George Washington Citizen-Soldier

by Charles Cecil Wall

Excerpt from the For Washington, the larger world was a stge. No figures of speech recur more frequently in his writings than those which refer to his public activities in theatrical terms. At the seat of government, at headquarters, on the field of battle, he saw himself as an actor. His role, played with dignity and sincerity, was great drama, but it was theatre, and the biographer can discover the full measure of the man only in the scenes of private life and in his personal correspondence – his letters to his managers, his family, and his intimate friends.

217 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1980

Reviews

[Daniel Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For over forty years, despite the major diversions created by his services to his country, George Washington's thoughts and energies were devoted at every opportunity to the development of his "home house" and the cultivation of its surrounding acres.” (p. 97)

I found the above quote to be the main aim of this book and Charles Wall did an excellent job of expanding on his main idea here. While the book can at times focus a bit too much on correspondence between Lund Washington and others regarding mundane matters at Mount Vernon, overall I found this book to be a unique view of George Washington. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about George Washington as an individual!

[Christine Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like to read the many reviews on this Goodreads site and was surprised to find only 1 person had read & reviewed this good book! Shout out to Paul in Pennsylvania - whoever you are - good taste! This is a must-read for anyone who has been to Washington's Mt. Vernon estate, or anyone planning on a visit there. The book starts with Washington in his early 20's as a journeyman/surveyor, but then very quickly moves on to his life as a soldier in the Virginia regiment during the French & Indian war. And also around this time is when he inherits Mt. Vernon from his older brother. I read the 1980 edition, which includes lots of good photos of items that are currently on display at Mt. Vernon. Anyway, though I loved it, the book is not for everyone. It's a very detailed look at the correspondence between Washington and his cousin, Lund Washington, who was his faithful overseer of the estate during the 9 years of the Revolution that Washington was away. You learn of the unbelievable self-sufficiency of the estate (had to make their own charcoal, to burn oysters, to make lime to have mortar for their clay bricks (which they also made) for the houses, etc. you get the idea!). More importantly, you're reminded of the total sacrifice and devotion of this man (9 years of being away from home, family, NO PAY, not to mention begging and borrowing from Congress to keep a ragtag army together for so long). Once again, I walk away feeling so lucky and reminding myself not to complain - about anything!