George was born on February 22, on a farmhouse in Westmoreland County of Virginia to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. Mary was the second wife of Augustine. (Augustine had three children from the first wife who had died). Not much is known about the childhood of Washington. His father died, when he was merely eleven years old and he had five younger siblings. It was a tough life for Mary to fend for herself and look after her six kids. George being the eldest leant her a helping hand. Under such conditions, it is highly improbable that young George ever went to school. But it is said that he was very good at mathematics.
It also is reliably known that his elder stepbrother, Lawrence, polished his personality and groomed him into a thorough gentleman. (Lawrence had done his higher studies in England). In due course, he picked up the job of a county surveyor. Later on, he joined the Virginia Militia (A regiment of the British – American Army) and earned the rank of a Major. Much like Napoleon, he rose quickly in the military hierarchy and became the head of Virginia’s Provincial Army. Soon he married Martha Dandridge Cutis – a widowed woman and heiress to a great fortune.
In 1774, he was chosen to represent Virginia in the Philadelphia Congress. The Congress commissioned him to take over the Continental Army and fight the British forces. What followed was gruelling ten years of tactical warfare, against the highly trained, better-equipped and large British Army. General George Washington displayed a very flexible approach in tackling the British. Often to hoodwink the enemy, he would give a small advantage or two to his adversaries. While the unsuspecting foe would bask in an insignificant victory, George Washington struck a crippling blow at their some formidable bastion.The wily British tried one general after the other but none could contain the mercurial Washington. Ultimately in the fall of 1781, Lord Cornwallis laid down arms and signed a treaty with American Army. Soon after the victorious Washington handed over the charge of the Commander–in–Chief to Congress and retired to the peace of his farmlands of Mount Vermon. But the deteriorating affairs of the Congress didn’t let him be in his self-imposed isolation for long.
He returned to play a critical role in drafting the American constitution. Once the constitution was in place, he tried to move to his farmlands. But destiny willed otherwise. He was unanimously chosen the first President of the Union. After a very successful term, he again expressed his will to retire. But his people had their way and he was chosen to lead the country for another term.During his second term, the United States established itself as democracy and came to play an increasingly objective role in the world affairs. As his second term drew to a close, he chose John Adams as his successor. He returned to farming -- his cherished profession. Unfortunately, while riding at his farmlands, the General was caught in sleet and snow. He caught cold and suffered breathlessness. Doctors were summoned but George Washington couldn’t recover. He breathed his last on December 4, 1799.
SantaBanta.com salutes this great personality on his birthday, which falls on February 22.
