George Washington Edward G
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BLACKWELL COMPANIONS TO BLACKWELL COMPANIONS AMERICAN HISTORY TO AMERICAN HISTORY ED A Companion to George Washington Edward G. Lengel Lengel A Companion to ite Edward G. Lengel Edward G. Lengel is Professor and Editor-in- D B Chief of the Papers of George Washington george washington George Washington is a national American icon. documentary editing project at the University y A towering historical figure – both in stature and of Virginia. His books include General George reputation – Washington has attracted generations Washington: A Military Life (2005), This Glorious of scholars while continuing to fascinate the Struggle: George Washington’s Revolutionary War modern public. Yet with so many scholarly and Letters (2008), Inventing George Washington: popular works available on Washington, could there possibly be anything new left to be said? America’s Founder in Myth and Memory (2011), washington george and many others. Lengel is a columnist for The answer is an emphatic yes, with the ongoing Military History magazine and has appeared “These essays not only delve into Washington’s roles in the epochal events during the publication of some 135,000 documents, many in documentaries about Washington on The half century after the 1750s, but also cast light into every corner of this remarkable of them newly discovered, through the Papers of George Washington, a documentary editing project History Channel. man’s many-faceted life. This utterly indispensable volume contains more than thirty to A Companion thoughtful essays, each written by a distinguished historian. These scholars probe dedicated to the transcription and publication of Washington as a soldier and statesman, farmer, businessman, slaveowner, and family original documents. Utilizing this treasure trove man, his political and religious thought, and his final years in retirement. This book of new primary source material, A Companion should be a part of the library of every person who wishes to understand George to George Washington presents a series of original Washington and the crucial events of his time.” essays that shed important new light on the John Ferling, author of Setting the World Ablaze (2000) most enigmatic of the original founding fathers. and The Ascent of George Washington (2009) Featuring original research from several top scholars and popular historians, readings examine “We can never know enough about George Washington, and this collection of EDiteD By EDwaRD G. LeNgel almost every conceivable aspect of the great man’s scholarly essays makes use of the most recently published documents to move life, including Washington’s youth, family, and us closer to revealing the man rather than the monument.” education; his experiences in the French and Indian Joseph J. Ellis, author of His Excellency (2004) War; his views on slavery and the management of Mount Vernon; his military career, political career, A Companion to and retirement; and Washington’s enduring legacy for the United States. A Companion to George Washington offers modern readers and scholars george washington alike a wealth of fresh and fascinating new insights into America’s first founding father. Jacket image: Portrait of George Washington, by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, 1796. Photo © The Granger Collection / TopFoto. ISBN 978-1-4443-3103-5 Jacket design by Richard Boxall Design Associates LLengal_bindex.inddengal_bindex.indd 666262 22/18/2012/18/2012 22:48:52:48:52 AAMM A Companion to George Washington fffirs.inddfirs.indd i 22/22/2012/22/2012 66:46:51:46:51 PPMM BLACKWELL COMPANIONS TO AMERICAN HISTORY This series provides essential and authoritative overviews of the scholarship that has shaped our present understanding of the American past. Edited by eminent historians, each volume tackles one of the major periods or themes of American history, with individual topics authored by key scholars who have spent considerable time in research on the questions and controversies that have sparked debate in their field of interest. The volumes are accessible for the non-specialist, while also engaging scholars seeking a reference to the historiography or future concerns. Published : A Companion to the American Revolution A Companion to the Civil War and Reconstruction Edited by Jack P. Greene and J. R. Pole Edited by Lacy K. Ford A Companion to 19th-Century America A Companion to American Technology Edited by William L. Barney Edited by Carroll Pursell A Companion to the American South A Companion to African-American History Edited by John B. Boles Edited by Alton Hornsby A Companion to American Indian History A Companion to American Immigration Edited by Philip J. Deloria and Neal Salisbury Edited by Reed Ueda A Companion to American Women ’ s History A Companion to American Cultural History Edited by Nancy Hewitt Edited by Karen Halttunen A Companion to Post-1945 America A Companion to California History Edited by Jean-Christophe Agnew and Edited by William Deverell and David Igler Roy Rosenzweig A Companion to American Military History A Companion to the Vietnam War Edited by James Bradford Edited by Marilyn Young and Robert Buzzanco A Companion Los Angeles A Companion to Colonial America Edited by William Deverell and Greg Hise Edited by Daniel Vickers A Companion to American Environmental History A Companion to 20th-Century America Edited by Douglas Cazaux Sackman Edited by Stephen J. Whitfield A Companion to Benjamin Franklin A Companion to the American West Edited by David Waldstreicher Edited by William Deverell A Companion to American Foreign Relations Edited by Robert Schulzinger In preparation : A Companion to American Urban History A Companion to the History of American Science Edited by David Quigley Edited by Mark Largent A Companion to American Legal History A Companion to Supreme Court History (2 volumes) Edited by Sally Hadden and Alfred L. Brophy Edited by John Vile A Companion to World War Two (2 volumes) A Companion to American Sports History Edited by Thomas Zeiler Edited by Steven Riess PRESIDENTIAL COMPANIONS Published : A Companion to Franklin D. Roosevelt A Companion to Lyndon B. Johnson Edited by William Pederson Edited by Mitchell Lerner A Companion to Richard M. Nixon A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt Edited by Melvin Small Edited by Serge Ricard A Companion to Thomas Jefferson A Companion to George Washington Edited by Francis D. Cogliano Edited by Edward G. Lengel In preparation : A Companion to Abraham Lincoln A Companion to James Madison and James Monroe Edited by Michael Green Edited by Stuart Leibiger A Companion to Harry S. Truman A Companion to John Adams and John Quincy Adams Edited by Daniel S. Margolies Edited by David Waldstreicher A Companion to Andrew Jackson A Companion to the Antebellum Presidents, 1837–61 Edited by Sean Patrick Adams Edited by Joel Silbey A Companion to Woodrow Wilson A Companion to the Reconstruction Presidents, 1865–81 Edited by Ross A. Kennedy Edited by Edward Frantz A Companion to Dwight D. Eisenhower A Companion to Gerald R. Ford & Jimmy Carter Edited by Chester J. Pach Edited by V. Scott Kaufman A Companion to Ronald Reagan A Companion to Warren G. Harding, Calvin Edited by Andrew L. Johns Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover Edited by Katherine A. S. Sibley fffirs.inddfirs.indd iiii 22/22/2012/22/2012 66:46:52:46:52 PPMM A Companion to George Washington Edited by Edward G. Lengel A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication fffirs.inddfirs.indd iiiiii 22/22/2012/22/2012 66:46:52:46:52 PPMM This edition first published 2012 © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell ’ s publishing program has been merged with Wiley ’ s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of Edward G. Lengel to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A companion to George Washington / edited by Edward G. Lengel. p. cm. – (Blackwell companions to American history) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4443-3103-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Washington, George, 1732–1799. 2. United States–History–Revolution, 1775–1783. 3. United States–History–1783–1815 4. Presidents–United States–Biography. 5. Generals–United States–Biography.