George Washington (Vol 3): Planter and Patriot

George Washington #3

by Douglas Southall Freeman

Volume three of the seven-volume definitive work on the first president of the United States. This volume covers Washington's early private and military life leading up to the times immediately before the revolution.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, American History

600 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

The son of a Confederate veteran, Douglas Southall Freeman was long interested in the Civil War. A man of intense work ethic, he earned his PhD at 22, then balanced a journalist's demanding schedule with a historian's, as he churned out Lee's Dispatches (1915), the Pulitzer-Prize-winning four-volume R. E. Lee: A Biography (1934-35), Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command (1942-44), and finally, the multi-volume George Washington (1948-54). A respected historian, renown for his research, he garnered fame in his native Virginia and the friendship of major military figures.

Reviews

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

History has a way of compressing time, particularly in the case of George Washington. Many narratives, in glancing over the period between the French & Indian War and the opening salvoes of the Revolutionary War, portray Washington as a man plucked from recent military exploits to lead the fledgling Continental Army.

Southall Freeman, in his seven volume treatment of the Master of Mount Vernon, has the luxury to dwell upon this "interregnum," as Washington becomes acquainted with the workings of legislative power, the fickle hand of fortune in the economic life of a planter and the personal triumphs and tragedies of the 1760s and 1770s. Washington stands apart as a Virginia planter in his ambition, his drive to make the lands work: as tobacco depletes his soil, he changes his fields over to wheat; he takes a chance on milling and distilling; and he purchases a boat in order to catch and sell the flourishing shad of the nearby Potomac River. Through it all, Washington becomes an excellent manager - a man who can stay the course on strategy while being flexible on tactics.

The narrative picks up steam with Washington's ascension to the post of Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in 1775. Washington rightly sees ahead to the troubles and consternations of the position, as he is immediately bedeviled by the bruised egos of the major and brigadier generals appointed by Congress, lax discipline within the ranks, expiring terms for many of the New England soldiers bottling up the British in Boston, and the constant problem of being the leader of an army directed by a democratically-elected Congress.

As the year 1775 concludes, we do not yet see how Washington's career as commander will play out. What we do know, though, are the tremendous burdens bearing down upon the man. Massachusetts minutemen showed their valor at Lexington & Concord; New England troops equaled the British at Bunker Hill. But can an American Army hang together, or will those soldiers and generals, in Benjamin Franklin's dark humor, hang separately.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two-thirds are fairly slow. Beginning in 1759 with Washington's exit from the French and Indian War and marriage to Martha, this part deals primarily with Washington's life as a planter and political leader in Virginia. It also include details of important acts leading up to the American Revolution, such as the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party. Interestingly, these details are typically from the perspective of how Washington and the Virginians learned about and reacted to these events.

The final third of the book covers the events of 1774 and 1775, including Washington's participation in both Continental Congresses, his appointment as Commander-in-Chief, his journey to Boston, and his political struggles to arm and hold together the young American army.

Throughout, we see the colonists' frustrations grow as they perceive their rights as Englishmen are being curtailed.

Despite occasional tediousness, this is clearly a monumental achievement of biography.

[Micah Douthit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume concludes at the end of 1775. Freeman's exhaustive research is very impressive. The discussion of crops at Mount Vernon was a bit dry at times. This volume also contains the events leading up to the Revolutionary War--including detailed accounts of the Stamp Act, First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress, etc. I have always found Freeman easy and entertaining to read, despite the high level of detail found in his historical works.

[Caleb Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me over six months to get through volume 3 but I finally made it. It was slow. The title "Planter and Patriot" gives that away. I was excited for this book though because I have always been interested with how a fairly unsuccessful general ended up leading the entire arm of the United States. this volume satisfied my question though in more words than I would have liked. I will continue to read the series and it seems events are picking up speed. Fantastic read if you want to know everything there is to know about Washington's hiatus from the military and how he came back.