

The Leadership Of General George Washington









4. George Washington’s military accomplishments are not popularly appreciated for two reasons: his distinction as first president of the new nation was unique and his enduring achievements in military operations were not based upon a series of conquests or large-scale battles. Nevertheless, General Washington's military career provides a model of leadership and strategic and tactical expertise.

5. Military career of George Washington spanned over forty years of service. General Washington's service can be broken in three periods that is French and Indian War, American Revolutionary War, and the Quasi-War with France, with service in three different armed forces British provincial militia, the Continental Army, and the United States Army.

















21. Sieges of York Town. Decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces commanded by General George Washington and French forces commanded by Comte de Rochambeau against British Army commanded by Lieutenant general Lord Cornwallis. It proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, as the surrender of Cornwallis' army prompted the British government eventually to negotiate an end to the conflict.





26. Battle of White Plains. The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey Campaign of The American Revolutionary War on 28 October 1776, near White Plains, New York White Plains, Following the retreat of George Washington’s Continental Army northward from New York City. British General William Howe landed troops in Westchester Country, intending to cut off General Washington's escape route. Alerted to this move, General Washington retreated further, establishing a position in the village of White Plains but failing to establish firm control over local high ground. Howe's troops drove General Washington's troops from a hill near the village; following this loss, General Washington ordered the Americans to move away further north.









a. President was the secretary of the state,

b. The Secretary of the Treasury,

c. The Secretary of War,

d. The Post master General and

e. The Attorney General.



















50. The people of America wanted to be free of the rule of England and fought for that freedom. General Washington was always trying to become a better person. He worked to learn how to write neatly so people could read his writing easily. To improve his manners, he copied 110 rules or sayings written by a French priest. One of his favorites was "When walking with a great man, don't walk right beside him, but somewhat behind. Stay close enough that he may speak easily to you”. It is said of General Washington he was "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".

51. Creating a command climate. In1776 Christmas day battle at Trenton after the crossing of the river Delaware, many of the soldiers were ready to leave because their enlistments were up. General Washington urgently appealed to them to step forward and stay with him in this noble cause. Hesitantly at first, but then almost completely, the soldiers stepped forward because of their trust in and regard for General Washington. In that moment, he saved the army and the revolutionary cause.

52. If you look at General Washington, he has traits like self-discipline, strong character, integrity, courage, physical, moral. Many of the founding fathers trusted him because of that. General Washington really had a vision for where the U.S. could go and what it could become, and he had this idea of moving beyond parties. One thing that was really amazing about General Washington was his persistence.

53. General Washington initially sought to conduct an active, aggressive campaign as seen by the American drive into Canada, in December of 1775, to attack British holdings early in the war. With the failure of this campaign, however, General Washington realized that the combination of limited supplies and ill-trained troops he would only be able to wage a defensive war with limited offensive raids. Yet these facts do not discount General Washington’s own mistakes in the basics of war, as seen by his failure to secure the flanks of his positions in several battles, such as when he was forced to withdraw from New York.

54. While General Washington learned his skills in the harsh classroom of war suffering defeats, failures, and an interfering Continental Congress, he continuously sought out ways to attack, as seen with his December 25th, 1776 raid upon the Hessian position in Trenton, New Jersey. Thus, General George Washington’s leadership of the Continental Army can be seen as a determined ability to make do with what he had, in addition to being able to learn from his mistakes. Added to this was his ability to adapt to the situation presented, as well as the fact that General Washington showed that greatest trait of command, the ability to make a decision.

55. High Command ability. The battle at Monmouth, New Jersey in 1778 also revealed his charismatic leadership and his genius as a battlefield tactician. In this crucial battle with Cornwall's army, the American troops were in retreat and disarray when General Washington took personal control. Lafayette said that "his presence stopped the retreat" and Hamilton also wrote "Other officers have great merit in performing their parts well, but he directed the whole with the skill of a master workman. I never saw the General to so much advantage." The British retreated to New York.

56. Power of Decision Making. As in his previous two important positions, General Washington was not only a supreme visionary leader, he was equally supreme while President in keeping the details of his administration, the big and little necessary current decisions, subservient to the larger issues and ideas at stake. The Jay Treaty and the Neutrality Act again illustrate this. General Washington's vision of a strong and independent "empire" required that the new nation be given time to grow, as he knew it would, and therefore, it must not become embroiled in any actions which would prevent this growth. Endless illustrations could be given of his balancing long range goals with short range actions in a coherent manner and are given in General George Washington & American Constitutionalism and other books.

57. Evaluating him as the first President in terms of the visionary leader, it is clear that General Washington had a very well developed and coherent vision with both long and short range goals. Some of these ideas were the absolute necessity and even sacredness of the Union. Faithful obedience to the Constitution, the development of a distinctly American national character, establishment of a government that would be trusted by the people. The role of the federal government in the furtherance of industry, commerce, education and what today we call the infrastructure, the need in a republic for public and private virtue, independence from all forms of foreign dominance and the maintenance of liberty were some his priorities.

58. Proficiency. General Washington was a good general. At one time Congress could not pay the soldiers and the soldiers started to rebel. The General spoke to them about the need to keep fighting and he said he himself would accept no pay until the war was won. The soldiers began to cry and there was no talk of mutiny after that day.


60. He made this clear in innumerable letters, orders and addresses. Especially by his actions that the army must always act in accordance with Congressional decisions, even when he disagreed with them. These decisions involved such basic things as the selection of officers, planning of strategy and the equipping and paying of the soldiers.

61. General Washington's deep respect for every person and his never failing, except on very rare occasions, good manners and self control can be traced back in large part to his internalizing as a youth the ll0 "Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation". It is obvious that these became second nature to him. Just as he did not have to waste energy and thought in dealing with moral issues so he did not have to waste them either in deciding how to treat others, he treated everyone in a courteous and respectful manner. Another stream entering this river was that General Washington always sought to learn more in order to improve himself. He was a great listener, he was a keen observer of people and events and he read far more widely and deeply than has been generally assumed.

62. Generalship. As the General and Commander in Chief, General George Washington became America's true hero and, to use our terms, America's role model because of his exemplary character revealed with his unexcelled visionary leadership and his ability to maintain coherence between his far reaching ideas and his immediate words and actions.

63. General Washington understood the essential ingredients necessary for the establishment of a constitutional, republican government, control by the people, respect for the government, personal as well as public virtue and their inextricable relationship, respect for each other, civil over military authority and others. These ideas were not to be violated in the midst of a war.

64. General Washington knew that the use of unethical and disrespectful means to attain short-range gains could prevent the attainment of long-range goals. Most obvious were his physical characteristics like height, strength, energy and physical coordination. His brain or intelligence is also decisive fact. Generally unmentioned as a given is temperament.

65. The world has yet to understand the intellectual efficiency derived from moral qualities. How the candor of an honest, and the clearness of an un-perverted mind attain results beyond the reach of mere intelligence and adroitness. How conscious integrity gives both insight and directness to mental operations, and elevation above the plane of selfish motives affords a more comprehensive. Therefore more reliable views of affairs, than the keenest examination based exclusively on personal ability.

66. General Washington's profound morality, unselfish nature and self-control coupled with what was obviously a good intellect enabled him to out think all the other generals and Founders. Of them all, he had the best long and short-range ideas and how to maintain coherency between them.

67. General Washington took good care of his soldiers’ welfare during the war. It won his army and his allies over and this aid him in his future endeavors as Commander and even as President. As a leader, you have to constantly watch out for your team members’ welfare. The saying goes people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. By genuinely caring for individuals under you, you win them over to your side. They buy into you and they will choose to follow you because of your genuine care. General Washington could do it during a war, and as a leader in peacetime even more, you should commit to ensuring the welfare of your team.

68. Consider just three of General Washington's major ideas as the General. First, he must win the war, no matter how long it took. Second, it was a war for independence, liberty. Third, the purpose of this independence from Great Britain was to establish a republican, constitutional government. The people would determine all being a republic, to form of a government and its ruling officials.

69. It is clear that several factors led to his selection, his character, they knew that they could trust him. He was the best-known military person in the colonies, he was a Southerner and the delegates believed he could unite the forces of all the colonies, he was a man of wealth and presumably would be less tempted to corruption and he was known as a fearless, determined and competent leader.

70. Another factor of great importance, although not stressed or perhaps even acknowledged by many historians and commentators, was that his ideas in regard to British and colonial relations were well known and were representative of ideas shared by the delegates and those whom they represented. They shared a common vision.

71. General Washington had chosen to continue, he knew intuitively, that the entire future, and nature of leadership in America, would be forever different, and not better. He would have left the members of this new democratic republic with the sense of dependency on charismatic leadership vested in a man, rather than the independence derived from faith in them, institutions, process and their guiding principles. In effect, General Washington had come to an inflection point in the development of the new nation. Done well, the orderly transition would set this new country on an upward trajectory for growth and prosperity. Good leaders know how and when to lead, great leaders also know how and when to leave.

72. By powerful example, General Washington created a fundamental precept that resonates today in American culture. That dedication to a cause, an idea, or a principle larger than yourself, demands that you subjugate yourself for the good of the whole. The power of humility cannot be underestimated in a great leader. A clear understanding and recognition of our faults can have a profound impact on others. The Farewell Address is a masterfully conceived message that in its entirety embodies both great ideas with the humility of a Virginia farmer of the day. One of his favorite quotes was "When walking with a great man, don't walk right beside him, but somewhat behind. Stay close enough that he may speak easily to you”.


73. General George Washington is regarded as the founder father of the United States of America for his numerous achievements, most notably his role as commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War and his unyielding efforts to formulate a unified and efficient country. General Washington's intelligence, charisma, and military experience made him possibly the most successful and honored general in United States history. Due to his heroic military efforts, he was reputed as an exemplary Republican and true warrior. Apart from his remarkable accomplishments, George Washington's achievements went beyond the war, extending to the formation of America and the creation of the United States Constitution. George Washington never affiliated himself with a political party. The first President of the United States believed that political parties would create stagnation and the creation of opposing sides would impede the collective goals of the country. . In addition the greatest exemplary patriotism he displayed was unique during his military leadership.

74. During his presidency as the first ever president, his conceptualization and visionary implementations guided the American citizen towards an inspired nation. He attempted to bring rival factions together to unify the nation by creating cohesiveness. General Washington had a remarkable vision of an enormous and powerful nation that would be built on republican lines using federal power. "The name of American," he said, must override any local attachments. At his death, General Washington was hailed as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen". He inspired his nations creating great historical memories to his renounced name during his both military and political careers.  Soon after finishing his term as an American President from 1789 to 1797, George Washington died due to his treatments to pneumonia. He was buried in the family tomb at Mount Vernon. Every citizen of United States of America tribute and honoured their great leader everyday.

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