Washington: The making of a warrior

A little more than a week after the nation inaugurated its 44th U.S. president, the Augusta County Historical Society will reflect back on America’s first president during its popular Stuart Speaker Series. Washington and Lee University history professor Dr. Holt Merchant will present “George Washington: The Making of a Warrior,” on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the lecture room at the Smith Center for History and Art.

Merchant holds a Ph.D. in American history, with a focus on the American South. He has taught at W&L since 1970, chairing the Department of History from 1997-2007 and serving as Marshal of the University from 1997-2006.

His presentation will cover Washington’s life from his birth in 1732, through the end of the French and Indian Wars on the western frontier, once part of Augusta County in the 18th century.

History records that Washington received his education at home from his father and older brother, and in his youth began a career as a surveyor, acquiring a great deal of knowledge about the terrain in Colonial Virginia. He surveyed lands west of the Blue Ridge and became interested in the Ohio Company that planned to explore lands much farther to the west.

Following his brother’s death in 1752, Washington inherited a portion of the estate, including Mount Vernon. His status as a landowner resulted in an appointment as a district adjutant general in the Virginia militia in 1752.

Washington’s experience in training the militia and as a surveyor came into play when Virginia’s Gov. Dinwiddie requested, in 1753, that he carry a British ultimatum to the French, who had begun to establish a stronghold on the frontier in what is today Ohio. The British wished to see the French abandon their plans to develop this region and were alarmed by reports that the French were making treaties with Native Americans and were building forts at the headwaters of the Ohio River. The French had no intention of leaving and so began the French and Indian War.

In 1754, Washington rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and led an expedition to drive out the French. American Indians aided both the British and the French and bitter skirmishes resulted in some significant defeats for Washington and the British.

At one point, Washington’s troops were overwhelmed and he was forced to surrender to the French. His captors insisted he sign terms of surrender that were in French.

Later, Washington achieved hero status in the Monongahela expedition that attempted to regain Ohio lands. Led by Gen. Edward Braddock, the attempt was a complete failure and the general lost his life. However, Washington was credited for his leadership in battle.

Washington’s early military career was fraught with a number of mishaps and controversy, but it was during this formative period that his reputation as a leader and warrior began to emerge.