® ® Audio Connoisseur THE FINEST IN RECORDED LITERATURE George Washington II Young Wa s hington Table of Contents,Duration, Start Times, & Maps George Washington, a Biography, Volume Two, opens with young George uncertain over his future. Having resigned his commission, he returned to Mt. Vernon in a somber mood. But fate intervened. When General Edward Braddock arrived in Virginia early in 1755 with his expeditionary force of redcoats, he and Washington soon met. The kindly Braddock was impressed with the 23 year-old soldier. George immediately offered to voluntarily serve as an aide-de-camp to the British general, and the offer was accepted. In July, Braddock led an expedition to expel the French from Fort Duquesne and the Ohio Country. Suffering from a severe case of dysentery,Washington was left behind at Fort Cumberland. A few days later, after rejoining Braddock at Monongahela, the French and their Indian allies ambushed the divided army. The British suffered two-thirds casualties, including the mortally wounded Braddock. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Gage, Washington, still extremely ill, rallied the survivors and formed a rear guard, which allowed the remnants of the force to disengage “Washington the Soldier”, is a painting of Lt. Col. Washington on horseback during and retreat. During the engagement the Battle of the Monongahela, by Regnier, 1834. The cover image depicts George Washington as a colonel of the Virginia Regiment from the French and Indian War. It is a composite including a photo of a waxmodel of young Washington on display at the Mt.Vernon Estate. The background painting, shows what his colonel’s uniform of the Virginia Regiment would have looked like at that time. It was painted in 1772 by Charles Wilson Peale. 2 he had two horses shot from under him, and his hat and coat were riddled with bullet holes. His calmness under fire redeemed his reputation among critics of his earlier command in the Battle of Fort Necessity. But he was not included in the planning of subsequent operations by succeeding commander, Colonel Thomas Dunbar. T he Virginia Regiment was reconstituted in August 1755, and Virginia governor Dinwiddie appointed Washington its commander-in-chief with the colonial rank of colonel. Washington clashed over seniority almost immediately, this time with John Dagworthy, another captain of superior royal rank, who commanded a detachment of Marylanders at the regiment’s headquarters in Fort Cumberland. Washington, impatient for an offensive against Fort Duquesne, was convinced Braddock would have granted him a royal commission, and pressed his case in February, 1756 with Braddock’s successor, William Shirley, and again in January, 1757 with Shirley’s successor, Lord Loudoun. Shirley ruled in Washington’s favor only in the matter of Dagworthy. But, Loudoun humiliated Washington, refused him a royal commission, and agreed only to relieve him of the responsibility of manning Fort Cumberland. In 1758, the Virginia Regiment was assigned to General John Forbes’s expedition to take Fort Duquesne. Washington, who was acutely aware of the difficult geography of the frontier, disagreed with Forbes’s tactics and chosen route. Forbes nevertheless made Washington a brevet brigadier general and gave him command of one of the three brigades that would assault the fort. The Engraving depicting British arrival in 1758 at the remains of Fort Duquesne. French abandoned the fort and the valley before the . 3 assault was launched, with Washington seeing only a friendly-fire incident which left 14 dead and 26 injured. The war lasted another four years, but Washington resigned his commission in December, 1758, returning to private life and more urgent domestic duties, including those as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Under Washington, the Virginia Regiment had defended 300 miles (480 km) of frontier against 20 Indian attacks over a ten-month period. He increased the professionalism of the regiment as it grew from 300 to 1,000 men. As a result, Virginia’s frontier population would suffer less than the frontier regions of other colonies. Though Washington failed to realize a royal commission, he had gained valuable knowledge of British tactics, had acquired self-confidence, and had honed his leadership skills. The destructive competition Washington witnessed among colonial politicians would later foster his support for a strong central government. But for now, George wanted to go home, to pursue the life of a planter and a Burgess, to order his estates, and to settle down to a quiet, domestic life. By January, 1759, a wealthy, 27 year-old This portrait is of Martha Dandridge newly-widowed neighbor named Martha Dandridge Custis eagerly Custis in 1757: mezzotint by John e Folwell (1863) after a portrait by John awaited the return of young George Washington. Wollaston. d 4 VOLUME TWO . Young George Washington 5 . d 6 . VOLUME TWO PORTRAITS Page 8 British Commanders, Martha Dandridge Custis, and Family MAPS Page 9 The Region of the Adventures of young George Washington (1732-1759) Page 10 Washington’s Tour of the Frontier, 1756 Page 11 Approximate Location of the Virginia Frontier Forts Page 12 Forbes’s Line of Advance, 1758 MOUNT VERNON EVOLUTION Page 13 Mount Vernon in 1735, 1752-59, 1785 . d . 7 Portrait by Allan Ramsay VOLUME Col. John Dandridge, Jr. (1700 - 1756), in 1747 of John Campbell, TWO of Chestnut Grove, father of Martha, 4th Earl of Loudoun PORTRAITS was a distinguished colonel, planter, (1705-1782), in the collection politician, and Clerk of the Courts of of the Scottish National New Kent County, Virginia, 1730-1756. Portrait Gallery. Martha Dandridge Custis (1731 - 1802), pictured below Portrait by Thomas in 1757. Combination of Hudson in 1750 mezzotint by John Folwell of William Shirley (1863) and a portrait by (1694-1771), colonial John Wollaston (1757). governor of Massachusetts in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Portrait by George Romney in 1778 Martha’s husband, General John Forbes Daniel Parke Custis (1714-1796), in the (1711 - 1757), portrait by John collection of the Wollaston, oil on canvas, National Maritime 1757 Washington and Lee Museum. University collection. 8 The Region of the Adventures of Young George Washington (1732-1759). 9 Washington’s Tour of the Frontier, 1756 The map is based on a thorough study of the region. It is associated as to where Washington’s somewhat vague descriptions best fitted the terrain of Washington’s ride. d . 10 Approximate Location of the Virginia Frontier Forts This sketch records the location of frontier forts, some of which are mentioned once or twice only. In numerous instances, it is impossible to determine exactly where stockades were erected by farmers. d . 11 Forbes’s Line of Advance, 1758 Some of the positions occupied by Washington’s Regiment and by other troops under Forbes’s command have been established from maps of Pennsylvania made during and immediately after the American Revolution; but between Loyal Hannon and Bushy Run, the descriptions given by the field commanders are so indefinite that the location of the camp sites cannot be determined. d . 12 Mount Vernon, c. 1735 Mount Vernon, 1752-59 . Mount Vernon, 1785 . MOUNT VERNON EVOLUTION Drawings of changes to the mansion. Courtesy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. .d . 13 Courting Martha In late March and early June of 1758, the young widow Custis is courted by several men, including George Washington, who stops by her home, called the White House. The orignal White House was built pre-1700, and it was rebuilt 2 more times after burning. Left: the house (smaller than the original) is shown before it was burned in 1862. ® ® Audio Connoisseur THE FINEST IN RECORDED LITERATURE © 2019 AUDIO CONNOISSEUR.