December 4, 2023
History is an amazing part of our lives. And the more that you learn and understand history, it can help us to navigate through life a whole lot better. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase that, “History repeats itself.” While that is true, knowing your history can help you to avoid making some of the same mistakes that people have made in the past. We can learn from their mistakes and their victories. More than that, history helps us to get to know people a whole lot better, close and up front.
Most Americans whether 8 or 108 years old, have heard of George Washington. We see his face everywhere, most noticeably on the one-dollar bill. His face is one of the most recognizable faces of a US president. Most people remember Mr. Washington as being the first President of the United States of America. But far fewer know exactly what he did before he became president.
Let’s take a look at one of George Washington’s many accomplishments. Way back in the late 1700s Mr. Washington was the commander and General of an army called the Continental Army. And on December 4, 1783, Washington sent for his military officers to Fraunces Tavern in New York City to let them know that he was going to resign as the General and go back to regular life as a civilian. Just before that Washington had bravely led his army through six long years of war against the British before the American forces eventually won at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. That is where Washington received the formal surrender of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis which was the actual end of the Revolutionary War. A couple of years later a peace treaty was signed and after that the British troops left New York.
During the war Washington was concerned about the fact that many of his soldiers lacked discipline and some had very poor health. Despite that he loved and much appreciated his soldiers for their service and their courage. It was on this day December 4, 1783, that he publicly expressed his appreciation to “the brotherhood” of soldiers as his bid them farewell. One observer Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge who was there, wrote about Washington’s address to his soldiers as Washington had comes to tears, giving each one of his soldiers a warm and heartfelt hug as he left them forever, so he thought.
After that, Mr. Washington headed for Annapolis, Maryland where he officially resigned as General of the troops on December 23, 1783. After that he returned back home to his acclaimed estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia where he planned to live the rest of his life in a quiet community tending to his garden and farming. Strangely enough, life had other plans for him. In a very short amount of time, right around 1789 he was convinced to come out of retirement and was elected the very first president of the United States of America. A position that he held until 1797.
From now on, we will see George Washington in a different light, not only as U.S. President, or a face on our dollar bill, but also as a mighty and compassionate military commander, who was responsible for ending the Revolutionary War. Becoming President after that, was a much-deserved honor.
Dr. Aaron Lewis, December 4, 2023