Ode to George
In Honor of Washington's Birthday
In light of the birthday of George Washington (yesterday, as of this posting), I love to review and reread stories about the Father of our Country. His defusing of the Newburgh Conspiracy near war’s end with the simple act of fumbling to put on his spectacles is one of my all time favorites. His insistence on the supremacy of civilian over military authority and refusal to seize power made him the “greatest man in the world,” according to George III. The images by which Washington is remembered defined the nation too. His most famous paintings are arguably his fearless but desperate crossing over the Delaware River, or of the great general knelt in prayer in the snow of Valley Forge. By contrast, the images of another national hero like Napoleon show him seizing the crown for himself and his wife, bequeathing an entirely different national memory. He also left enduring legacies based on his example, perhaps none more influential than retiring from power multiple times and only serving two terms as president. While he receives less distinction as a philosopher of the Republican ideal than say Thomas Jefferson or James Madison, Washington was the living embodiment of those ideals.
While listening to the podcast “Ben Franklin’s World,” I heard a new story about Washington that only added to my estimation of the greatest American. The episode, “The Revolution’s African American Soldiers,” traced the battlefield contributions of African Americans on the side of the Colonials during the war, and spent significant time on the experience of Rhode Island’s 1st Infantry Regiment.
The state of Rhode Island formed the 1st Rhode Island Infantry Regiment in 1775. Through various reorganizations of the army, it served in some form through the end of the conflict. However, it was reconstituted as a mostly African American regiment in 1777-1778. It included freed men, but also enslaved who were offered freedom for their service.
The 1st Rhode Island participated in the failed Battle of Rhode Island. This battle was the first in which the Americans joined with their new French allies. The combined land and sea force attempted to dislodge the British from Newport, Rhode Island. The French fleet was driven off by the British, leaving only the American land force to carry out the siege. When the British reinforced the garrison of Newport, the American general John Sullivan was forced to withdraw his men. In the withdrawal, the 1st Rhode Island was detailed to a key defensive spot to cover the retreating army. The regiment came under heavy assault by British and Hessian troops, but held firm and drove off three attacks before pulling back with the rest of the army.
In the episode of Franklin’s World, scholar Judith van Buskirk tells how in the aftermath of the battle rumors began to circulate that the regiment had broken in the retreat, performed dishonorably, and deserved harsh scrutiny. However, George Washington came to their defense to dispel this rumor. Communicating his words through Sullivan, Washington declared that the regiment was “entitled to a proper share of the honors of the day.”
While Washington’s words were simple, they were not empty. Great skepticism of arming African Americans, particularly the enslaved, abounded in the colonies. Washington himself was wary of the notion at first, though he evolved his thinking over the course of the war. He was an aristocratic Virginia planter who owned slaves, just like most everyone else in his station. It could have been politically risky to praise the valor of the men of the 1st Rhode Island and anger his fellow Southerners at a crucial juncture of the war. It would have been quite easy to let the false rumor run instead, and there would have been little personal or general consequence if he did. Washington, as he so often did to monumental effect, stood on his principle and acted on behalf of his soldiers, regardless of race.
This story was new to me, but the lesson is not. Time and again, Washington acted in accordance with his principles, even when it was not the easiest option for him personally. His example time and again of wise and virtuous leadership echoes across the pages of American History. Happy (belated) birthday to our first and greatest president.