Eagle Feathers #195 – King George

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

At the end of the victorious eight-year American Revolutionary War, some of his officers wanted to crown him “King.” They had grown to love and respect their leader and wanted him to continue to lead the country that they had fought for. General George Washington, the object of their honor and devotion, resolutely turned them down. He reminded them that they had just fought and won a war for freedom, not for a monarchy.

Reflecting back to the war’s beginning, his original directive had been to organize the first American Army, which was made up primarily of ragtag farmers and frontiersmen. He then rescued Boston, which was occupied by the British Army. From his headquarters in Cambridge and his Prospect Hill summit, he planned and executed what was to be his first famous victory … the bloodless evacuation of Boston.

Who was he?

• • At the early age of 16, this Virginian was already a gifted horseman. He later became the Assistant Surveyor of the Shenandoah Valley and the following year became its official Surveyor.
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• He became part of the Virginia Militia, rose to the rank of Colonel, and was responsible for its frontier defenses. He joined the staff of the British during the French and Indian War and tried to instruct them to fight like the Indians, instead of marching into battle in close formation wearing brilliantly colored uniforms.
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• When fighting and bloodshed followed the passing of the Boston Port Bill, he told the Virginia Assembly, “I will raise one thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and march, myself at their head, for the relief of Boston.”
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• He was forty-two and a Virginia delegate when the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. This meeting was three days after the British attack on our Powder House, which drew over twenty thousand armed patriots to the location. It proved to be the dress rehearsal of the Concord and Lexington Battle eight months later.
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• On hearing reports of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Washington originally refused to lead the Patriots. He viewed the conflict as a skirmish. But after hearing the results of the Battle of Bunker Hill, he agreed to lead them.
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• On arrival in Massachusetts, he wanted to see the view of Boston from Prospect Hill before he met with colonial leaders at Cambridge. Six months later on January 1, 1776, he raised the first American flag on that site.
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It is said that King George III stated that General Washington would be “The greatest man in the world” if he retired after the Revolutionary War. Americans agreed and elected him our first President. He is considered the father of our country.
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George Washington…

“First in War”

“First in Peace”

“First in the Hearts of his Countrymen”
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