General Washington as one the most successful military leaders Essay

From the years of 1759-1175, George Washington returned to Mount Vernon, and began to settle into a different lifestyle away from war. During these times, a revolution was occurring, and slavery was widely accepted in the south. It was said that George Washing, near time of his death, had as many as 318 on record, although some of these slaves came with the marriage of Martha, his wife. He was a slave owner due to inheritance at age 11, and was most of these slaves worked on the Mount Vernon property. "George Washington wrote his will several months before his death in December 1799. In the document, Washington left directions for the eventual emancipation of his slaves after the passing of Martha Washington."
During the summer of 1775, the Continental Congress appointed him as Commander and Chief of the Continental Army. At the time, American was not winning, and the British were almost certain that the Americans were on the edge of being defeated. As the British already had large forces in New York, New Jersey, and beyond, General Washington decided that Trenton, NJ would make a great place to make an attack on the British forces. This was known as the Trenton and Princeton Campaign. Trenton was across the Delaware River where Washington's men were posted. This crossing was to be on the boldest moves that General Washington would order in his term. With approximately 2,400 men, he ordered the movement across the river to Trenton, NJ. Estimates of about 1,500 British occupied the town, and George Washington concluded that it would take time for their reinforcements to arrive in which he would have time to stage counter attacks. Again, the movement was bold and tenacious. The crossing was scheduled for Christmas Eve of 1776. If General Washington could rally the will of his men, this would be one of the biggest achievement's in his military career. The crossing of the river almost turned vital, but General Washington was certain that he could take Trenton. Upon the crossing, and entering Trenton, the British were on high alert, but caught by surprise. This attack was very successful, and General Washington decided that if he stopped now, that it would be just his only victory that would not prove to be worth the success of his campaign. He decided to move further north, and gain more territory, and he did just that. However, General Washington needed to continue to rally his men and asked them to continue to fight for a month longer. Their enlistments were about to expire at the end of the year. He paid them well, and his force was once again ready to fight the British which were in larger numbers in Princeton. General Washington staged a sneaky flanking attack to gain to the control of Princeton. He did just that, and his men fought hard to take Princeton and drive the British away. These attacks led General Washington to one the most successful military leaders of all times.