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What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? What Are the Qualities of a Good Military Leader?
Guiding Questions
- What qualities made George Washington an effective military leader?
- How were the responsibilities of the Commander-in-Chief affected by conditions during the Revolutionary War?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- List some practical lessons Washington may have learned from his early military experiences.
- List qualities they believe made George Washington an effective military leader.
- Discuss some difficulties Washington faced as Commander-in-Chief.
Part I: What Makes a Good Military Leader?
…tactics…is only a small part of generalship. For a general must also be capable of furnishing military equipment and providing supplies for the men; he must be resourceful, active, careful, hardy and quick-witted; he must be both gentle and brutal, at once straightforward and designing, capable of both caution and surprise, lavish and rapacious, generous and mean, skilful in defense and attack; and there are many other qualifications, some natural, some acquired, that are necessary to one who would succeed as a general.
—Attributed to Socrates in The Memorabilia (3.1.5-3.1.6) by Xenophon
on the EDSITEment resource The Perseus Digital Library
The essay Life Before the Presidency on the EDSITEment-reviewed website The American President describes Washington's earliest military experiences as "disastrous." He went on to modest success—at best—before he retired in 1758. Yet, the same article states that though Washington hesitated to accept the commission as Commander-in-Chief because of "the misadventures against the French and Native Americans," he was chosen by the Continental Congress to be Commander-in-Chief because the "leadership and charisma of the tall, quiet, stately Virginian was unsurpassed." Attempting to resolve this apparent disconnect is the impetus behind this lesson. Defining or proving "leadership and charisma" is difficult. But like so many other things, when you see it, you know it. This lesson asks, "Did Washington's early military career prepare him for the role of Commander-in-Chief?" (NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, all resources used in this lesson are from the EDSITEment resource American Memory.)
Review with students the qualities listed on the charts in the handout "The Qualities of a Good Military Leader According to Socrates" on pages 1-4 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions). They can alternately use the Interactive Version. Which qualities are likely to be learned through military training or experience? Which are purely personal qualities a person either has or does not have? Do the students agree with the list? Allow them to add to or subtract from the chart now and as you proceed through the unit.
Part II: Washington's Early Military Career
Share with the class a brief summary of Washington's early military career with the Virginia Regiment, starting in 1753, such as the account in Life Before the Presidency on the EDSITEment-reviewed website The American President. Begin reading at the words "Lawrence had commanded a local militia" and end with the words "the farm he had inherited from his half-brother Lawrence." (For a more detailed account of Washington's early military career read George Washington: Making of a Military Leader.) After students have read these documents, use the following discussion questions to guide their review of the material:
- In Washington's early military career, up to his first retirement in 1758, was he beginning to show the leadership qualities that would serve him well later?
- What mistakes did Washington make?
- What experiences did Washington have that were likely to be useful later?
- What successes and failures did Washington have?
- What did Washington appear to have learned already from his successes and failures?
Now read with the class the letter from the 1st Virginia Regiment to George Washington, December 31, 1758, given to Washington upon his retirement from military service. If desired, read instead the Address of the Officers of the Virginia Regiment Excerpt.
- What qualities of Washington's leadership does the letter cite as particularly commendable?
- Which of the qualities cited match an item on Socrates' list?
- Are the students convinced that the men signing the petition are sincere or do the students think they were simply flattering Washington? What do the students rely on as the basis for their position?
Part III: General Washington
If the students require background on the events leading to the American Revolution and Washington's commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, share with the class relevant information from the class text or another source, such as "The Seeds of Revolution" section of Life Before the Presidency on the EDSITEment resource The American President.
Read with the class Washington's Commission.
- What qualities of Washington does the document cite?
- What specific instructions are given to Washington?
- What leadership qualities will be required to fulfill those instructions? Point out the last paragraph that establishes the principle of civilian control over the military.
Read together Washington Accepting His Commission. What personal qualities do Washington's words demonstrate? In what way? (NOTE: Congress made sure of Washington Accepting His Commission [June 1775] before officially issuing Washington's Commission and Washington's Instructions. This explains how he could have accepted the commission before it was issued officially on June 17, 1775. However, here students will read the documents in the more logical order.)
Finally, read together Washington's Instructions.
- What was Washington asked to do?
- What leadership qualities were required to accomplish the tasks?
- Do the instructions indicate trust in or mistrust of Washington's leadership? In what way?
Assessment
Have students complete the first chart—"George Washington's Early Military
Experience"— in the handout "The Qualities of a Good Military Leader According
to Socrates" on page 1 of the PDF
file (see Preparing
to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions). Discuss the results.
What signs were there in his early career that Washington would become an effective
military leader? In what ways did he show in his military career up to 1758 that
he was learning from experience?
Selected EDSITEment Websites
- American Memory
[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html]
- 1st
Virginia Regiment to George Washington, December 31, 1758
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(lw030097))]
- George
Washington, October 3, 1777, General Orders
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw090316))]
- George
Washington, October 5, 1777, General Orders
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw090319))]
- George
Washington, September 3, 1777, General Orders
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw090175))]
- George
Washington, September 4, 1777, General Orders
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw090184))]
- George
Washington, September 6, 1777, General Orders
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw090194))]
- George
Washington, September 7, 1777, General Orders
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw090197))]
- Washington
Accepting His Commission
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=002/lljc002.
db&recNum=91]
- Washington
Describes the Battle of Trenton to Alexander McDougall, December 28, 1776
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw060341))]
- Washington's
Commission
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=002/lljc002.
db&recNum=95]
- Washington's
Instructions
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=002/lljc002.
db&recNum=99]
- The American President
[http://www.americanpresident.org/]
- George
Washington
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/GeorgeWashington/]
- America's
First Hero
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/GeorgeWashington/biography/
resources/articles/kunhardtwashingtonbio.article.shtml]
- Life
Before the Presidency
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/GeorgeWashington/biography/
LifeBeforePresidency.common.shtml]
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