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George Washington's Expense Account
In George Washington's Expense Account -- the best-selling expense account in history -- Kitman shows how Washington brilliantly turned his noble gesture of refusing payment for his services as commander in chief of the Continental Army into an opportunity to indulge his insatiable lust for fine food and drink, extravagant clothing, and lavish accommodations. In a close analysis of the document that financed our Revolution, Kitman uncovers more scandals than you can shake a Nixon Cabinet member at -- and serves each up with verve and wit.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
George Washington
1,557 books236 followersGeorge Washington was an American military leader, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first President of the United States. He is often referred to as the "Father of His Country" for the central role he played in the founding and early development of the nation.
Born into a family of Virginia planters, Washington grew up on the family's estates and received limited formal education. As a young man, he became a land surveyor, which provided him valuable knowledge of the American frontier. He began his military career in the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War, gaining experience that would later serve him during the American Revolution.
In 1775, with tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain reaching a breaking point, Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress. Leading a force that was often underfunded, poorly equipped, and inexperienced, Washington faced a series of challenges. Despite suffering early defeats, he demonstrated resilience and strategic skill, securing important victories at Trenton and Princeton. His leadership at the Siege of Yorktown led to the surrender of British forces and ultimately secured American independence.
Following the Revolutionary War, Washington voluntarily resigned his commission and returned to private life at Mount Vernon, a move that reinforced the principle of civilian control of the military. However, the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation soon became evident, and Washington returned to public service as the presiding officer at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. His steady leadership helped facilitate the drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution.
Unanimously elected as the first President, Washington took office in 1789 and served two terms. During his presidency, he set many important precedents that would shape the role of the executive branch, including the creation of a Cabinet and the peaceful transfer of power. His leadership style emphasized unity and national identity at a time when political divisions threatened the stability of the new republic.
Washington's foreign policy was characterized by neutrality, particularly during the conflicts arising from the French Revolution. He promoted peaceful relations with foreign powers, most notably through the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. Domestically, he dealt with challenges such as the Whiskey Rebellion, asserting the authority of the federal government to maintain order.
Although a wealthy plantation owner who held enslaved people throughout his life, Washington's views on slavery evolved over time. In his will, he made arrangements to free the individuals he directly owned, setting a precedent among the Founding Fathers and reflecting his personal conflict over the institution.
After completing two terms, Washington declined to seek a third, emphasizing the importance of term limits and setting a lasting example. In his Farewell Address, he warned against the dangers of political factions and entanglements in foreign affairs, advice that influenced American political thought for generations.
George Washington's legacy endures in American culture, politics, and national identity. His name and image have been commemorated in countless ways, from the capital city of Washington, D.C., to monuments, currency, and public institutions. Admired for his leadership, character, and devotion to republican ideals, Washington remains one of the most respected figures in United States history.
Born into a family of Virginia planters, Washington grew up on the family's estates and received limited formal education. As a young man, he became a land surveyor, which provided him valuable knowledge of the American frontier. He began his military career in the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War, gaining experience that would later serve him during the American Revolution.
In 1775, with tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain reaching a breaking point, Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress. Leading a force that was often underfunded, poorly equipped, and inexperienced, Washington faced a series of challenges. Despite suffering early defeats, he demonstrated resilience and strategic skill, securing important victories at Trenton and Princeton. His leadership at the Siege of Yorktown led to the surrender of British forces and ultimately secured American independence.
Following the Revolutionary War, Washington voluntarily resigned his commission and returned to private life at Mount Vernon, a move that reinforced the principle of civilian control of the military. However, the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation soon became evident, and Washington returned to public service as the presiding officer at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. His steady leadership helped facilitate the drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution.
Unanimously elected as the first President, Washington took office in 1789 and served two terms. During his presidency, he set many important precedents that would shape the role of the executive branch, including the creation of a Cabinet and the peaceful transfer of power. His leadership style emphasized unity and national identity at a time when political divisions threatened the stability of the new republic.
Washington's foreign policy was characterized by neutrality, particularly during the conflicts arising from the French Revolution. He promoted peaceful relations with foreign powers, most notably through the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. Domestically, he dealt with challenges such as the Whiskey Rebellion, asserting the authority of the federal government to maintain order.
Although a wealthy plantation owner who held enslaved people throughout his life, Washington's views on slavery evolved over time. In his will, he made arrangements to free the individuals he directly owned, setting a precedent among the Founding Fathers and reflecting his personal conflict over the institution.
After completing two terms, Washington declined to seek a third, emphasizing the importance of term limits and setting a lasting example. In his Farewell Address, he warned against the dangers of political factions and entanglements in foreign affairs, advice that influenced American political thought for generations.
George Washington's legacy endures in American culture, politics, and national identity. His name and image have been commemorated in countless ways, from the capital city of Washington, D.C., to monuments, currency, and public institutions. Admired for his leadership, character, and devotion to republican ideals, Washington remains one of the most respected figures in United States history.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 31, 2011
I came across this little gem at a library 4-for-a-dollar sale and unless lightning should strike again, it is destined to become of my all time fave finds. (Incidentally, there is another edition of this on Goodreads yet to be combined here: 0802137733 (ISBN13: 9780802137739). I leave that to someone with librarian status.)
This book is in three parts. The first is an explanation of relative currencies (Georgian British, various Colonial, and modern American) and inflation adjustment calculators, along with the research methods and materials that Kitman relied upon. The second is a photostat reproduction of George Washington's autograph account books for the Revolutionary War period. The third part is a transcription of the second, annotated and cross-referenced against the various explanatory receipts, vouchers, and memoranda respectively stored at the Library of Congress and Mount Vernon. The whole is likewise considered somewhat irreverently in the style of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (under the conceit that Washington was the "father of modern expense account writing), and more evocatively in the context of Revolutionary era primary sources (newspaper articles, pamphlets, letters, and military diaries) as interpreted by the mainstream of colonial period historians.
I can't say enough positive things about this book. The tone is light and engaging throughout, and while superficially critical of the great General's profligacy (especially in light of the hardships and privations endured by the enlisted ranks), does sympathetically make three points worth absorbing osmotically via a close parse of His Excellency's double-column scheme:
(1) Washington, in fronting these lavish expenses for nearly a decade, had to consider reimbursement as highly speculative, any return being dependent not only on Washington's guerrilla success in the field against the greatest military force known to the world at the time but on the wherewithal and willingness of a newborn government to pony up;
(2) Washington's expenses were wholly in keeping with his standard of living before and after the war, and thus not so much a cynical breach of public trust as an oblivious continuation of his economic status quo; and
(3) Washington was fallible and human, long before he was mythologized into legend as a Founding Father.
Whether or not you are familiar with the course of military events during the American Revolution, this book sets out the war in novel fashion. The surrounding context of these credits and debits come to life from the mundane evocation of camp life (all those household expenses including barrels of luxurious Madeira, milk, and eggs) through the movements of troops around the mid-Atlantic (reconnoiter fees and ferry scrips) to harrowing depictions of atrocities (payments for secret service espionage work including Indian slaughter that briefly led to an escalating spiral of violence). I can guarantee that you will not likely have read revolutionary chronicles through such a lens.
Notwithstanding the sheer joy of being able to flip back and forth between the actual primary source material and its transcription/annotation, there is one thing in this book I found troubling. It is this passage, at p. 265:
This book is in three parts. The first is an explanation of relative currencies (Georgian British, various Colonial, and modern American) and inflation adjustment calculators, along with the research methods and materials that Kitman relied upon. The second is a photostat reproduction of George Washington's autograph account books for the Revolutionary War period. The third part is a transcription of the second, annotated and cross-referenced against the various explanatory receipts, vouchers, and memoranda respectively stored at the Library of Congress and Mount Vernon. The whole is likewise considered somewhat irreverently in the style of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (under the conceit that Washington was the "father of modern expense account writing), and more evocatively in the context of Revolutionary era primary sources (newspaper articles, pamphlets, letters, and military diaries) as interpreted by the mainstream of colonial period historians.
I can't say enough positive things about this book. The tone is light and engaging throughout, and while superficially critical of the great General's profligacy (especially in light of the hardships and privations endured by the enlisted ranks), does sympathetically make three points worth absorbing osmotically via a close parse of His Excellency's double-column scheme:
(1) Washington, in fronting these lavish expenses for nearly a decade, had to consider reimbursement as highly speculative, any return being dependent not only on Washington's guerrilla success in the field against the greatest military force known to the world at the time but on the wherewithal and willingness of a newborn government to pony up;
(2) Washington's expenses were wholly in keeping with his standard of living before and after the war, and thus not so much a cynical breach of public trust as an oblivious continuation of his economic status quo; and
(3) Washington was fallible and human, long before he was mythologized into legend as a Founding Father.
Whether or not you are familiar with the course of military events during the American Revolution, this book sets out the war in novel fashion. The surrounding context of these credits and debits come to life from the mundane evocation of camp life (all those household expenses including barrels of luxurious Madeira, milk, and eggs) through the movements of troops around the mid-Atlantic (reconnoiter fees and ferry scrips) to harrowing depictions of atrocities (payments for secret service espionage work including Indian slaughter that briefly led to an escalating spiral of violence). I can guarantee that you will not likely have read revolutionary chronicles through such a lens.
Notwithstanding the sheer joy of being able to flip back and forth between the actual primary source material and its transcription/annotation, there is one thing in this book I found troubling. It is this passage, at p. 265:
By May, {1778}, the enlisted men no longer were quenching their thirst with snowballs, the amber waves of grain were sparking again on the fruited plain, and His Excellency's purple mood vanished. The officers in the expense account crowd decided to give a play, which Washington and Lady Washington attended along with Lord and Lady Stirling, and Mrs. Greene.I shudder and sigh... and celebrate that this book was originally published in 1973, a mere two years after the grand opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Suck it, puritans. George Washington knew best.
For the first time in these pages, Congress expressed disapproval of an act of the Commander in Chief. A theater, in the eyes of the Puritans in Congress, was a den of iniquity. The congressmen expressed their indignation and astonishment that patriotic officers, entrusted with the defense of their country and the freedom of all, should fall so deep in dissolute habits as to give a play on the stage. Congress passed a firm resolution that said in part: "any person holding an office under the United States, who shall attend a theatrical performance shall be dismissed from the service."
September 21, 2008
A wonderfully funny, but subtle look at one of America's first heroes. As the commanding general of the Continental Army, Washington turned down an offer of pay. Instead, he requested reimbursements for his expenses. Not only was he the Father of his country, he was the father of the padded expense account.
January 11, 2012
This was a fascinating look at the Revolution from the ground up, an annotated inventory of everything George Washington bought during the war from madeira to spy services, from horses to laundry.
March 30, 2016
A well-researched book, with subtle humor directed at Gen. George Washington's spendy ways.
July 4, 2011
When accepting the role of Commander in Chief, Washington refused a salary asking only to be reimbursed for his expenses. During the war, he kept a careful but sometimes cryptic account of his expenditures which was turned in for reimbursement.
I tripped across this book at a second hand bookstore - apparently never read - (which should have served as a warning). I was hoping for some interesting historical tie in to the events of the war. While one could argue that it does generally do that, the cynical tone is annoying at best.
I found this clunky attempt at a humorous expose of the General's expense account to be mostly unreadable. It was painful to try to sort out the actual historical facts from the authors fanciful imaginings and pointless references to modern day expense accounts and then (as of the writing of the book) modern politics. What was the point of it all?
Pages 39-93 are a reprint the expense account in the General's own hand. Alone worth the price of the book just to review the itemization, descriptions, penmanship and bookkeeping talents of the man. Rip them out and keep them - be sure to recycle the rest.
If you like high school sarcasm and the wit of Henny Youngman, go for it.
I tripped across this book at a second hand bookstore - apparently never read - (which should have served as a warning). I was hoping for some interesting historical tie in to the events of the war. While one could argue that it does generally do that, the cynical tone is annoying at best.
I found this clunky attempt at a humorous expose of the General's expense account to be mostly unreadable. It was painful to try to sort out the actual historical facts from the authors fanciful imaginings and pointless references to modern day expense accounts and then (as of the writing of the book) modern politics. What was the point of it all?
Pages 39-93 are a reprint the expense account in the General's own hand. Alone worth the price of the book just to review the itemization, descriptions, penmanship and bookkeeping talents of the man. Rip them out and keep them - be sure to recycle the rest.
If you like high school sarcasm and the wit of Henny Youngman, go for it.
April 13, 2019
Entertaining and compelling reading refuting the notion of a virtuous General accepting no salary yet cleverly wishing "only" his expenses be covered by Congress during the Revolutionary War. In numerous hand written examples of entries by Washington into his expense account, Kitman has a field day exposing a wholesale fleecing of Congress during his tenure as Commander in Chief. While a comic look into Washington's tactics in creative expense writing the book never the less is sobering and astounding. Makes one think he wouldn't have chopped down that cherry tree himself but hired someone and expensed it out.
July 25, 2008
Very enjoyable alternative view of GW.
August 6, 2012
Interesting new insight into Washington.
November 14, 2023
This book, published in 1970, is a humorous account of the records that George Washington presented to the fledgling U.S. government: that is his expense account. Washington refused to take a salary and it turns out that was a good decision because his expenses were much, much more than any salary that would have been offered, even a general's salary. A little dated, due to the comparison of money in the Revolutionary Era vs. today as 'today' is 50 years ago but a very readable book.
January 2, 2021
He expensed the entire war off his taxes ! The final account entry : $27,665 for escorting Martha from Virginia to Valley Forge. Yep, you read that right. Cool trivia interspersed throughout the book, but the author’s tone is far too sarcastic and at times disrespectful for his analysis to be taken seriously.
Quotes
————
“From all reports, General Washington’s carriage was more impressive than Governor Tryon’s in the battle for New York.”
“He cut expenses further by being the soldier-in-residence at Yale College on June 28.”
“One thing the expense account doesn’t tell us is what was going on in the country during that first business trip : the Battle of Bunker Hill...”
“One of the shopkeepers, Nicholas Sparhawk, is on record as having sold him 9 yards of Damascus cloth... for table linen for Washington’s field headquarters... For what he spent for the Damascus cloth, in terms of today’s dollars, Washington could have written off a trip to Syria and picked up twice as many yards in the bazaar.”
“Part of the price demanded by the French at the surrender of Fort Necessity was his interpreter, Captain Van Braam... Before delivering his part of the bargain, he sold Van Braam a dress uniform, which the British historian Marcus Cunliffe has noted ‘he might otherwise have found a nuisance to carry away with him. It was not a shameless transaction, but it was a brisk one.’ “
“Washington’s neighbor, Richard Henry Lee, once refused to sell the squire of Mount Vernon a horse, for fear that he would receive less than the prevailing market value. Where money was involved, at least in the days before he married Martha, Washington had a reputation for being tight, even stingy.”
“As the expense account shows, he refused to name names even after the war was over...”
“The camp... resembled a county fair... The crowd was interracial (it wasn’t until later in the war that Washington tried to discourage blacks from enlisting in the army).”
“The patriot army... dressed in odds and ends of old uniforms (including British army surplus)... The only uniformity at Cambridge was raggedness; the colors brown and green seemed to predominate. Washington, dressed in blue, was appalled by the sight.”
“Washington spent more than the Paymaster-General’s monthly salary -$100 a month, according to the act of Congress previously cited - for cloth and thread.”
“Washington hired a number of civilians to make his bed, police the area, carry his duffel bag (or foot locker) and shine the silver buckles on his shoes. He usually listed these items separately.”
“He was on a first name basis with all of his employees.”
“Observers at headquarters usually mention Washington drinking only imported wines. Madeira was his favorite, especially the ‘59 and ‘63.”
Quotes
————
“From all reports, General Washington’s carriage was more impressive than Governor Tryon’s in the battle for New York.”
“He cut expenses further by being the soldier-in-residence at Yale College on June 28.”
“One thing the expense account doesn’t tell us is what was going on in the country during that first business trip : the Battle of Bunker Hill...”
“One of the shopkeepers, Nicholas Sparhawk, is on record as having sold him 9 yards of Damascus cloth... for table linen for Washington’s field headquarters... For what he spent for the Damascus cloth, in terms of today’s dollars, Washington could have written off a trip to Syria and picked up twice as many yards in the bazaar.”
“Part of the price demanded by the French at the surrender of Fort Necessity was his interpreter, Captain Van Braam... Before delivering his part of the bargain, he sold Van Braam a dress uniform, which the British historian Marcus Cunliffe has noted ‘he might otherwise have found a nuisance to carry away with him. It was not a shameless transaction, but it was a brisk one.’ “
“Washington’s neighbor, Richard Henry Lee, once refused to sell the squire of Mount Vernon a horse, for fear that he would receive less than the prevailing market value. Where money was involved, at least in the days before he married Martha, Washington had a reputation for being tight, even stingy.”
“As the expense account shows, he refused to name names even after the war was over...”
“The camp... resembled a county fair... The crowd was interracial (it wasn’t until later in the war that Washington tried to discourage blacks from enlisting in the army).”
“The patriot army... dressed in odds and ends of old uniforms (including British army surplus)... The only uniformity at Cambridge was raggedness; the colors brown and green seemed to predominate. Washington, dressed in blue, was appalled by the sight.”
“Washington spent more than the Paymaster-General’s monthly salary -$100 a month, according to the act of Congress previously cited - for cloth and thread.”
“Washington hired a number of civilians to make his bed, police the area, carry his duffel bag (or foot locker) and shine the silver buckles on his shoes. He usually listed these items separately.”
“He was on a first name basis with all of his employees.”
“Observers at headquarters usually mention Washington drinking only imported wines. Madeira was his favorite, especially the ‘59 and ‘63.”
September 2, 2025
An interesting and funny way to learn about the Revolutionary War. Washington offered to accept expense reimbursement in lieu of pay for commanding the Continental Army in the Revolution. This is his expense account with comments explaining (sometimes comically or sarcastically) what is going on in the war at the time of the expenses. Comments written in the late 1960s, so some things are harder to understand due to the changes in writing styles of the last 50 years. But still a funny and enjoyable read if you like history.
Be sure to read the dedication.
Be sure to read the dedication.
April 21, 2018
A bit of repetition from the "The Making of the President", but just as eye opening. If the rank and file knew what their general was up to while they went without pay, food, shoes, and lodging, there wouldn't have been a continental army very long. King George III's taxes would have been cheaper to pay than Washington's expense account.
February 24, 2019
Good book. An entertaining look at our first president and his imaginative way of accounting for war expenses. Too bad the Senate didn't exist to provide oversight. Perhaps he should have used those skills to provide fair compensation for his troops.
September 19, 2023
Amusing.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews