American History to 1877 - Term Paper Example

? Number and HIST101 – American History to 1877 Washington as a General George Washington, America’s first president is considered to be one of the greatest leaders the country has ever produced for a lot of reasons. His visionary leadership as president definitely contributes to his long list of the things that make him a hero in many Americans’ eyes. Yet, being a president is not the greatest achievement of George Washington. Rather his, his insightful and charismatic leadership during the American War of Independence is considered one of the outstanding traits that have made Washington the legend that he is today1. 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 “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. He was Ready to Learn from His Mistakes One of the characteristics of a good leader is being able to accept mistakes and learn from them. Washington was one man who was ready to learn from the mistakes that he had earlier committed. For instance, during the Seven Years War he had made a tactical error by keeping his men entrapped at Fort Necessity, which led to the attacking army defeating them. 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 unsuspecting 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 fame and popularity. His generals were all responsible men to whom Washington felt comfortable enough to delegate important tasks. He empowered them to accomplish great results, and it is his trust in his generals that enabled him to be the great leader that he is remembered as being. Washington was also an excellent manager of resources, which included human resources. He knew his army well and did all he could to take care of their needs and keep their spirits up. He avoided creating distrust and suspicion among his ranks. He always made sure that he used respectful command and gentlemanly control techniques to convey messages and orders7. 4. He was Respectful The Continental Army that Washington was responsible for commanding comprised of people from different ethnicities, religions and cultures. However, he was always careful not to treat one group more favorably than another. He always tried to maintain a sense of equality which shows just how much respect he had for everyone who served in the American Army. He made sure that his forces were fully integrated, regardless of the economic or social background of his men. This helped create unity and minimized rebellions, thus ensuring success in many battles against the superior British forces8. 5. He Was a Strategist Washington proved to be a master of strategy with the plans he came up for each and every campaign that he headed in the revolutionary war. He was not only a commander, but also a leader of intelligence, chief engineer, sanitary head, soldier, statesman, and judge and commissary master. He knew exactly what to do to keep politics out of the war. He also had fool-proof strategies to keep his men in the war even when it seemed that they were fighting a loosing battle. He was able to use his foresightedness to make battle preparations that normally ended up successfully. He favored retreating when under heavy attack rather than open fighting. Many who criticized him for this strategy later came to appreciate that it was the only way that the continental army was spared total crashing by the mighty and immensely better equipped British forces9. The General also formulated both long term and short term goals and visions that he had for the ideal future. He always engaged other in his decision making. This made it easier for him to make tough and wise decisions. He was a decisive man, a trait that is useful in the kind of leadership position that he was in. Washington also had a number of battle rules which he followed to the letter. These are10: 1. Never to attack a position in front which would be gained by turning. 2. Charges of cavalry if possible, were to be made on infantry flanks. 3. A soldier’s first qualification while under fatigue and privation is fortitude; courage is only the second qualification. 4. An undivided command is the most important thing in war. 5. Never do as the enemy wishes you to do. 6. A great captain does not seek safety in retreat like an ordinary general, but he should be courageous enough to march boldly forward and meet the attack. The other qualities that made Washington a great general include his persistence, organizational skills and resilience. Washington strongly believed in the ability of his army in overcoming the British side. He was persistent in this belief even when the British seemed to be enjoying successes in all their battles. As a commander in chief, he was able to organize his men into regiments that could be placed to fight at strategic points with minimal loses. The greatest testament of his organizational capabilities is the way in which he was quickly able to devastatingly defeat a superior and more confident British force at Bunker Hill. His resilience is seen in the way in which he was able to adapt to different situations so that he could make relevant decisions in the course of the war11. Although Washington had his weaknesses that may have included being stern, cold and sometimes remote, his prowess in battle overshadowed many of these weakness. He was able to command respect from those who served him and the congress as well. His forceful personality and high character saw to it that his men did not loose hope during the harsh 6 years of failures and successes in battle12. Many consider Washington’s most important contribution as commander in chief to be the establishment that resulted in civilian officials being given the ultimate authority over the military and its operations. During the war, he usually referred to the authority in congress and other state officials before taking any adverse actions. He relinquished his position as a commander once the war was over13. Conclusion George Washington is considered a great general because he was more than just a powerful chief commander. His presence in the many battles that were fought under his watch was necessary. He was a calm, unwavering and brave leader whose determined patriotism served him and his forces well during battles. His leadership qualities as a general gave meaning to the revolution war for the Americans who wanted nothing but independence, and it is mainly because of Washington that the war did not turn into a civil disaster. His weaknesses had no bearing on his overall leadership which in the end contributed greatly to the victory the outnumbered Americans had on the immensely superior British army. Bibliography Buchanan, John. The Road to Valley Forge: How Washington Built the Army That Won the Revolution. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2004. Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life. New York: Penguin, 2010. Grenier, John. The First Way of War: American War Making on the Frontier, 1607-1814. Boston: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Lengel, Edward G. General George Washington: A Military Life. New York: Random House, 2005. Weigley, Russell F. The American Way of War. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1977. Wildman, Franklin. George Washington – The Commander in Chief. Available at: http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/george2.html Read More