This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
You&#8217;ve probably seen the viral slogan that pays homage to one of the finest displays of all-American spunk in our history.
The phrase &#8220;Americans: We&#8217;ll cross a frozen river to kill you in your sleep on Christmas. Not kidding. We&#8217;ve done it before&#8221; can be found on<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1629178171/americans-well-cross-a-frozen-river-to?gpla=1&amp;gao=1&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_custom2=21500569332&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAjw0o3SBhBVEiwAh28-jZnPcliDgHl8lsUJQFL77m-64UirfGjHarQC7XsD1iWXBKLzu-ZFIRoCOEsQAvD_BwE_k_&amp;utm_content=go_21500569332_164907277083_707558291651_pla-1231918577499_c__1629178171_560099097&amp;utm_campaign=shopping_us_-home_and_living_d&amp;gad_source=4&amp;gad_campaignid=21500569332&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADtcfRL-ma_EFwdA9hs_yE2WJ3eEL&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw0o3SBhBVEiwAh28-jZnPcliDgHl8lsUJQFL77m-64UirfGjHarQC7XsD1iWXBKLzu-ZFIRoCOEsQAvD_BwE&amp;dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> mugs</a>, t-shirts, and memes. The humorous mantra describes when General George Washington led his struggling army across the Delaware River in the freezing cold to launch a surprise attack on Hessian troops stationed in Trenton, New Jersey, on Christmas night in 1776. It was a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War, when the future of our fledgling nation was grim and unclear.
In the weeks leading up to that surprise attack, Washington and his men experienced a <a href="https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/fort-lee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">series of defeats</a> from the British in New York, forcing the Continental Army to retreat across New Jersey onto the shores of the Delaware River in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Continental Army was demoralized, greatly outnumbered by the British, and in desperate need of new enlistments.
In a letter to his brother written on<a href="https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-07-02-0299" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> December 18, 1776</a>, Washington described how the British “pushed us from place to place till we were obliged to cross the Delaware [into Pennsylvania] with less than 3,000 men fit for duty&#8221; and shared his fears of failure.
“If every nerve is not strained to recruit the New Army with all possible Expedition I think the game is pretty near up,” Washington wrote. “We are at present in a very disaffected part of the Provence, and between you and me I think our affairs are in a very bad way.”
The brutal cold of Pennsylvania&#8217;s winter was rolling in, and Washington’s men<a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/so-hard-a-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> lacked</a> food, shelter, and shoes. Washington and his army weren&#8217;t receiving needed support from “disaffected&#8221; locals who focused on their own lives and remained apathetic toward America’s campaign for independence.
“These people would yield to, but not rally to, whoever held power. They had no strong political attachments and preferred to go about their daily lives with as little disruption as possible,” describes Kimberly McCarty on the Washington Crossing Historic Park<a href="https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/how-did-bucks-county-feel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> website</a>.
<div id="attachment_1124299" style="width: 873px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124299" class="wp-image-1124299 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-863x576.jpg" alt="" width="863" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-863x576.jpg 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/DSC_9543-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" />Photo by Meg Brock</div>
The effort for independence needed a sizable morale boost if the nation was to survive. To garner support for the war effort and encourage the Continental Army,<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Paine" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Thomas Paine</a>, an English-American revolutionary writer, published the first pamphlet in a series called “<a href="https://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/war/text2/painecrisis1776.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The American Crisis</a>” on December 19, 1776.
“These are the times that try men&#8217;s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman,” Paine wrote. “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: It is dearness only that gives everything its value.”
Washington was so moved by Paine’s words that he had “The American Crisis”<a href="https://www.amrevmuseum.org/read-the-revolution/the-american-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> read</a> to his troops in Bucks County on December 24, 1776, as they prepared for the surprise attack on Trenton.
The next day, while others celebrated the merriment of Christmas, Washington gathered his army and began crossing the Delaware River during a harsh winter storm. Unlike the “disaffected,” these men were willing to put aside their own comfort, safety, and livelihoods to secure American independence. It took hours to get all of the soldiers across the ice-filled river before marching nine miles to Trenton in the early morning for a surprise attack.
<div id="attachment_1124301" style="width: 873px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124301" class="wp-image-1124301 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-863x576.jpg" alt="" width="863" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-863x576.jpg 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-6-of-8-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" />Photo by Meg Brock</div>
I grew up near Washington’s Crossing and have walked the<a href="https://www.wcpa-nj.com/continental" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> trails</a> on the Jersey side of the Delaware River that Washington and his men may have taken on their journey to Trenton. It&#8217;s hard to even imagine how uncomfortable, dangerous, and difficult that trek must have been during a winter storm without proper shoes or clothing.
Against all odds, Washington’s army had a miraculous victory in Trenton. It was a turning point in the war that changed the course of our nation.
​Washington’s Crossing became an iconic symbol of the American spirit when it was immortalized by the German-American painter<a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?artist=Emanuel+Leutze" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Emanuel Leutze</a>. Leutze’s painting of Washington and his men heroically weaving through chunks of ice to cross the Delaware River has been a fixture in popular culture for 175 years. The painting is currently hung at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but you don’t have to travel to New York City to see its likeness. It can be found on the back of a New Jersey State<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/quarter/50-state-quarters/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Quarter</a>, is featured in TV shows, and was recently<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSdKO4dD69D/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> recreated</a> by legendary Philadelphia baseball mascot the Philly Phanatic.
The huge chunks of ice have long been a controversial element of the painting, as some believe their addition was historically<a href="https://stories.state.gov/washington-crossing-the-delaware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> inaccurate</a>. However, chunks of ice have been seen floating along the Delaware River at least twice in the past decade. In 2018, I personally witnessed the<a href="https://newjersey.news12.com/chunks-of-ice-on-delaware-river-prompt-flood-warnings-37270364" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> boulders of ice</a> floating in the Delaware River when Southeastern Pennsylvania was caught up in a polar vortex. The ice returned to the<a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/shipment-salt-philly-stuck-delaware-river-ice/4345622/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Delaware River</a> in January 2026 during another deep freeze.
There are<a href="https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/winter-weather-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> firsthand accounts</a> that the Delaware River was filled with ice during Washington&#8217;s crossing, but we&#8217;ll never really know exactly what the Delaware River looked like that night. We do know that in the midst of harrowing circumstances, Washington and his men provided one of the greatest examples of grit and the American spirit our nation has seen.
Historians believe that no soldiers died the night of Washington’s crossing; all miraculously had safe passage across the Delaware River to New Jersey. But an unknown number of soldiers<a href="https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/park/soldiers-graves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> died</a> during the Continental Army’s Bucks County encampment from disease and previous injuries. A cemetery dedicated to these fallen soldiers is located four miles from Washington Crossing Historical Park.
<div id="attachment_1124303" style="width: 873px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1124303" class="wp-image-1124303 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-863x576.jpg" alt="" width="863" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-863x576.jpg 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/PA-8-of-9-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" />Photo by Meg Brock</div>
<div>
Their graves are a reminder that from our nation&#8217;s very beginning, our freedom has been secured through the extraordinary sacrifices of everyday people. We are forever in debt to those who put aside their own comforts and safety for the betterment of future generations.
If you’re ever in Philadelphia, take the 45-minute drive northeast to visit the site of Washington’s crossing. You no longer have to get into a boat to cross the Delaware; you can drive your car across on a metal bridge and view the old trees and grassy embankments that line the Delaware River. If you visit on Christmas Day, you can watch a group of local historians perform a reenactment of the crossing. It&#8217;s a peaceful, beautiful place, rich in history, that reminds us all that a few individuals with the courage of their convictions can change the course of history.
Benjamin Franklin famously warned America is “a Republic, if you can keep it.” Freedom is a fragile gift, and the apathy of the &#8220;disaffected&#8221; has always been its silent adversary.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, may we follow the example of liberty-loving patriots who’ve gone before us. May we commit ourselves to employing the gift of our citizenship and seek out opportunities to serve our families, communities, and country as we safeguard the integrity of our constitutional republic.
Future generations are counting on us. We can&#8217;t let them down.
</div>

Washington Crossing The Delaware by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze

George Washington’s Bravery Reminds Us America Is Worth Fighting For

America 250

Freedom

George Washington

Upstream

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
You’ve seen George Washington bravely crossing the Delaware, posing for a portrait as he stretches out his arm to welcome the future, and staring solemnly on the $1 bill. But one common — and contested — motif finds him doing something totally different: kneeling on the ground in prayer.
Arnold Friberg painted one such <a href="https://www.museumofthebible.org/prayer-valley-forge-fiftieth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">image</a>, “The Prayer at Valley Forge,” for America’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. Now at America’s 250th, it’s making critics furious.
“A scene inspired by the winter at Valley Forge has become more prominent in the Trump era, along with claims that the United States was founded as a Christian nation,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/arts/design/george-washington-praying-trump-right-wing.html?searchResultPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> the New York Times last month.
Thanks to President Donald Trump, a culture writer for the paper suggests, “the image of Washington at prayer, some scholars say, has gone from being a patriotic commonplace to a politically charged statement.”
“Conservative Christians love this painting of George Washington,” NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/05/27/nx-s1-5747094/church-and-state-george-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sneered</a> less than two weeks later. “The event it depicts may not have happened.”
There is no shortage of iconic paintings that depict historical moments merely imagined by the artist, though the idea that Washington might visibly pray for his army at a low point in the revolution is not so ridiculous.
Historian Thomas A. Tweed is <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2025/07/01/did-washington-kneel-in-prayer-at-valley-forge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doubtful</a>, though he concedes that this particular mythos does match the man Washington was.
“Parson Weems, Washington’s early biographer, concocted that story — as well as the yarn about George and the cherry tree — to establish the moral character and personal piety of the first president and, thereby, advance a particular view of national belonging and church-state relations,” Tweed wrote. “There is some truth in the claim, and in the images. Washington did pray, though perhaps not the way Weems described, and he did attend church services, though not on Communion Sunday. Washington was not a conventional Christian, but he also wasn’t a church-hating atheist.”
Notably, NPR’s report repeated the first half of that quote, but not the second.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” —George Washington, 1789 <a href="https://t.co/i4i9HLJvfk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/i4i9HLJvfk</a>
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) <a href="https://x.com/USDOL/status/2005005413805162993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js"></script>
Casting doubt on the validity of the image of Washington in prayer has become something of an elite pastime. In this context, a new play at the Museum of the Bible becomes even more powerful.
Running through Friday, the one-man play “A General’s Prayer” finds George Washington alone at camp in Valley Forge, poring over a package of letters and keepsakes from his wife, Martha, and debating how to implore Congress for more funds for his sick and half-clothed troops. Played by James Denton of “Desperate Housewives” fame, Washington is verbally processing his legacy in this war, his responsibility to his troops, and his relationship to the divine — all while speaking directly to the audience, whom he calls “my anonymous confessors.”
The 70-minute play is punctuated by Washington’s self-deprecating humor; “I do wonder if history might mostly paint me as a man who stands upright in boats,” he muses. This Washington is not the legend of history books. He’s vulnerable, approachable, a man who stands amid a snowy encampment mourning his comrades and recalling his near-death experience in battle as he asks, “For what had I been saved?”
The name of the play may set off Christian nationalism alarm bells for those who always hope to hear them, but the play’s primary focus is not so much the general’s faith as it is his struggle to wrangle his passions, guide his troops, and be seen as a man who, though he didn’t feel so himself, was stoic in the face of tragedy.
<div id="attachment_1117863" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1117863" class="size-medium wp-image-1117863" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/James-Denton_A-Generals-Prayer-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Museum of the Bible</div>
Near the end of the play, Washington pauses stage right for a silent prayer, posing as he appears in the much-maligned paintings. When he returns, he says a prayer for the nation and appeals to the audience to remember and protect our founding ideals.
In a discussion at the end of opening night, playwright Dean Batali told the audience that the owners of Friberg’s painting, First Freedom Art Company, commissioned him to create a play about it.
“I just didn&#8217;t want to do, necessarily, a flag-waving, simple play,” he said. “And I certainly didn&#8217;t want to do a whole play about a guy just praying. So I tried to make it about the struggle that maybe is relatable to all of us, and what it takes to bring us to our knees.”
His goal, he added, was “also to talk about the country in a way that wasn&#8217;t just making us proud of ourselves just for the sake of being proud,” but suggesting that “maybe we have something to live up to.”
This used to be the kind of thing we could all support. The image of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge may not be literally accurate, but the legend is true in spirit, an interpretation legacy media outlets would also like to debunk if they could. The idea that our Founding Fathers looked to a higher power for guidance, and that we would serve our country well by doing the same today, may not seem like a radical one. But to today&#8217;s critics, “A General’s Prayer” may be more transgressive than anything running on Broadway.

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The following excerpt is taken from the new book &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Butler-Untold-Assassination-Americas-Heartland/dp/1546009140/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38ZQJ31BTXE78&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yBjqsViUcuzSmJ0JQfFO_9pbEehSi-8OfBIfkv9uv-Eg2YesGVnshEb31LRcm_VyNV90yUlv9buV5-Eg4h3ANjvLeboA5BuUjGHF1yBXHxfXZoSn8Vchp7NkJJKFCPPN0JdICFPkw8GWPPCc2BBMMPqe_qSkBWh_hh_CkKUxGhVJA_Ayn3SjyWBemTcvmDq42l4iaEdSi5Ih0Lab_rtq0w.UQCO-toWBwgEMYzS_IK8UvoFWqL6oOP4CgnKEYfwSsE&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=salena+zito+butler&amp;qid=1751464363&amp;sprefix=salena+zito+butle%2Caps%2C170&amp;sr=8-1">Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America&#8217;s Heartland,&#8221;</a> by Salena Zito (July 2025, Center Street/Hachette Book Group)
* * *
<h3>They Shoot Presidents in Butler</h3>
George Washington was less than pleased.
It was December 26, 1753, well past dusk and the temperature had dropped dramatically as darkness fell. Thanks to the drop in temperature, the mix of sleet and snow would make travel perilous in the deeply forested wilderness of what is now present-day Butler County.
But Washington and his guide Christopher Gist were left with little choice; they had to move, and move quickly.
They needed to make their way to the forks of the Ohio River. Days later, Washington, then a young major in the Virginia militia, would write in his journal that fear coursed through his veins and spurred the urgency of their flight after he was nearly killed by an assassin’s bullet that whizzed past his ear just hours earlier.
Both he and Gist knew his assassin would be back to finish the job.
<div id="attachment_942151" style="width: 417px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/salena-zito/butler/9781668649909/?lens=center-street"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-942151" class="wp-image-942151 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-407x576.jpg" alt="Cover credit: Center Street/Hachette Book Group" width="407" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-407x576.jpg 407w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-768x1086.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/MixCollage-02-Jul-2025-09-02-AM-8755-scaled.jpg 1810w" sizes=" (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" /></a>Cover credit: Center Street/Hachette Book Group</div>
At twenty-one years old, Washington was on his first diplomatic mission, with direct orders from the Crown tucked in his saddlebag to basically tell the French to get off King George II’s land or face war with England.
In 1753, the British and French Empires were in the early stages of clashing over their colonial possessions. Britain’s North American colonies were mostly packed along the Atlantic coastline and then moved westward toward the Allegheny Mountains.
France’s colonial holdings were in the center spine of the country that began in New Orleans and ran up along the Mississippi River into the Great Lakes region toward the St. Lawrence River. Both empires claimed control of the vast expanse of what was then known as the Ohio Country, which began in present-day western Pennsylvania and West Virginia and spread due west across the states of Ohio and Indiana.
Washington was at the center of that clash of royal aspirations, which were largely spurred by greed in the form of an immense royal grant to the Ohio Company, whose largest investor was Robert Dinwiddie, Virginia’s royal (lieutenant) governor and the man who sent Washington on the mission.
The young Virginian’s destination was Fort Le Boeuf, just fifteen miles south of Lake Erie. In Washington’s possession was a note from London, signed by King George II, that read: “If the French were found to be building forts on English soil, they should be peacefully asked to depart. If they failed to comply, however, we do hereby strictly charge and command you to drive them off by force of arms.”
The trip from Virginia had been a daunting 250 miles of untouched wilderness. It involved scaling high ice-crusted ridges, slogging through thick brush, swamps, and dense forests with mounds of heavy snow, and navigating icy waterways. The journey was as difficult as one could imagine, not just because of the terrain but also because of a weather system that had pummeled Washington and Gist the entire way.
Washington arrived at Fort Le Boeuf on December 11. The fort system was rudimentary at best, made of scrap bark and planks and consisting of four buildings. The young soldier and French commander Capt. Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre had a cordial, diplomatic conversation despite Washington’s delivery of the Crown’s demand that the French vacate the Ohio Valley immediately.
Saint-Pierre made clear that he was not intimidated by the British and retained every right to arrest their traders who were poaching on French territory. “As to the summons you sent me to retire, I do not think myself obliged to obey it.”
Four days later, Saint-Pierre handed Washington a sealed message for Dinwiddie. It was then that Washington discovered that, although Saint-Pierre had filled Washington’s canoe with a generous amount of supplies for the journey home, the French commander had also bribed Washington’s Indian guides with food and drink to stay behind.
Washington was furious. He had not only been deceived by Saint-Pierre; he had also observed enough during his four-day wait for the commander to respond to Dinwiddie to know that France was building a large-scale fort system throughout the disputed territory. He also observed that they were building a formidable military operation, which was prepared to defend the land the French would take over.
Washington and Gist set off, anxious to deliver the news to Dinwiddie. However, their horses were so debilitated by the journey to Fort Le Boeuf that the men had to abandon them and continue on foot.
On the journey toward the outpost known as Murdering Town (in present-day Butler), they were heavily burdened by their backpacks. Along the way, they encountered several French Indians who quickly — probably too quickly, in hindsight — offered to help get them to the forks of the Ohio River. The battering snow and sleet, freezing cold, and rough terrain had worn Washington down, and when one of the Indian guides offered to carry his backpack, he took him up on it.
Gist, a skilled surveyor and frontier guide, immediately sensed something was off about the situation. He wasn’t wrong. As soon as the group came to a clearing, one of the Indians sprinted ahead of them into a meadow and then turned to face the two men before firing point-blank at Washington from fifteen paces.
The exact amount by which the French-aligned Indian missed Washington is unclear. Washington’s diary entry is vague, but the intent was obvious. The Indian guide wanted the young Virginian dead.
If muskets had contained rifling — grooves inside the barrel to make a bullet travel more accurately — 270 years ago, everything in the world would have changed at that moment.
There would have been no skirmish several months later in present-day Fayette County, Pennsylvania, between Washington’s regiment and French soldiers — a skirmish that led to the first shots fired in what would quickly escalate into the French and Indian War. It was a war that ultimately led to the Revolutionary War, when the British Crown tried to tax the colonists to pay for debt incurred during the first true world war.
There would have been no General Washington, no President Washington, and we might not have the country we call America today if that bullet had been only an inch closer.
* * *
Salena Zito is a veteran political reporter with more than twenty years of award-winning experience in print and broadcast journalism. With her trusty Jeeps that have clocked well over 400,000 miles on their odometers and a refusal to travel on interstates, Zito is a reporter who harkens to an older generation of journalism, one who listens to the stories of everyday Americans in places far outside the artificial bubbles of Manhattan and the Beltway. One of the last scribes of middle America, she famously popularized the root cause of their failed coverage and underestimation of Donald Trump by the phrase coined by Brad Todd saying, “The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.” Zito is a national political reporter for the Washington Examiner, and a special contributor to the Washington Post. She has been a columnist for the New York Post and has contributed to The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Excerpted from &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Butler-Untold-Assassination-Americas-Heartland/dp/1546009140/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38ZQJ31BTXE78&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yBjqsViUcuzSmJ0JQfFO_9pbEehSi-8OfBIfkv9uv-Eg2YesGVnshEb31LRcm_VyNV90yUlv9buV5-Eg4h3ANjvLeboA5BuUjGHF1yBXHxfXZoSn8Vchp7NkJJKFCPPN0JdICFPkw8GWPPCc2BBMMPqe_qSkBWh_hh_CkKUxGhVJA_Ayn3SjyWBemTcvmDq42l4iaEdSi5Ih0Lab_rtq0w.UQCO-toWBwgEMYzS_IK8UvoFWqL6oOP4CgnKEYfwSsE&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=salena+zito+butler&amp;qid=1751464363&amp;sprefix=salena+zito+butle%2Caps%2C170&amp;sr=8-1">Butler,</a>&#8221; by Salena Zito. (Copyright 2025) Used with permission from Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA – July 13: Former president Donald Trump r

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WASHINGTON — The former director of the National Portrait Gallery, who has been removed from her job, openly pushed diversity, equity, and inclusion from her position as head of a top United States museum.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Kim Sajet was removed from her position, accusing Sajet of being &#8220;a highly partisan person&#8221; and &#8220;a strong supporter of DEI.&#8221;
&#8220;Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
Sajet, a <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Kim%20Sajet">long time Democrat donor</a>, has served since 2013 as the director of the Smithsonian&#8217;s National Portrait Gallery, which contains 1,700 portraits of United States presidents and is located less than a mile away from the White House itself. A review of her <a href="https://www.kimsajet.com/post/atlantic-festival-race-justice-summit-jill-lepore">remarks to media</a> show that she was heavily focused on promoting and highlighting art based on ideology.
&#8220;Are the categories sexist, ableist, racist?&#8221; Sajet <a href="https://archive.ph/MfPtK#selection-1417.0-1421.162">said in one Washington Post interview</a> as she discussed the National Portrait Gallery&#8217;s &#8220;language justice.&#8221; &#8220;How can we be respectful of communities that have been hurt and continue to be hurt? How do we be inclusive?&#8221;
Her LinkedIn profile described the National Portrait Gallery as &#8220;not just a place to see famous Americans,&#8221; but a place that &#8220;explores identity as a social construct that has been shaped in equal measure by opportunity &amp; ability, prejudice &amp; fear, by taking a cross-disciplinary approach.&#8221;
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She was also in charge of the gallery&#8217;s &#8220;America&#8217;s Presidents&#8221; exhibit with labels summing up each man in about 140 words. She told the Guardian in late 2024 that &#8220;we try very much not to editorialise,&#8221; claiming, &#8220;I don’t want by reading the label to get a sense of what the curator’s opinion is about that person. I want someone reading the label to understand that it’s based on historical fact.”
Yet the caption under Trump&#8217;s photo reads, in part: “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”
<div id="attachment_927493" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-fires-highly-partisan-director-of-national-portrait-gallery-who-pushed-dei/trumpportrait" rel="attachment wp-att-927493"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-927493" class="wp-image-927493 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
Sajet&#8217;s firing comes after Trump&#8217;s executive order &#8220;Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,&#8221; a March 27 order that promised to &#8220;restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness –- igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans.&#8221;
&#8220;Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,&#8221; the order stated. &#8220;This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.&#8221;
Sajet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kim Sajet is Director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. For the Museum Issue

Trump Fires ‘Highly Partisan’ Director of National Portrait Gallery Who Pushed DEI

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Democrat legislators in Washington state have mounted a movement to remove George Washington’s face from the state flag.
The image of George Washington on the state flag comes from the state seal, designed in 1889 when the Evergreen State achieved statehood. Washington state law <a href="https://www.sos.wa.gov/washington-state-flag#history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declares</a>, “The official flag of the state of Washington shall be of dark green silk or bunting and shall bear in its center a reproduction of the seal of the state of Washington embroidered, printed, painted or stamped thereon.” The flag was officially adopted on March 5, 1923.
Washington state was named after George Washington and is the only state named after a president.
State Reps. Strom Peterson, Julia Reed, and Greg Nance introduced House Bill 1938, which states, “While George Washington is an important national figure, he has limited historical connection to the state itself. This makes his image less meaningful as a symbol for the state.”
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“If House Bill 1938 is enacted, the Washington State Flag Redesign Committee will work toward adopting a new design by July 1, 2028. The proposed design will then be submitted to voters for approval in a general election, ensuring that any change to the state flag reflects the will of Washington’s citizens,” My Northwest <a href="//8774653B-2CBA-42B7-A94F-69896A4B2E1B/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
A Washington blogger who is supposed to testify in favor of changing the flag authored a <a href="https://olympiatime.com/2025/02/15/the-washington-state-flag-is-deeply-and-historically-bad-and-we-should-change-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog</a> titled, “The Washington State flag is deeply and historically bad and we should change it.” “Washington’s flag is uninspired. It was not the result of a broad public process but rather something we arrived at late, 34 years after statehood,” he wrote. “While the name honors a national figure, its origins reflect a moment when the voices of the people living in the region were overlooked. I’m not saying we need to go as far as changing the state’s name (that would be crazy! looks around), but we don’t need to underline it with a state flag.”
<h1></h1>

Washington State Flag

Washington State Dems Want To Remove George Washington’s Image From State Flag

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When American families celebrate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/thanksgiving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thanksgiving</a>, many hearken back to the Pilgrims — who braved a brutal first year at Plymouth Bay Colony and then, after a bountiful harvest, stopped everything to give thanks to God.
For years after that, many remembered those first difficult days in a new land and the years of plenty that followed — and also thanked God for rewarding their labor. But it was not until 1789, when that new land had a name and a new leader, that Thanksgiving officially became an American holiday.
Daily Wire editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro shared the decree, issued by President George Washington, in a post on X along with his own caption: &#8220;Happy Thanksgiving — and, of course, thanks to God for His blessings on the greatest nation in the history of the planet.&#8221;
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Happy Thanksgiving &#8212; and, of course, thanks to God for His blessings on the greatest nation in the history of the planet.
&quot;Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to…
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1862012800572285337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness,&#8221; Washington wrote.
The first part of Washington&#8217;s decree focused on the things for which his young nation should be thankful — beginning with the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War and the peaceful implementation of a new form of government under the U.S. Constitution, which would complete the ratification process the following year.
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&#8220;Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks — for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation — for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war — for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed — for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.&#8221;
Washington went on to lay out that which he believed the American people should be praying for, beginning with forgiveness for &#8220;our national and other transgressions&#8221; and extending to continued safety and prosperity, not only for the newly-formed United States, but for &#8220;all Sovereigns and Nations.&#8221;
&#8220;And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions — to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually — to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed — to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord — To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us — and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.&#8221;
The official date for the Thanksgiving holiday changed from year to year until President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, designated the last Thursday in November to be the permanent day of celebration. Only one president since — Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939 — has deviated from that schedule, opting to move the holiday from November 30 to November 23 in order to extend the Christmas shopping season.

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READ IT: George Washington’s Decree That Made Thanksgiving A National Holiday

READ IT: George Washington's Decree That Made Thanksgiving A National Holiday

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Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced a statue of George Washington on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
The statue was draped with a Palestinian flag and covered in stickers, and a black and white scarf was wrapped around its neck.
The stickers read, “End the Genocide Free Palestine,” “The Students United Will Never Be Divided,” and “Anti-Fascist Action.” The statue&#8217;s face is covered by a pink sticker reading, “Rise Love Resist.”
&#8220;Genocidal Warmongering University,&#8221; was spray-painted on the base of the statue.
A second George Washington statue depicting the president riding a horse also appears to have been defaced during the protests.
&#8220;Free Gaza&#8221; was spray-painted on the base along with, &#8220;DC stands for liberation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Protesters have draped a Palestinian flag around a statue of George Washington on the GWU campus in DC.
“Genocidal Warmongering University” is written in paint on the base of the statue. <a href="https://t.co/ks3H9HuRZl">pic.twitter.com/ks3H9HuRZl</a>
&mdash; Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virginia_Allen5/status/1785000867294261751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Sent from <a href="https://twitter.com/GWtweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GWtweets</a>: Protesters have defaced the statue of George Washington at the edge of campus. <a href="https://t.co/tWW2LDJ8Py">pic.twitter.com/tWW2LDJ8Py</a>
&mdash; Zach Kessel (@zach_kessel) <a href="https://twitter.com/zach_kessel/status/1784615007080100068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The pro-Palestinian protests began on Thursday and stretched into their sixth day on Tuesday.
Protesters have set up an encampment on the lawn of the university where the statue is located. The demonstrators pitched dozens of tents including food and medical tents. They also knocked down metal barricades put up by police and threw them into a large pile, sticking signs and Palestinian flags on top.
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👀A quick tour of the pro-Palestine encampment on the campus of George Washington University in D.C. <a href="https://t.co/rHrj1j5AG1">pic.twitter.com/rHrj1j5AG1</a>
&mdash; Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virginia_Allen5/status/1784999576790880435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This group of approximately 200 protesters from across the DMV, including professional organizers, activists, and university students, have joined the unauthorized encampment on our campus,&#8221; George Washington University <a href="https://www.fox5dc.com/news/gwu-protest-organizers-vow-to-stay-on-campus-until-demands-are-met" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sunday in a statement.
&#8220;This is an egregious violation of community trust and goes far beyond the boundaries of free expression and the right to protest. The university will use every avenue available to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions,&#8221; the university said.
Final exams begin next week for the university, and graduation is scheduled for May 19.
Anti-Israel protests have roiled college campuses across the country over the last two weeks. In many cases, the protesters are calling on the schools to divest from investments that support Israel.
The protesters at George Washington University are also <a href="https://wtop.com/dc/2024/04/gw-university-enters-sixth-day-of-israel-hamas-war-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding</a> the school lift a suspension against a pro-Palestinian student group.
Dozens of protesters have been arrested across multiple campuses, including at Northeastern University in Boston, Emerson College in Boston, Emory University in Atlanta, Virginia Tech University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Mary Washington in Virginia.
The protests have been particularly tumultuous at Columbia University in New York City, although the tensions have been more between the students and Columbia&#8217;s administration.
Protesters at Columbia took over a building on Tuesday morning, prompting school administrators to threaten to expel them.

Palestinian flag and Keffiye are wrapped around the statue

George Washington Statue Defaced By GWU’s Pro-Palestinian Protesters

George Washington Statue Defaced By GWU's Pro-Palestinian Protesters

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Over the years, the United States has produced many remarkable generals and admirals, but only a few have stood out as world-class strategists and leaders of troops. As Veterans Day approaches on November 11, let’s remember and celebrate them. Here is my list of America’s finest 11 commanders.
<h2>George Washington 1732 &#8211; 1799, (Revolutionary War)</h2>
At Washington’s funeral in 1799, “Lighthorse Harry” Lee famously said of his beloved commander that he was “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” As our new nation’s “indispensable man” one simply cannot imagine the American victory over the British, and thus gaining her independence, without the towering figure of George Washington as leader of the Continental Army and the face of the rebellion.
<div id="attachment_651877" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651877" class="size-large wp-image-651877" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-474x576.jpg" alt="Digitally restored vector painting of General George Washington. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army against the British Empire and the first President of the United States. John Parrot/Stocktrek Images. Getty Images." width="474" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-474x576.jpg 474w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-247x300.jpg 247w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-768x934.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-1263x1536.jpg 1263w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-1684x2048.jpg 1684w" sizes=" (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px" />John Parrot/Stocktrek Images. Getty Images.</div>
Unlike Lee, MacArthur or Jackson, Washington’s skills were not those of a tactician. There are no masterpieces of the military arts comparable to Chancellorsville or Inchon in Washington’s repertoire. Indeed, few great generals have actually lost more pitched battles than did His Excellency. In 1776, he was out-maneuvered and almost trapped during the Battle of Long Island. Then, after an American mini-Dunkirk to ferry men across the East River while the British slept, he was repeatedly pushed up and then off of Manhattan Island.
He allowed the losses of Forts Washington and Lee, and watched helplessly as 2,800 of his men were taken prisoner. He then retreated across New Jersey with his disintegrating rag-tag army wherein he hatched a desperate Hail Mary plan to save the flagging rebellion. In trying to protect the capital of Philadelphia from the invading British the following year, he suffered back-to-back defeats at Brandywine Creek (September 1777) and then Germantown (October 1777), allowing the King’s soldiers to march into America’s largest city. In fact, he really only decisively won two outright battles: Trenton in 1776 and then Yorktown in 1781. Monmouth in 1778, was technically a draw, even as the Continentals got the upper hand in the fight.
So, if not for tactical brilliance, what made Washington so indispensable?
One would have to look into the character of the man. He was not just the right man at the right time; he was the only man at the right time. And he was absolutely committed to his cause, even though as one of the wealthiest colonists he stood to lose his fortune, even his life, should the revolution fail.
<div id="attachment_651891" style="width: 785px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651891" class="size-large wp-image-651891" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-775x576.jpg" alt="Old engraved illustration of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War in 1776." width="775" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-775x576.jpg 775w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-300x223.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-768x571.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-1536x1142.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-2048x1523.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px" />Old engraved illustration of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War in 1776. Getty Images.</div>
The war lasted an exhausting eight years. And in that time, through seemingly one crisis upon another, Washington through sheer force of will and displays of leadership managed to keep his often ill-clothed, sick, and starved army functioning, and thus keep the cause alive. And though at times he privately despaired about his situation, he never showed this side to his men. In fact, when planning his most desperate attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton in December 1776, he privately worried that should the attack fail “the game is pretty well up.” The password was “Victory or Death.” It was victory. And through successes in New Jersey at the end of 1776 into the first week of 1777, Washington showed an uncanny ability to revitalize his army, his officers, and the country when it was needed most. His victory at Trenton could be the most important in U.S. history. Indeed, it has been said that never in history has such a small group of men in such a short window of time engaged in fighting that has so changed the course of the world. And that victory would simply not have been possible, or even conceivable, without Washington.
<div id="attachment_651893" style="width: 809px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651893" class="size-large wp-image-651893" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-799x576.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-799x576.jpg 799w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-300x216.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-768x554.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-1536x1108.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-2048x1477.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px" />George Washington on horseback looking back at troops crossing the Delaware River on the evening previous to the Battle of Trenton, December 25th, 1776.</div>
Washington’s growth from an inexperienced former colonel of colonial militia to a formidable leader of a disciplined and formidable army is evident. By 1780, he was conducting a continental war. His skill at picking the right men under him, often from unlikely stock, be they a Massachusetts bookseller in Henry Knox or Rhode Island Quaker mill owner in Nathanael Greene, showed a valuable willingness to shed military convention and bias towards professional soldiers in cobbling together such a unique fighting force. His choice of Greene to lead the Southern District of the Continental Army was perhaps one of his most important and inspired of the war given the results that led to Yorktown.
<div id="attachment_651885" style="width: 693px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651885" class="size-large wp-image-651885" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-683x576.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-683x576.jpg 683w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-300x253.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-768x647.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-1536x1295.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-2048x1726.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />Painting of Siege of Yorktown by Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder</div>
Washington was also flexible enough to listen to counsel. By 1781 he’d become fixated with retaking New York, but when the chance to bag Cornwallis’ entire army at Yorktown in conjunction with the soon-to-arrive French Fleet arose, he wisely took his French counterpart Rochambeau’s advice and abandoned his plans to retake city and march his entire army south. The rest, as they say, is history.
<div id="attachment_651899" style="width: 815px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651899" class="wp-image-651899 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-805x576.jpg" alt="Old engraved illustration of Surrender of Charles Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown.mikroman6. Getty Images." width="805" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-805x576.jpg 805w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-300x215.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-768x550.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-1536x1099.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-2048x1466.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 805px) 100vw, 805px" />Old engraved illustration of Surrender of Charles Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown. mikroman6. Getty Images.</div>
Washington is known as the “father of the country” but he is also the father of the U.S. Military that arose out of the nascent Continental Army. Commanding men from all over the nation and bridging sectional/cultural divides as well as anyone from the Virginia planter elite could, that he simply managed to keep his unique army together for so long, through so much hell and turmoil and struggles and seemingly hopeless situations, is a feat beyond all but the greatest of men. His troops, in the end, fought for him as well as the cause. And he, in turn, fought not for himself, but for his country, one he’d hoped would be better for those men in the ranks than the one they’d left behind.
As is a common theme of this series, Washington led from the front, often dangerously so.
At the battle of Princeton in January 1777, Washington rallied his men by conspicuously riding his white charger down the lines between his own and the British. When the redcoats, just 30 yards away, leveled their muskets and fired a volley, one of the general’s aides confessed he averted his eyes to not see Washington fall. But his 6’2” commander, who would often confess that he was actually exhilarated by the whizzing of deadly bullets around him, remained astride his horse as he would for the entire long, bloody, and seemingly endless war, until the final triumph at Yorktown ensured American independence. Because he never gave up. And because of this one man more than any other storied figure of the American Revolution, a most improbable victory was won, and a new country was born.
Of all the remarkable feats of arms I have listed here, however, none of them are as impressive and as important as what Washington did after the guns fell silent. On 23 December, 1783, to the shock of rulers the world over, this man who had been given almost unlimited power during the war, and who with a loyal army of veteran troops behind him could have installed himself as King of America, resigned his commission and turned command of the Continental Army back over to the civilians in Congress.
<div id="attachment_651903" style="width: 791px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651903" class="wp-image-651903 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-781x576.jpg" alt="Vintage illustration depicts General George Washington leaving Whitehall Ferry on December 4, 1783, to the cheers and waves of his officers. Earlier that day, Washington left his fellow generals, Knox, Steuben, Greene, and then-Colonel Hamilton, at New York's famed Francis Tavern where he informed them that he will be resigning his commission and returning to civilian life. However, in 1789, Washington was coaxed out of retirement and elected as the first president of the United States, a position he held until 1797. Keith Lance. Getty Images." width="781" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-781x576.jpg 781w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-300x221.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-768x566.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-1536x1133.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-2048x1511.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px" />General George Washington leaving Whitehall Ferry on December 4, 1783, to the cheers and waves of his officers. Earlier that day, Washington left his fellow generals, Knox, Steuben, Greene, and then-Colonel Hamilton, at New York&#8217;s famed Francis Tavern where he informed them that he will be resigning his commission and returning to civilian life. Keith Lance. Getty Images.</div>
Washington, therefore, established the most important military tradition of all and a bedrock concept of the Republic adhered to by his successors ever since, that is the firm control of the civilian authorities over the military. Supposedly, King George III was incredulous when hearing from a portrait artist that Washington would resign his commission after the war, offering: “If he really does it he’ll be the greatest man in the world.”
He really did it. And he really was.
<div id="attachment_651907" style="width: 469px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651907" class="wp-image-651907 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-459x576.jpg" alt="Portrait of George Washington, first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797" width="459" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-459x576.jpg 459w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-239x300.jpg 239w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-768x964.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-1224x1536.jpg 1224w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-1632x2048.jpg 1632w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-scaled.jpg 2040w" sizes=" (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" />Portrait of George Washington, first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. mikroman6. Getty Images.</div>
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America’s Top 11 Generals
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-11-curtis-e-lemay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #11 Curtis E. LeMay</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-10-matthew-ridgway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #10 Matthew Ridgway</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-9-nathanael-greene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #9 Nathanael Greene</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-8-george-patton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #8 George Patton</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-7-robert-e-lee">RELATED: #7 Robert E. Lee</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-6-admiral-chester-nimitz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #6 Admiral Chester Nimitz</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-5-thomas-stonewall-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #5 Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-4-william-t-sherman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #4 William T. Sherman</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-3-ulysses-s-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #3 Ulysses S. Grant</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-2-douglas-macarthur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #2 Douglas MacArthur</a>
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Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, columnist, and author of two acclaimed novels. His newest book, the fact-based <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Pits-Rough-Tumble-Exchange/dp/B0CKPNCMQW/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1331509151681009&amp;hvadid=83219665089301&amp;hvbmt=bp&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=97755&amp;hvnetw=o&amp;hvqmt=p&amp;hvtargid=kwd-83219680392082%3Aloc-190&amp;hydadcr=18892_13467888&amp;keywords=brad+schaeffer&amp;qid=1698162015&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LIFE IN THE PITS: My Time as a Trader on the Rough-and-Tumble Exchange Floors</a> will be published in December and is currently available for pre-order. You can also find more of Brad’s articles on <a href="https://bradschaeffer.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Substack</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Digitally restored vector painting of General George Washington. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army against the British Empire and the first President of the United States.

America’s Top 11 Generals: #1 George Washington

America's Top 11 Generals: #1 George Washington

American General

Revolutionary War

U.S. Army

U.S. Military

Over the years, the United States has produced many remarkable generals and admirals, but only a few have stood out as world-class strategists and leaders of troops. As Veterans Day approaches on November 11, let’s remember and celebrate them. Here is my list of America’s finest 11 commanders.
<h2>Nathanael Greene, 1742 &#8211; 1786 (Revolutionary War)</h2>
A Rhode Island foundry-owner by trade, Nathanael Greene was emblematic of the citizen-soldier. At age 33, he was the youngest general in the fledgling Continental Army; unlike his peers, the Quaker Greene had had no military experience prior to his arrival with his Rhode Islanders in the burgeoning Patriot camp outside Boston in 1775. His knowledge of military dicta came almost entirely from books. 
<div id="attachment_647043" style="width: 451px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647043" class="size-large wp-image-647043" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-441x576.jpg" alt="Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 - 1786) of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1775. From an original by Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)" width="441" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-441x576.jpg 441w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-768x1003.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1.jpg 784w" sizes=" (max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px" />Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 &#8211; 1786) of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1775. From an original by Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)</div>
Indeed, Greene had little formal education of any kind, given his Quaker father’s “prejudices against literary accomplishments.” So, he educated himself. Still, he would confess, “I lament the want of a liberal education. I feel the mist [of] ignorance to surround me.” But this was no impediment to the resourceful Greene. With his intuitive understanding of military matters and protocols, including the importance of discipline and drilling as well as proper hygiene in the field, something much overlooked in Washington’s army when it first formed, Greene’s troops stood out as among the most reliable and professional in the still rag-tag Continental Army. Washington identified Greene right away as “an object of confidence.” 
<div id="attachment_647047" style="width: 755px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647047" class="size-large wp-image-647047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-745x576.jpg" alt="Engraved scene depicting George Washington contemplating in from of a fireplace, watched by General Nathanael Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1780. Engraved by H B Hall. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)" width="745" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-745x576.jpg 745w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-300x232.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-768x594.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px" />Engraved scene depicting George Washington contemplating in front of a fireplace, watched by General Nathanael Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1780. Engraved by H B Hall. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)</div>
It was, therefore, the steadfast Greene whom Washington turned to both for counsel as well as holding the line at particularly difficult places. It was Greene’s stout fighters who held off British bayonets to cover the Continentals’ retreat from the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, preventing a withdrawal from degenerating into a rout. A selfless patriot, Greene also reluctantly served as Washington’s quartermaster, a role as vital to keeping any army in fighting condition as field drills. His capacity for organization and attending to detail he learned from business served the country well. There was little the enterprising and energetic Greene could not accomplish. Washington so respected the Rhode Islander that he made it known that should he fall, Greene was to take command of the Continental Army.
Greene’s true military talents blossomed when he took command of the southern detachment of the Continental Army during the campaign of 1780-1781. Sent by Washington to give teeth to the flagging southern cause (Charleston had been captured in May 1780 along with its 5,500 patriot defenders), the wily Greene led the aggressive British Lord Cornwallis, Banaster Tarleton and others on a wild chase through the Carolinas and southern Virginia. Defying military convention, Greene often split his forces to stay ahead of the pursuing British. When he did stand and fight, even if eventually ceding the field as at Guilford Courthouse in March 1781, Greene’s army nonetheless often inflicted higher casualties on the British, draining their strength and morale in pyrrhic victories. “We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again” was Greene’s mantra. 
<div id="attachment_647039" style="width: 761px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647039" class="size-large wp-image-647039" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-751x576.jpg" alt="Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 - 1786) of the Continental Army receives unexpected funds from innkeeper Elizabeth Maxwell Steele at her tavern in Salisbury, North Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War, 2nd February 1781. Engraved by J. B. Hall after a painting by Alonzo Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)" width="751" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-751x576.jpg 751w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-300x230.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-768x589.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px" />Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 &#8211; 1786) of the Continental Army receives unexpected funds from innkeeper Elizabeth Maxwell Steele at her tavern in Salisbury, North Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War, 2nd February 1781. Engraved by J. B. Hall after a painting by Alonzo Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)</div>
Understanding that he was fighting a hybrid conventional and guerilla campaign, Greene managed to integrate his Continentals with local militia to create a cohesive fighting force that kept Cornwallis off balance —giving local commanders like Lafayette and Dan Morgan much latitude while offering advice without direct interference — and eventually compelled the British general to remove his army to Yorktown, Virginia —where it met its ultimate destruction. By the time Greene’s operations in the South were completed, the British, who once held deep tracts of territory, had been reduced to a scattering of coastal toeholds. 
Says historian Russell Weigley of Greene’s campaign in the South: &#8220;Greene&#8217;s outstanding characteristic as a strategist was his ability to weave the maraudings of partisan raiders into a coherent pattern, coordinating them with the maneuvers of a field army otherwise too weak to accomplish much, and making the combination a deadly one&#8230;. [He] remains alone as an American master developing a strategy of unconventional war.”
After Yorktown, Greene struggled to finance the southern army under his command. By the war’s official end in 1783 he’d incurred heavy debts to personally pay for his men’s provisions and equipment. As with Washington, Greene resigned his commission and set about rebuilding his lost fortune. Debts prompted him to leave Newport and re-establish himself in Georgia on a plantation outside Savannah that had been granted him by a grateful government. The northern Greene succumbed to heat stroke and died at age 43.
Nathanael Greene was by no means infallible. He was the one most responsible for persuading Washington to try and hold the Hudson River Forts Washington and Lee, only to see the entire garrison, some 3,000 men who were invaluable to the rapidly dwindling Continental Army, surrender and be marched off into captivity. 
While lamenting the fate of his soldiers languishing in the sweltering holds of disease-ridden prison ships anchored in the Hudson, Washington agonized over the loss. 
Yet, Washington never lost confidence in his most talented subordinate whose fierce desire to close with the enemy belied his Quaker roots. Greene rewarded Washington’s continued trust in the subsequent years, becoming one of the United States’ great generals. Defense analyst Robert Killebrew calls Greene “The second-best American general of the Revolutionary War” behind Washington himself.
<div id="attachment_647037" style="width: 887px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647037" class="size-large wp-image-647037" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-877x576.jpg" alt="Cancelled Stamp From The United States Featuring George Washington And Nathanael Greene Along With Mount Vernon. Getty Images." width="877" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-877x576.jpg 877w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-300x197.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-768x504.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-1536x1009.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-2048x1345.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 877px) 100vw, 877px" />Cancelled Stamp From The United States Featuring George Washington And Nathanael Greene Along With Mount Vernon. Getty Images.</div>
Although Greene was known for his robust physique, a childhood accident left him with a stiff right leg and a limp. But that did not impede the indefatigable Greene. When a dancing partner once complained that he danced stiffly due to his old injury, Greene confidently replied: “Very true, but you see I dance strong.” It is hard for a man like that to not succeed. And fortunately for the Revolution, Greene turned out to be just the man Washington needed to help bring about victory and, just as important during some very desperate days, stave off defeat.
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<h4>America’s Top 11 Generals</h4>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-11-curtis-e-lemay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #11 Curtis E. LeMay</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-10-matthew-ridgway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #10 Matthew Ridgway</a>
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Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, columnist, and author of two acclaimed novels. His newest book, the fact-based <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Pits-Rough-Tumble-Exchange/dp/B0CKPNCMQW/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1331509151681009&amp;hvadid=83219665089301&amp;hvbmt=bp&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=97755&amp;hvnetw=o&amp;hvqmt=p&amp;hvtargid=kwd-83219680392082%3Aloc-190&amp;hydadcr=18892_13467888&amp;keywords=brad+schaeffer&amp;qid=1698162015&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LIFE IN THE PITS: My Time as a Trader on the Rough-and-Tumble Exchange Floors</a> will be published in December and is currently available for pre-order. You can also find more of Brad&#8217;s articles on <a href="https://bradschaeffer.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Substack</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

natgreene12bcd copy

America’s Top 11 Generals: #9 Nathanael Greene

Readers Pass

Rhode Island

A committee of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York City</a> Council is set to vote Tuesday on a proposal that could result in monuments to figures like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Washington</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-columbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Columbus</a> being taken down. 
The proposal before the NYC Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations stipulates that public art that depicts someone who has a connection to slavery or “crimes against humanity” be taken down or have an “explanatory plaque” put up. 
“This bill would require the Public Design Commission (PDC) to publish a plan to remove works of art on City property that depict a person who owned enslaved persons or directly benefitted [sic] economically from slavery, or who participated in systemic crimes against indigenous peoples or other crimes against humanity. If PDC determines a work of art depicts a person who fits these criteria and decides not to remove the work of art, PDC would be required to include in the plan steps it will take to install an explanatory plaque next to the work of art,” the <a href="https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6252793&amp;GUID=8AE3AFA6-B96B-4AF2-AEBF-CF4870C824AE&amp;Options=&amp;Search=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> says. 
Republican officials said the proposal is an attempt to erase history and dishonor the individuals who created America. 
“This is little more than an attempt by the radical left to rewrite our nation’s history,” said Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola of Queens, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/09/18/nyc-council-advances-bid-that-could-yank-monuments-honoring-washington-jefferson-columbus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the New York Post. “These men all had an enormous impact on this country, and these statues commemorating their achievements have been in place for decades.&#8221;
“The radical left has been trying to reframe our nation as one born from evil, and it is time we put our foot down and say enough is enough,” she said. “The Founding Fathers and the others who worked so hard to establish this great country should be celebrated, not eliminated from memory.”
There are multiple statues of Washington, the nation’s first president and military commander during the war for independence throughout the city, including one in front of <a href="https://www.nps.gov/feha/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Hall</a>, which served as the home to the nation’s first Congress, executive branch offices, and Supreme Court. There are also monuments to Washington in <a href="https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/union-square-park/monuments/1676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Union Square Park</a> and a <a href="https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lafayette-square/monuments/1650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statue</a> of Washington and Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette who fought with the Americans during the American Revolution. 
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Columbus, attributed with first establishing a link between Europe and the Americas, also has several monuments throughout the city, including a prominent statue in Central Park. The explorer has been a major figure for the Italian-American community, which has held him up as a key tie between Italy and the U.S. 
Monuments to Dutch explorer and settler Peter Stuyvesant, Founding Father John Jay, and prominent early New York political figure and Erie Canal proponent DeWitt Clinton could also be on the chopping block.
New York City Officials have already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thomas-jefferson-statue-officially-booted-from-new-york-city-council-chamber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removed a statue</a> of Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson from the city council chambers and a statue of President Teddy Roosevelt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/problematic-theodore-roosevelt-statue-to-be-removed-from-nycs-museum-of-natural-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from in front</a> of the city’s Natural History Museum.

The statue of Washington in Union Square Park, New York city

NYC To Consider A Proposal That Could Mean Taking Down Monuments To George Washington, Columbus

Christopher Columbus

monuments

New York City

At the Constitutional Convention, the specter of monarchy cast a long shadow over the discussion of the presidency.
The failures of the Articles of Confederation notwithstanding, everyone still remembered King George, and a unified executive power left a foul taste in many mouths. Reasonable voices could point out that while a body of disparate interests might fight amongst itself, a unified power is in an ideal position to grasp even more power — a president can act quickly and decisively during a crisis, and then refuse to relinquish those powers once the emergency had passed.
However, a strong executive could also do things, which deliberative bodies tend to struggle with. Some situations, like an invasion or rebellion, required quick and decisive action.
Cognizant of history, a <a href="https://csac.history.wisc.edu/document-collections/constitutional-debates/executive-branch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handful of delegates</a> tried to square this circle by following the example of the Roman Republic — like America, Rome had thrown off tyrannical kings and loathed monarchy ever since, but unlike America, Rome had extremely powerful magistrates — the consuls — who held the power of life and death over their citizens and were immune from legal prosecution while in office. However — there were TWO consuls, and each had unlimited veto power over the activities of the other.
This has some advantages: the executive can act quickly and decisively when necessary, but if one consul gets power hungry the other consul could check him.
However, the plural executive solution comes with its own suite of problems. What happens when the two consuls disagree? Well, mutually assured vetoes mean nothing happens, in which case we&#8217;re right back where we started.
Worse, when a consular army was deployed in the field, with command alternating between the two, the results proved disastrous.
Take the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Cannae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Battle of Cannae</a> in 216 BC when the Carthaginian Hannibal played the two consuls against one another. One consul was reticent, suspicious that Hannibal was leading them into a trap, while the other was aggressive, eager for battle and glory.
Hannibal wisely made the simple move of holding a strong position while the cautious consul was in charge and then baiting the other Consul into a trap while the commander who was wise to his shenanigans couldn’t do anything about it — killing one-fifth of Rome’s fighting aged men in the process.
Anachronistically observing that a house divided against itself cannot stand, the framers tabled the “plural executive” almost immediately.
Of course, the Romans had a different office they could fall back on in extreme emergencies, where the Senate could appoint one man whose word was law — a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-dictator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dictator</a> — but if you’ve ever heard the name Julius Caesar you know exactly where that story goes.
Terrified that their Frankenstein creation might turn into a dictator despite their best efforts, the Convention quibbled over the specifics — should the president be selected by the states, or Congress, or popular election? Should he be elected for life contingent on good behavior, or should he only be eligible to serve one limited term?
Ultimately, the convention took a cue from the Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu and decided that the executive and legislative branches should be <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/separation_of_powers_0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">separated</a>, and, alongside the judiciary, their powers could be turned against one another to check ambition with ambition.
Congress would have no role in selecting the president but would have the power to confirm or deny the appointment of his most important underlings, and his desired judges. Impeachment was left on the table as an “in case of tyranny, break glass” safeguard, with a further safeguard of a two-thirds threshold for conviction in the Senate so the House couldn’t get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrat-controlled-house-votes-to-impeach-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impeachment-happy for political purposes</a>.
The president could veto legislation, but Congress could override that veto. The president commanded the military, but only Congress could declare war. And the smorgasbord electoral college gave the people and states the power to reward or replace the chief executive quite regularly.
All this wasn’t enough to satisfy the detractors, and according to the anti-federalists the power of the presidency was one of the major deficits of the Constitution, but supporters would point out that George Washington would inevitably be the first proper president and that his administration would set the standard for all his successors. Washington had already walked away from absolute power after relinquishing his command at the end of the Revolutionary War, and is perhaps unique in American history for the unique admiration and trust Americans of all political backgrounds had for him — if anyone could paper over ambiguities or deficiencies in the office, it would be him.
Washington would set the tone for the presidency in many ways. He supported the adoption of a Bill of Rights which would further limit the federal government’s powers. In an age of regal titles, instead of “his highness” or “his majesty,” he settled on the simple honorific of “Mr. President.” He treated his veto power not as a stamp of approval but as a tool of constitutional review — he would veto only two bills on the grounds that he thought they were unconstitutional.
Crucially, after being unanimously elected and widely popular, he stepped away from power after two terms, setting a precedent that would be voluntarily observed by his successors, a precedent that the office was greater than any one man — until the Roosevelts came along and ruined that.
Unfortunately, America would peak early and hard. John Adams, our second president, would overreach his authority by pushing through the Alien and Sedition Acts, which led to the jailing of some critics of his administration — although he did admirably set the precedent for a peaceful transition of power. Jefferson, who famously said that “government is best that governs least” admittedly “stretched” his own powers to secure the Louisiana Purchase.
The power of each subsequent president would ebb and flow, but the trend line was clear almost immediately: Over time the president would wield ever greater influence.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-american-presidency-part-1-humble-beginnings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: A Brief History Of The American Presidency, Part 1: Humble Beginnings</a>

A Brief History Of The American Presidency, Part 2: ‘In Case Of Tyranny, Break Glass’

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