Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency (41 page)
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Authors: Logan Beirne
Tags: #American Revolution, #Founding Fathers, #George Washington, #18th Century
BOOK: Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency
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In an attempt to keep up with his nimble foe as he chased the patriots throughout 1780 and into 1781, the infuriated Cornwallis destroyed all of his own heavy tents, most of his wagons, and even all provisions in excess of what his men could carry.
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Determined to decimate the Americans, he even resorted to grapeshot, a messy technique in which cannons were loaded with items ranging from metal slugs to rocks and glass. Unlike a single large cannonball, these pieces scattered throughout the field, ripping through soldiers’ flesh. Grapeshot was tactically costly, however; it was impossible to control, and the British therefore lost many to friendly fire. In one battle, between grapeshot and Greene’s relentless barrage, Cornwallis lost a quarter of his men.
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Determined to decimate the Americans, he even resorted to grapeshot, a messy technique in which cannons were loaded with items ranging from metal slugs to rocks and glass. Unlike a single large cannonball, these pieces scattered throughout the field, ripping through soldiers’ flesh. Grapeshot was tactically costly, however; it was impossible to control, and the British therefore lost many to friendly fire. In one battle, between grapeshot and Greene’s relentless barrage, Cornwallis lost a quarter of his men.
Although Greene retreated repeatedly into 1781, leaving Cornwallis with technical triumphs, one British politician quipped from London, “Another such victory would destroy the British Army.”
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Cornwallis, still emotionally numb from the loss of his beloved wife, seemed to care little about the inhumanity of it all as his army disintegrated.
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Cornwallis, still emotionally numb from the loss of his beloved wife, seemed to care little about the inhumanity of it all as his army disintegrated.
The American forces gradually wore down the once-superior British forces with masterful maneuvers. Washington monitored the southern campaign from New Jersey, where he was pinning Clinton down in the Northeast to prevent him from reinforcing Cornwallis’s beleaguered army. Washington and Greene were proving to be a dynamic tag team.
Though they did not realize it at the time, the Americans were drawing near to their great victory. And Washington would make sure that victory did not come at the expense of his fellow citizens’ liberties.
Washington defined the American commander in chief as the people’s defender. Fighting to establish a new republic in which the (white) American people enjoyed the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” he saw it as his duty to protect them from all threats—whether foreign or domestic.
On this principle, he ordered his troops “to preserve tranquility and order . . . and give security to individuals of every class and description [from] every species of persecution, insult or abuse, either from the soldiery to the inhabitants or among each other.”
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Even the Loyalists, he wrote, “those execrable Parricides, whose Counsels and Aid have deluged their Country with Blood, have been protected from the Fury of a justly-enraged People.”
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Even the Loyalists, he wrote, “those execrable Parricides, whose Counsels and Aid have deluged their Country with Blood, have been protected from the Fury of a justly-enraged People.”
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Washington strove to ensure that no American’s life or freedom would be torn away without a proper trial, as defined by the civil authorities. Thus, he routinely referred citizens to the courts that they prescribed.
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While these courts were typically lenient, they did occasionally apply severe penalties: they locked up Loyalists indefinitely, inflicted bizarre corporal punishment, and executed many. But Washington saw it as their prerogative to do so. He would reinforce the procedures determined by the civilian government, and let the cards fall where they may.
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While these courts were typically lenient, they did occasionally apply severe penalties: they locked up Loyalists indefinitely, inflicted bizarre corporal punishment, and executed many. But Washington saw it as their prerogative to do so. He would reinforce the procedures determined by the civilian government, and let the cards fall where they may.
He was similarly careful of American property rights. Even though supplying his forces was a vexing problem,
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he confiscated property only with congressional approval and a plan for repayment.
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He took special care to avoid “greatly distressing the families” and to employ the proper procedures that citizens deserved.
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Washington would rather risk the lives of his troops than permit the military to violate citizens’ liberty. While the American commander in chief had vast powers in dealing with enemy combatants, he was conscious of his limitations when it came to impinging on the rights of fellow citizens.
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Americans were to be protected and their liberty cherished.
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he confiscated property only with congressional approval and a plan for repayment.
25
He took special care to avoid “greatly distressing the families” and to employ the proper procedures that citizens deserved.
26
Washington would rather risk the lives of his troops than permit the military to violate citizens’ liberty. While the American commander in chief had vast powers in dealing with enemy combatants, he was conscious of his limitations when it came to impinging on the rights of fellow citizens.
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Americans were to be protected and their liberty cherished.
The old bur oak that stands in Boyd-Parker Memorial Park in western New York may be viewed in two different lights. As the “Torture Tree,” it serves as a dark symbol of the horrors of war. Each side inflicted death and destruction upon the other. On this very ground, the Seneca mutilated patriots in the most horrendous manner imaginable. In turn, Americans under Washington’s command obliterated the thriving village that encircled the oak.
The tree may also be viewed as a beacon. Washington’s destructive response did not stem from cruelty, but from an ardent desire to defend Americans. In describing the character of the United States, Washington wrote, “Liberty is the Basis, and whoever would dare to sap the foundation, or overturn the Structure, under whatever specious pretexts he may attempt it, will merit the bitterest execration, and the severest punishment which can be inflicted by his injured Country.”
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Liberty was the battle cry of the Revolution, and Washington guarded it, ruthlessly.
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Liberty was the battle cry of the Revolution, and Washington guarded it, ruthlessly.
Washington was intent on guarding against precedents by which the military might later subjugate freedom. He preached for the new nation to “avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty.”
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Thomas Jefferson famously wrote, “The Tree of Liberty must be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
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He was not thinking of this bur oak, but in a way the Torture Tree is like the tree of liberty. Patriot blood watered that tree during Washington’s battle to protect his new nation. Those scouts’ sacrifice helped create the United States and define its principles. It is because of great American patriots like them and the many service men and women of subsequent generations that the oak stands in the peaceful little park today. The 250-year-old tree has withstood the ages as an enduring reminder of the ongoing struggle to preserve American liberty.
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He was not thinking of this bur oak, but in a way the Torture Tree is like the tree of liberty. Patriot blood watered that tree during Washington’s battle to protect his new nation. Those scouts’ sacrifice helped create the United States and define its principles. It is because of great American patriots like them and the many service men and women of subsequent generations that the oak stands in the peaceful little park today. The 250-year-old tree has withstood the ages as an enduring reminder of the ongoing struggle to preserve American liberty.
VI
COULD HAVE BEEN KING
“If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”—KING GEORGE III, 1783
A
merica has lost a crucial piece of her history. But unlike the metaphorical sense in which time robs us of our memories, this piece was literally stolen. It was a pair of reading glasses, with surprisingly heavy frames made of solid silver, artfully hinged and elaborately hand engraved. The small, circular lenses were designed with +3.50 magnification to correct the presbyopia that afflicts all people as they age.
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Aside from being old, these tarnished glasses were seemingly ordinary. What made them priceless was the person whose vision they were believed to have corrected—George Washington.In Washington’s time, eyeglasses were considered a sign of weakness. They displayed a vulnerability of which most men were deeply ashamed. Glasses were seen as a “humiliating disfigurement,” akin to a clubfoot or hunchback, but early America made an exception for this specific pair.
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These spectacles were cherished as a great relic of national history. They were enshrined at Independence Hall, which came to be a temple to the nation’s founding after the Constitutional Convention.Prominently featured on the “New York” table near the bar in the Assembly Room, the glasses drew the fascination of Americans from all walks of life.
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Washington’s figurative vision had helped to forge the nation, and this simple device had helped to make his literal vision 20/20. The symbolism was likely not lost on the many proud men, women, and children who viewed them; these eyeglasses were treasured as a precious piece of Americana.In fact, the spectacles proved to be all too precious. They were reported stolen at 9:35 A.M. on Saturday, August 19, 1967, in a mysterious heist that remains unsolved to this day.
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And with them, a tangible link to our past was lost. Without it, many more Americans are sure to forget that Washington’s eyeglasses quite literally saved the republic.
5The chapters in this part examine America’s approval of Washington’s wartime actions as detailed in Parts II through V. Washington saved the new nation from near destruction and led the way to victory. For doing so, he was revered to the point of near deification and became the model for all future American commanders in chief. Returning full circle back to Part I, this section explains how Washington’s wartime precedents defined the powers granted in the new Constitution to all future presidents.
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O God! It Is All Over!
W
ashington was beloved. As victory neared, his celebrity intensified. From soldiers to politicians to the general citizenry, the American people praised his military leadership. They had scrutinized Washington’s actions for years, avidly following the letters, newspaper reports, pamphlets, and (most often) word-of-mouth accounts that chronicled his exploits. Whether he was explaining the justification for torture, dictating military strategy, convening military tribunals, or defending citizens’ liberty, Americans watched intently as the nation hung in the balance. They liked what they saw.
ashington was beloved. As victory neared, his celebrity intensified. From soldiers to politicians to the general citizenry, the American people praised his military leadership. They had scrutinized Washington’s actions for years, avidly following the letters, newspaper reports, pamphlets, and (most often) word-of-mouth accounts that chronicled his exploits. Whether he was explaining the justification for torture, dictating military strategy, convening military tribunals, or defending citizens’ liberty, Americans watched intently as the nation hung in the balance. They liked what they saw.
By 1781, it had been years since Washington had won any great victory on the battlefield, but he was still adulated. As he orbited around New York City, hoping in vain to recapture it, he fought only small skirmishes. But his esteem was deeper and more subtle than that of a coach with a winning scorecard: he was the personification of the revolutionary struggle. Washington did not have many victories, but after nearly six years of battle, he still held the hearts of the people.
Americans credited his “good destiny and consummate prudence [for having] prevented want of success from producing want of confidence on the part of the public.”
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They praised not only his bravery and leadership, but also his impeccable character and astute handling of the messy war. “He was received with that heart felt exultation, which superior merit alone can inspire, after having, in his progress through the states, been honoured with every mark of affection and esteem which they conceived were due the man, the whole continent looked up to for safety and freedom.”
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And he soon won that freedom for them.
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They praised not only his bravery and leadership, but also his impeccable character and astute handling of the messy war. “He was received with that heart felt exultation, which superior merit alone can inspire, after having, in his progress through the states, been honoured with every mark of affection and esteem which they conceived were due the man, the whole continent looked up to for safety and freedom.”
2
And he soon won that freedom for them.
Nothing catapulted Washington’s popularity higher than winning the war. And thanks to Nathanael Greene’s southern campaign, he was on the verge. The American Southern Army had driven Cornwallis to Yorktown, Virginia, an unremarkable piece of southeastern Virginia that jutted into the York River. Inhabited by fewer than a couple thousand citizens nestled around its harbor, Yorktown was a diminutive port village that Cornwallis fancied a prime location from which to exploit Britain’s sea power. But the British could no longer count on their naval supremacy—the French fleet was finally on its way.
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