attractive. She was single, but she wanted to be married. She rented a townhouse, but she wanted a real house. She had to work, but she wanted to stay home.
I told her that it was in fact those very qualities and conditions in her life that the right man would find admirable in her, and attract him to her.
A year or so later, the man she married was a divorced father of three! Their wedding ceremony (I was in it) was lovely, outdoors in a small field near a brook. The bride and her maid-of-honor (that would be me) arrived there in an open, horse-drawn carriage. Which was awesome. And she moved into her husband's almost new home in a back-woodsy area, which was just as awesome. (I know, because I visited.) And, she stopped working!
So I guess I don't need to point out the moral of this story?
But I digress...
The first President of the United States came from a disadvantaged background. He was fatherless by age eleven. Though he had two older half-brothers, they were out on their own by then. Young George was the eldest of the five children still at home, and as a result of that, he became, in a sense, the male head of the household. Not a delightful, carefree way to finish growing up! By all accounts that I've read, his mother was a strict, commanding woman, so it seems that George would have had to dot his i's and cross his t's. Her possessive nature demanded her son's presence and attention constantly. Again, not so carefree. (Even as President, according to author James Thomas Flexner in Washington: the Indispensable Man, his mother complained "violently" that her son was ungrateful, neglecting his "duties" to her!) (Sometimes, you just can't win!)
With his father's death came the loss of any chance for a good English education. Any extra funds were needed for regular household expenses. As for an inheritance...too little, too late. After his previously mentioned brothers had received their portions, only an insignificant amount of land and slaves was left for this third son. Not enough to matter.
No father, no 'college fund', no inheritance waiting, not much money, four (probably whining !) siblings underfoot...against the backdrop of a difficult mother who held the reins tightly. The divine School of Hard Knocks was in session for young George Washington.!
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you'll return for the second half of "Things Aren't Always What They Seem".
Christina
"Since thou wast precious in my sight...will I give men for thee, and people for thy life." (Isaiah 43:4)
It has been previously mentioned that our young George, at the age of twenty, had been appointed to the position of Adjutant General of the Virginia militia. What hasn't been mentioned is that his brother Lawrence had originally been scheduled for that appointment. Lawrence's death turned to pivotal opportunity for the future commander-in-chief.
Not only did his brother's death leave that crucial position open, Washington's securing of that post depended in large part upon influential connections that existed in his life because of his relationship with his deceased brother. Lawrence's father-in-law, William Fairfax, was land agent over some five million acres, (belonging to his cousin Lord Fairfax) and thus part of the wealthiest, most powerful family in the colonies. William viewed George as a son, as well, maintaining family ties even after Lawrence's death. When George decided to seek the post of Adjutant, he had no prior military training to recommend him for the job. So Fairfax exerted his considerable social and political weight to tilt the scales in George Washington's favor.
Thirdly, and perhaps from some perspectives not that important...I still find it interesting that George Washington came into possession of Mount Vernon as a result (once again) of Lawrence's death. Originally, Lawrence had inherited that homestead, but when his widow remarried, George was able to rent the property from her. Eventually, as history reveals, he became its master.
Before we travel much further into the Revolutionary War, I think it might be a good idea to turn back and visit our first President's youth. There we find his half-brother Lawrence.
Lawrence was fourteen years older than George, the firstborn son of George's father Augustine and his first wife Jane. (Comment: Interestingly enough, George Washington's lineage was almost removed from American shores through his own grandparents. His widowed grandmother remarried and moved to England. After her death, the second husband tried to claim her inheritance for himself, planning to remain in England with her three sons. His grandfather's brother, [also named Lawrence, by the way], intervened. The three boys were returned to Virginia, our future first President's father among them, and voila! history's course was restored. Close call. Again, I say, hand of God?)
Anyway, back to Lawrence...
In 1740, When George was about eight years old, Lawrence embarked on a journey into the military life, as captain of an American regiment attached to the British army. From him George received his first exposure to the idea of serving one's country as a leader in the army. So we see the seeds being planted...
During his military career, Lawrence came to highly admire one of his commanders, and when he returned home, he named the family homestead (which he inherited) after this revered man - Admiral Edward Vernon. Hence, Mount Vernon. Which is today a national landmark, known to all as the beloved home of the Father of our Country. We see the threads being intertwined, the fabric being woven...
George Washington was only eleven years old when his father died, and his half-brother Lawrence took on the role of George's protector and role model. Years later, Lawrence developed tuberculosis, and in his search for a cure, he traveled to Barbados, taking George with him. While there, George himself became ill. He contracted smallpox. Though surely not pleasant, George's bout with the disease made him immune to it. So we see, then, that his brother's sad misfortune (the illness soon proved fatal) provided George with life-long protection against what would become the #1 killer of the Revolutionary War.
Hmmm...definitely something to think about.
Though Washington was the only man to appear in military regalia at the Second Continental Congress (from which he emerged commander-in-chief), and it would seem likely that such an outcome may have motivated his choice of dress, still...when talk spread throughout the Congress that he would be appointed leader, Washington was appalled. He even attempted to squelch the movement, trying to convince some of his associates to vote otherwise. We often think we want something until it's staring us in the face! The wheel of Destiny had begun turning, however; Washington's frantic last minute manipulations could not stop it. His election was unanimous. I have heard, and I have read, that George Washington considered himself unequal to the command. History records that he would not accept any salary for his service to his country. Leaving Philadelphia, Washington travelled north to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to meet up with the troops already assembled there. British forces were at Boston, being surrounded by the American soldiers, and Washington arrived to a standstill situation. However, though no battle was imminent, Washington had other cause for dismay. The 20,000 men he had been told to expect, in reality only numbered 14,000. Ouch. An inventory of the gun powder revealed just one-third of the reported amount. Again, ouch. No tents, a shortage of clothing and tools, and not even an idea of where any money was coming from. On top of all that, the commander-in-chief found his troops to be, in his own words, "an exceeding dirty and nasty people", many exhibiting an "unaccountable stupidity". This latter decription, he felt, included some of the officers, as well. Talk about wanting to turn around and go back home!!! In his book First of Men, author John E. Ferling tells us that within a few months, George Washington, the man destined to become the Father of our Country, regretted having accepted command.
If it seems overwhelming, and you want to run away from it...maybe you shouldn't.
Thank you so much for stopping by. .......Christina
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Blog Description: Early American history from a different perspective, designed to educate, encourange and inspire. Showing the hand of God in our nation's beginnings.
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Blog Owner: Christina
Blog Added: April 24, 2008 08:54:42 PM
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