The Lessons of '1776' and George Washington's example

Historical chronicle tells story of nation's founding year

I recently finished 1776, the historical chronicle of the United States’ founding year. The author is the popular historian David McCullough and a description on the back cover of the softcover version states that he “tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence—when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.”

The book is 294 pages long, hardly the exhaustive look at an historical topic we usually associate with these sorts of retrospect. But it’s richly detailed and, as we’re told, based “on extensive research in both American and British archives.”

I should add that the book, which won the Pulitzer Prize, was published in 2005. I came across this past February while pursuing the Horizon Book Store during a brief sojourn to Traverse City. We were in that Northern Michigan city for our annual President’s Day get-away.

I’d read McCullough’s biography on John Adams, to which 1776 was called a companion piece, and (like many others) was entertained by his narration of Ken Burn’s Civil War documentary. So, given this familiarity, it seemed like it might be an interesting read, plus it was being offered at a reduced price.

At the time I bought it, I did not glean that we, as a nation, were about to embark on our 250^th birthday within a few weeks. The Boston Marathon, which coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington (“the shot heard around the world”) and of Concord, alerted me to what was coming. The recent 250^th birthday of the U.S. Army—which coincides with the birthday of our current chief executive—was a further reminder.

Both those battles, which effectively launched the Revolutionary War, followed soon after by the Continental Congress establishing a national Army with George Washington named as its commanding general, are part of the book’s early pages. However, both occurred in 1775. Also, the Virginian actually took over command of the New England militias who were laying siege to the British Army holed up in Boston. These New England troops had built fortifications on the three sides of land that overlooked the city, while the British still had access to the sea with their ships. Milita troops from nearby colonies joined Washington and the combination of those already present and the new arrivals became the Continental Army.

The book, however, starts off with a chapter on King George III and his attitude towards the rebellious American colonies as well the divisions in the British government over how to handle the situation, including those members of Parliament sympathetic to the colonists’ grievances over taxation and overall treatment by Royal authorities and others who advocated even sterner measures.

The narrative, as it moves forward, juxtaposes the perspectives from both sides, adding a more interesting look at this historical account. The ‘what ifs’ abound in the emerging story.

There’s certainly not enough room in the space of this column to go over what happened in those final months of 1775 and the nation’s founding year of 1776. McCullough takes us from the success of the Siege of Boston when American optimism was at an understandable high pitch to the Port of New York City where we become immersed in the details of military preparation by Washington on Long Island, the arrival of a huge contingency of British Army and Naval forces led by the brothers General William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe, and then the disastrous outcomes for American forces in the ensuing battles.

There’s a reason why we never heard much about the Battle of Brooklyn in our school-day history classes.

McCullough pulls no punches on Washington’s questionable strategic decisions, indecisiveness, and lack of battlefield experience that nearly resulted in the Army’s total defeat. Yet the general managed to pull off a couple of retreats across rivers that saved his fighting force, and in the midst of calamity he served as an example of calm and dignity that kept his rag tag outfit together. He was faced with ill-equipped and ill-trained troops, widespread disease and desertion, a large number of loyalists in the area who supported the British, and those who thought his fellow general, Charles Lee, would be a better choice as commander.

While outlining these flaws and challenges as well as the near-fatal outcome for the American side, the author also examines the British side where an arrogant view of this makeshift band of rebels, a conviction that the colonials would soon “come to their senses” in the face of superior force and abandon this mistaken cause, and their own misjudgments in battle resulted in missed opportunities to strike a decisive blow.

Despite my knowing the final outcome of the war, we are after all observing our 250^th birthday, I found the unfolding story of what happened in New York and then the retreat across New Jersey to be depressing. Our nation, in those dreary days, literally “survived by the skin of our teeth.”

But what we learned is Washington somehow held it together. He was aided in doing so by loyal subordinates like Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox, both young men who came to the fight without any miliary experience but rose to the occasion. He would also be helped by the capture of General Lee which removed that rival and avoided any further questions of a change in command. He was sustained as well by his belief in the cause of independence, along with a determination and an inner strength that sustained him during these trials and tribulations. Finally, he survived because enough troops believed in the cause, as he did, and were inspired by his leadership.

We learn that Washington, from the very beginning, accepted the civilian control by Congress over the Army and of his being subordinate to their authority; a belief that continued even after victory in Yorktown a few years later and one which set an example of putting the rule of law over that of personal gain. It would be further manifested by his leaving the Presidency after two terms of office, handing over the reins of his office to John Adams and returning to Mount Vernon—the shining example of a peaceful transfer of power.

The book ends with the famous retelling of Washington crossing the Delaware during a brutal snowstorm on Christmas night and attacking the Hussian forces headquartered for the winter in Trenton, followed by a similar victory in Princeton.

Neither battle was seemingly major in size and scope; in fact, the overall plan for sending forces into New Jersey fell short of its intent due to the storm. Yet when news of the success started spreading across the new nation, it served as ‘a light at the end of a dark tunnel;’ a cause for hope after weeks of dismay and discouragement.

What lay ahead on the battlefield, it seemed, did not have to be a continual tale of defeat and retreat. The American Army, as evidenced by this attack, was capable of besting the mighty British and their German mercenaries.

As the history of the Revolutionary War tells us, the dark days were not over. The crucible of Valley Forge lay ahead. While not immediately evident, the decision by France to support the fledging nation with supplies and naval power would eventually help balance the scales.

But, as McCullough wrote at the end of this chronicle, “Without Washington’s leadership and unrelenting perseverance, the revolution almost certainly would have failed,” adding that “As Nathanael Greene foresaw as the war went on. “He will be the deliverer of his own country.”

Now, 250 years after this beginning, we will pause to celebrate all that has been brought forth across this wide land during the past two-and-a-half centuries. Like any human story, which is what history is ultimately all about and what constitutes its importance, there is much to be proud of and a few things to regret.

The nation—'We the People’— are still a work-in-progress, yet with courage and perseverance, with a faithfulness to those high ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. and with a determination to maintain this democratic republic and our liberties and rights, we’ll continue to build a society that sustains and nourishes each of us. . . and all of us.

It is the legacy we inherited and that which we should strive to protect and maintain for “ourselves and for our posterity.”

Steve Horton is a mid-Michigan commentator.