History Daily - Saturday Matinee: This American President

Episode Date: October 17, 2026

On today’s Saturday Matinee, we explore George Washington’s legendary exploits during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Link to This American President: https://www.thisamericanpresident.com/ Link to Refusing a Crown: How George Washington Changed the World: https://www.amazon.com/Refusing-Crown-George-Washington-Changed/dp/1645721280 Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

If you study history at any length, you will come across persons of such rare substance and character that they surely must be historical figures, the leaders, thinkers, doers, and makers. Reading about them, you can see how the great man theory of history came about. These are such extraordinary people, so gifted in intelligence, courage, or prowess, that when the times called for it, they were able to intuitively and inevitably rise to greatness. Now, I don't think it's as simple as that. Everyone's life is a labyrinth of choices and accidents that have many different parallel paths. Some lead to greatness, some to a smaller life.

And who's to say that someone else might have been a better fit for the moment? Let's take George Washington. No man is more responsible for the success of the American Republic than he, as a general, as a statesman, and as a figurehead. But what would have happened if he hadn't been there to step up? Would America have lost its one necessary hero? I don't really know. Maybe someone else, with a different sort of exceptionalism, would have risen to lead. Instead, George Washington is the hero we got, and he is plenty, as we will hear on today's Saturday matinee with an episode from the podcast, This American President, hosted by Richard Lim, author of the new book, Refusing a Crown, How George Washington Changed the World. I hope you enjoy. While you're listening, be sure to search for and follow This American President.

We put a link in the show notes to make it easy for you. What do you think of when you hear the name George Washington? Do you think about the famous story of him chopping down the cherry tree? Or the fact that he was the first president of the United States? Or that his face is on the $1 bill? 217 years after his death, George Washington can seem more like a myth than a real person, more monument than man. And some might even call him boring. We learn that he was a man of integrity and we yawn.

Perhaps in our cynical times, we prefer to be able to be. for our leaders a bit more complicated and a bit more human. In the first episode of this American president, we will explore the real George Washington. Indeed, he was a real human being who, like anyone, was flawed, had quirks and made mistakes. But I hope you'll find that he was anything but boring. In fact, this George Washington might surprise you. You know that he was our first chief executive. Did you know that Washington, the dour old man on the dollar bill,

Was actually an action hero? My name is Richard Lim, and I've spent much of my life studying the presidents of the United States. I even worked for one and had the privilege of seeing him up close. My friends and I started this podcast so that I could share this passion with others. We've had 45 presidents, and each one represents a unique chapter in our nation's history. Those chapters are filled with triumphs and tragedies, successes, and failures. Some of our presidents were brilliant, and others were great. And others were just plain bizarre.

But they all have a story to tell and help to shape the country we have today. And now we will explore one of those stories on this episode of This American President. Many years ago, when I was in between jobs, I worked at Mount Vernon, the place where George Washington lived. I was a tour guide, and when I talked to guests, I found out that all that most people knew about him was that he was the first president. Every kid in America can answer that it was George Washington. But that's about all they can say. It's like he's become an answer to a trivia question and nothing more. Now, George Washington is not unique in that respect.

There are lots of great leaders who have been reduced to trivia questions. When it comes to even our greatest leaders, we usually sum up their entire lives in just one or two sentences. With that said, George Washington poses a unique dilemma. On one hand, he may be the most famous American of all time, with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln. I mean, he's on the dollar bill for crying out loud. But there's something about him that seems a bit distant or elusive, even more than our other presidents. Sure, part of that is the passage of time. He was our first president, so it's only natural that we remember the most recent presidents instead.

But it isn't just that. Abraham Lincoln died almost 60 years before Calvin Coolidge was president, but which one are we more familiar with? who is easier to picture in our heads? The point is, there's something especially distant about Washington. I mean, do you really feel like you know him? Can you picture what meeting him would be like? I mean, just look at Washington's monument. It is literally a giant slab of stone.

It tells us almost nothing about the man, maybe except that he was important. Compare that to the Jefferson and the Lincoln memorials, where you actually get to see a statue of them and read the words that they wrote. But this brings up an interesting question. Why does Washington seem so distant? Part of it was his personality. Those who knew him said that he just didn't talk much about himself. There is, I suspect, another reason for why we don't seem to know Washington. And that reason may be something as simple as the way he looks in the paintings.

When you picture Washington in your head, what do you see? Well, most people will imagine the portrait of him on the dollar bill. We all know this famous image. It was made from a painting by Gilbert Stewart. It's probably the most famous image of Washington. It's one of the most iconic American images of all time, along with the American Gothic painting and the arch from the McDonald's logo. The painting dates back to 1796, which also happened to be at the end of his presidency. This time, he was a 64-year-old man. He had almost half a century of service to his country under his belt. This is actually a good time where we can take measure of his career, at least the part when he was on the national stage. Washington served as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution for eight years. In that capacity, he was basically our head of state, the leader of our country. He then served as the president of the convention that produced our Constitution in 1787. Finally, he served as our first president for eight years.

If you total up the years that he was at the top of American affairs, that's 16 years. If you total up the years that he was the foremost American from the start of the war in 1775 to his death in 1799, that's 24 years. That's double FDR's 12 years at the national level. It's longer than any other American leader in our country's history. When the war ended, Washington felt like he had done his duty. After all, he was the man who won American independence. He famously just wanted to go home to his farm and his family, but the nation kept calling him back. Usually when people become president, they are elated and have achieved their life ambition.

When Washington became president, he took office reluctantly, so reluctantly that he described feeling, and I quote, like a culprit who is going to the place of his execution. He then had tried to retire after his first term, but his advisors, namely the other founding fathers, simply said that he, had to stay. Imagine having to be stuck in a job you didn't like for eight years, plus that the fate of your country rested on your shoulders. So when you look at that portrait of Washington on the dollar bill, what you see is someone who's just exhausted, not just from a long day at work, but from a lifetime at work. But this portrait seems to tell us more. If you have a chance, Google it. Just type in unfinished portrait of George Washington. In that painting, he not only looks old, but quite frankly, he looks a little ticked off. He looks like someone who, at the least, is highly displeased,

maybe even disappointed. And it makes me wonder, who is he disappointed in? Is he disappointed in us? There's just something about that gaze that can make you feel a bit guilty. But about what? Well, that is the image of Washington we have decided to use. It's how we remember him. It's the one that is on our dollar bill, the thing that we print 19 million times a day, 19 million portraits of Washington every day. And he looks old, ticked off, disappointed. Have you ever followed a famous athlete throughout their career? Now, bear with me here. I like sports analogies. Well, if you've ever followed an athlete for a long time, eventually, the they might keep playing past their prime. You start noticing that the younger generations of fans only know that athlete in their later years, and they never saw them when they were at their best. Well, in the same way in these portraits, we are seeing George Washington past his prime. And it's a shame, too, because that wasn't the man many of his contemporaries knew. Now, the rest of this episode will explore the real George Washington. And you might be surprised to find out that he was less the man on the

dollar bill, and more of, well, an action hero. So let's go back in time to 1754 to find out just who this action hero is. During this time, the British and the French were jockeying for supremacy in North America. It was in the woods of what we now call Pennsylvania that Washington, at the age of 22, got his first taste of combat. Picture an ambitious young man with an intense craving for adventure, kind of like a colonial version of Luke Skywalker. The royal governor of the colony sent the young Washington in a group of Native Americans on a critical mission to hold a patch of land against the French. It's probably too

big a responsibility to put on a 22-year-old shoulders. Well, during this mission, Washington's men confronted a party led by a French envoy named Joseph Coulon de Jumonville. I won't get too much into the details, but basically an ambush ensued. Although what happened, is debated to this day. We do know that the event was short and bloody, and that in the end, Washington and his men were victorious, and Jumonville was dead. It was said that the chief who accompanied Washington cracked open Jumanville's skull and rinsed his hands with the man's blood and brains. Later, when recapping the incident, Washington wrote to his brother and said, and I quote, I heard the bullets whistle, and believe me, there was something charming in the sound.

Now, Charming is probably the last word we would use to describe something that gruesome. Maybe it was the rush he felt after his first taste of combat. Maybe he was just showing off to his brother and cultivating the image of a young heroic soldier. Maybe it was a little bit of both. Either way, we get a glimpse of a young George Washington, and he had a bit of swagger. You might even call him cocky. Now, Washington may have found his first combat experience exhilarating, but the incident had consequences he probably never expected. See, at the time, he was a junior colonial

officer serving the British crown, and his reckless actions provoked the French to retaliate. After all, his party basically killed a French diplomat. And this spark would become known as the seven years war between Britain and France, or what we Americans like to call the French and Indian War. In case you missed it, let's take measure for a moment of what that means. George Washington, at the age of 22 helped to start what would become an international war between two empires. I was wondered, what did that feel like for young George? And even though he was on the British side, not everyone in London was happy about this. British statesman Horace Walpole later said, and I quote, that it was a volley,

fired by a young Virginian in the backwoods of America that set the world on fire. It was not the last time George Washington would be a source of, frustration for the British. Let's fast forward a year. It is now 1755, and we find George Washington as an aide to the new commander-in-chief of the British Army in America, General Edward Braddock. The British sent Braddock to North America specifically to eject the French from what was called the Ohio Territory. He planned to attack the hub of French power in the region, Fort De Cain, which was located in what is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The only problem with this plan was that the British had sent the wrong man.

General Braddock, by all accounts, was a bit of a jerk. He was temperamental and stubborn. He would never lower himself to listen to his colonial subordinates, and that includes Washington himself. That's a problem when your subordinates know the landscape better than you do. And he wasn't just a jerk. He also didn't know how to fight, at least not in North America. He may have known how to fight in Europe,

We have large set battles in open fields, but this is North America. Picture rugged, undeveloped terrain, and narrow roads. The 24-year-old Washington advised Braddock to travel lightly, which makes sense in that kind of territory, but Braddock refused. For a man as ambitious as Washington, it must have been galling to see his superior act so dismissively. Even worse, by ignoring their advice, Braddock was exposing his men to unnecessary risks. Now it's July 1755. Imagine about 1,300 British regulars in colonial militia laboring through the woods on a hot summer day near the Monongahela River. They were exhausted after weeks of strenuous marching. Now, Washington himself was in really bad shape since he was plagued with a fever and headaches. His condition was so bad, they actually spent several days lying down in a covered wagon. So you can imagine the misery of traveling through bumpy roads in the intense summer heat. in that condition. It was in this setting on July 9th, where the British advance guards spotted French soldiers and their Native American allies in the trees. Shots rang out. The men in the

trees charged and began attacking the main body of Braddock's army. And the British, because of Braddock, were totally unprepared and on the defensive. Before long, confusion reigned, and some British men actually began firing at each other, and many fell victims of friendly fire. Even worse, they gazed in horror as Native Americans killed several of their fellow soldiers and pinned their scalps up on the trees. Now, Braddock and his men tried to hold the line and organized some form of resistance, but they couldn't stop the slaughter. The French and their allies poured musket fire onto the British for hours. The redcoats were dropping like flies. Bloods stained the ground, and several British soldiers ran away and hid behind the trees doing anything to escape the

carnage. Those who were dying of bullet wounds cried in agony but found no relief. For them, there was no escape. So whenever I read about this battle, I think about how bad the situation must have seemed to those British soldiers. It's kind of like when you're watching your own team in a game. Yes, another sports analogy. And they're just getting blown out. And the whole game is a waste and you regret watching it. And you get to the point where the only thing you can hope for is to save some face and make the game somewhat respectable. But either way, you know that the night is a loss. And yes, my analogy is a poor one because this situation is much worse, because it's combat and people are actually dying. And what was at stake was the fate of empires. But you get the

picture. It's about as bad a situation as you can get. But it was in this nightmare setting that an ailing and weakened George Washington sprung atop his horse and went to work. Despite his illness, Washington was ready. It was as if he was made for moments like these. He rode back and forth across the battlefield for hours as his fellow soldiers were falling, and he organized some semblance of a rear guard. Somehow Washington was able to impose some form of order, allowing the British to retreat and cut their losses. The fighting continued for hours. Bullets were flying all around him, but nothing, whether it was illness, exhaustion, or even musket fire could stop him. In the midst of the chaos, Washington actually fell violently to the ground. His horse had been shot. Though weakened, Washington

jumped on another horse. Eventually, he felt. fell again. Another bullet had taken out his second horse, and Washington remained unscathed. Bullets kept whirling all around him. At some point, he finds holes in his hat and uniform. Apparently four bullets had struck his clothes, four. They actually struck his clothes, but not Washington himself. While death surrounded him, those who saw Washington actually felt that he had an invisible aura of protection around him. Although the battle lasted for hours, it was clear that the British were vanquished. They began that day with 1,300 men. By the end of the battle, half of them had perished. It was becoming clear, however, that that number would have been higher without young George Washington's

efforts. Unfortunately, General Braddock himself was shot in the lung. As he lay dying, he ordered Washington to send word to another British division 40 miles away for aid. This meant that, Washington, his work was not over. Though, exhausted from illness and hours of combat, he rode all night through the woods to that division for help. When it was all said and done, the Braddock expedition was a disaster for the British. Braddock was dead, and the myth of their invisibility had been shattered. A lesson the colonials would never forget.

However, in the midst of that defeat, a legend was born, especially among those who witnessed it. I like to compare it to an up-and-coming athlete who has some important. incredible performance. And regardless of whether their team won, you realize that one day, they're going to be something special. Well, this was Washington's big moment. It was as if the world was put on notice about him. George Washington, once the reckless provincial, who started a war, had demonstrated indomitable courage in the face of certain death. And it wasn't just that. The whole thing seemed a bit supernatural. James Craig, Washington's lifelong friend, witnessed his heroics that day.

and he later marveled saying, and I quote, I expected every moment to see him fall. Duty and station exposed him to every danger. Nothing but the superintending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him. Shortly after the battle, Presbyterian minister Samuel Davies said that he had hoped, and I quote, Providence has preserved him in so signal a manner for some important service to his country. Now, when you start talking about the supernatural, you can't help but think about things like destiny.

And it was at the Monongahela where people began to believe that George Washington was destined for great things. Several years later, according to Dr. Craig, Washington encountered a Native American chief who remembered seeing him at the Battle of the Menongahela. By this time, Washington had retired from the military and was a farmer with a family and two adopted children. That chief told Washington that he had ordered his men to shoot at him, but were stunned when none of their bullets hit their target. Because of this, the chief was convinced that a great spirit was protecting Washington and told him that, and I quote, he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the father of a mighty empire. He told Washington this just a few years before the American Revolution. Now the Battle of the Menongahela was a milestone in George Washington's life story.

That hot July day, however, would leave him with memories that would haunt him for the rest of his life. As he later wrote, and I quote, the dead, the dying, the groans, lamentation, and cries along the road of the wounded for help were enough to pierce a heart. For Washington, the sounds of war of dying soldiers were losing their charm. It was a sound that he would become all too familiar with. Just an aside, in case you think that these stories are just myths and legends, I recommend you check out Ron Chernow's 2010 book, Washington and Life, regarded as the definitive full-scale biography of Washington in the past decade.

It actually won the Pulitzer Prize and recounts these events as verified history. And that includes everything I just mentioned, the holes in Washington's coat, his immunity to bullets, and the Native American chief's account. It is 1776. A lot has happened since the last time we saw George Washington. At this time, he's probably at the lowest point in his life. He's now 44 years old, had been the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army for a year and a half.

And that means he was the leader of the American Revolution. On his shoulders rested the fate of his country and, as he said, and I quote, the fate of unborn millions. And that fate was looking as bleak as ever. Less than two months after the Americans declared independence, the British had responded with a massive invasion, a huge show of force in New York City, and had defeated Washington's army at the Battle of Long Island. And it wasn't just a defeat like the kind you could blame on circumstance. It was actually a complete humiliation. When the British landed in Manhattan, the Americans were so shocked by the massive show of force that many of them just ran away.

They didn't even fight. At one point, Washington completely exasperated, threw his hat to the ground and yelled out, and I quote, Are these the men with which I am to defend America? By the end of that battle, the British were firmly in control of a strategically important city. But even worse than that, Washington had lost over 3,000 men. His army was cut into a fraction of what it was, and they had lost a ton of muskets and cannon to the British. It actually took a daring escape from Manhattan at the dead of night in late August to prevent his army. army's complete annihilation. So the Patriots began the long retreat in the snow into New Jersey

and Pennsylvania, and Washington faced an impossible situation. Now, the humiliation was bad enough. Some of his men didn't even fight. But even worse than that was the fact that his army was due to disappear at the end of the year. You see, most of his soldiers' enlistments expired on January 1, 1777, and that meant that if he couldn't recruit enough men, his army would literally cease to exist. There was a real sense that the Patriots cause was on the ropes. Just months after the Americans had declared independence, the immediate results were complete disaster. And you have to think, history has a funny way of seeming inevitable. Of course, in 2017, we have the luxury of knowing who won, the American Patriots won. And after that, eventually they created a constitution. Then they elected a president and the United States became the most powerful country in the world and so on and so forth. but we forget that nothing felt certain for those living at the time, any more than anything,

feel certain for us right now. And sometimes, even what didn't happen, might have seemed likely, or even inevitable at the time. If you were on the side of independence, after reading in the newspapers and hearing about Washington's crushing defeat, would you be tempted to think maybe this was a bad idea? Would you be rethinking your support for the cause, especially when it meant committing treason against the king of one of the greatest empires in the world? And what would happen when it was over? Would you be imprisoned? What happened to your family, your spouse, your children, your home? If you were a soldier and you knew that the cause was on the brink of collapse, would you re-enlist? Especially if your family needed you back home? Well, this was the situation Washington faced at the end of 1776.

It was a situation compounded by the fact that he was leading a rag-tag group of men and boys. These were farmers, cobblers, shop owners, tailors, with very little military experience, and they were fighting against the king's hardened regular soldiers. So even if he did get another chance at the Redcoats, would they even stand a chance to defeat them? The results so far were not promising. If you read his letters during this time, you'll find that the normally stoic Washington was pouring out his heart in despair. To his family, he confided, and I quote, I'm wearied almost to death. In another letter, he wrote, and I quote, I think the game is pretty near up. You can form no idea of the perplexity of my situation. No man, I believe, ever had a greater choice of

difficulties and less means to extricate himself from them. Keep in mind, Washington was not a man given to exaggeration, so he was pretty much saying that American independence was on the verge of defeat. So with the cause on the brink and the British army settling into their winter encampments, Washington and his staff decided to take action. And with the enlistments ending and the collapse of his army looming, did they really have a choice? So as the world celebrated Christmas on December 25, 1776, George Washington was preparing to attack the enemy and rescue the Patriot Cause. Their target was a detachment of Hessian mercenaries hired by the British and stationed at Trenton, New Jersey. Dr. Benjamin Rush was among the few who met with Washington on that day of the actual attack.

And during their meeting, Dr. Rush got a glimpse of a sheet of paper with the words written, Victory or Death. This was the password for the mission, but it was also a perfect description of what was at stake, one more defeat, and the cause would truly be over. I sometimes wonder what was going through Washington's mind in the hours before the attack on Trenton. He knew that he was on the brink of becoming the man who lost independence for his country. Could he live with that? Was there anything that gave him solace?

Now he had recently written to his brother, and I quote, under a full persuasion of the justice of our cause, I cannot but think the prospect will brighten, although for wise purposes it is at present hid under a cloud. Perhaps in those situations that is all one can cling to, the belief that regardless of the outcome you are on the side of right, that whatever is happening is for a good purpose, even if that purpose is not clear.

Just a few years earlier, Washington wrote a friend who, tragically had lost a daughter. And he said, and I quote, the ways of providence being inscrutable and the justice of it not to be scanned by the shallow eye of humanity. A cheerful acquiescence to the divine will is what we are to aim at. Perhaps it was his belief in the justice of divine will that carried him through in those moments. So that night, the Patriot Army set out on a multi-pronged attack on the city of Trenton. As they crossed the Delaware River, they were met with an intense spourage of rain, sleet, snow, and hail, the complete opposite of the Monongahela in 1755, but much worse. It's bad enough to be fighting nature itself, but they were also fighting deprivation.

Remember, this was a rag-tag army. Some of those soldiers had no boots and were forced to march with rags tied around their feet, some even much barefoot. Can you imagine anything more miserable? As the army advanced, it actually left streaks of blood in the snow. Conditions were so bad that two men collapsed and froze to death before the battle even started. Now, all this caused delays in the march, and that threatened to ruin Washington's plans. You see, he had hoped to remain concealed under the cover of darkness and to arrive at Trenton prior to sunrise so that they could catch the Hessians unprepared. So when it became clear that this wasn't going to happen, they would be marching in the

sunlight. Some began advising Washington to abort mission. But Washington knew that there was no turning back. Perhaps the weather being so bad would provide his army with the cover it needed, but regardless he had to continue. He desperately needed a victory. Indeed, it was victory or death for the American cause, and nothing could change that fact. So as the men slog through the cold for hours on end,

I really wonder what they were thinking. Just three days before, the words of Thomas Payne's book, American Crisis, had been read out loud to the soldiers to boost the morale. And these were the famous words, Payne wrote. And I quote, these are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of their country, but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Now, did those words echo in their minds as they traverse through the snow? Washington and his soldiers arrived at Trenton around 8 a.m. Luckily, the winter storm provided enough cover for the American army, even if it was after sunrise. Washington then divided his men into three columns and led a column down himself, and they began to attack. They startled the Hessians, unleashing a barrage of cannon fire. As the Hessians came out, Patriots attacked them with bayonets. The Hessians tried to organize in advance and fight back, but it wasn't enough to stop the surging patriots.

The Americans cut them off and took down their commander, Colonel Johann Raul. As Washington sensed triumph, the sounds of bullets regained their charm. and he exhorted his men, saying, and I quote, March on, my brave fellows, after me. The Americans had the advantage of surprise and they never looked back. In less than an hour, it was over. The Hessians suffered 22 deaths, 83 wounded, and up to 800 men captured. But most stunning was the fact that the Americans didn't suffer a single death in battle.

It was as if the invisible aura that protected Washington at the Menongahela had surrounded his entire army. And to ensure that the patriots maintained the moral high ground, Washington ordered the honorable treatment of his prisoners. Although the battle was relatively small and short-lived, Washington finally had his victory. The cause had a new lease on life, but it still faced an immediate threat. The deadline for enlistments was still set for the end of the year. The possibility of the army ceasing to exist was still very real.

So days later, on December 31, 1776, Washington gathered his soldiers back at Trenton and pled with them to re-enlist and even offered them a $10 bounty. Now, these are the kinds of moments that are easy to overlook. You might think, how could they give up now? They just won the war, and the war wasn't even over. But you have to remember, these men had just marched for weeks and fought in a battle in about the worst physical circumstances possible and were stretched to the limit.

Many of them had families to attend to, and they probably felt that they already done their duty and were looking forward to their time off. They knew that signing up meant risking their lives yet again, and this time perhaps against the king's regular soldiers, not just Hessian mercenaries. So nothing short of a heartfelt appeal from the man at the top would keep them in the army. With a hint of desperation, Washington said to them, and I quote, my brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than could be reasonably expected. But your country is at stake, your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear. You've worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships.

Washington admitted, and I quote, we know not how to spare you. But he finished appealing to their patriotism, their devotion to their country, and said, and I quote, if you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty into your country, which you probably never can do under any other circumstances.

Moved by his words, a few men emerged to reenlist. Seeing their fellow soldiers step forward, more joined them. Before long, virtually the entire group of men decided to stay at Washington's side. Thanks to Washington's heartfelt appeal, the Americans would have an army at the start of 1777. Now, as you can imagine, the British were a bit annoyed at the Hessian's defeat. A quick response they felt was needed to wipe out any newfound hope for the Patriots. So Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis and his force marched down to teach Washington a lesson. They first arrived at Princeton and left 1,400 men under the command of one lieutenant-colonel, Charles Mahood. Cornwallis then headed towards Trenton to confront Washington with 5,000 men, and on January 2, 1777, Cornwallis' men spotted Washington's advance force and a skirmish ensued.

In response, Washington got on horseback and threw himself into the action. He rallied his men as they repulsed the British three times. As nightfall came, Cornwallis and his men debated. whether or not to continue the attack into the night or wait until the next day. Cornwallis wanted to end the rebel cause in one stroke, but he decided to let his men rest for the night. He tried reassuring himself about the outcome, saying, and I quote, We've got the old fox talking about Washington. We will go over and bag him in the morning.

So you're probably thinking famous last words. Well, Cornwallis's quartermaster general, William Erskine, however, predicted that, and I quote, if Washington is the general I take him to be, his army will not be found in the morning. Unfortunately, for Cornwallis, Erskine's words proved to be prophetic. Indeed, Washington knew that he was in a vulnerable position. He was threatened by Cornwallis's larger and superior force. So to offset that disadvantage, Washington and his war council decided upon a daring and what I believe to be a brilliant plan.

So once again, they would lead their men out into the cold. This time, however, and try to follow me here, they would sneak out of Trenton in the cover of night. They would go around Cornwallis's army. They would circumvent that army. They would march to 12 miles to Princeton. And they would strike the smaller British force in Princeton under Lieutenant Colonel Mahood, the same force that Cornwallis had left there. And if it worked, the Patriots would have two stunning victories under their belts. So the plan commenced that night.

Washington's men cleverly kept fires burning and used picks and shovels to make noise. And that gave the British the impression they were digging in for the next day's battle. But all the while, thousands of men snuck out in silence. Now, I've always loved the idea of those soldiers, thousands of soldiers sneaking out at night under the enemy's nose. It's like the ultimate strategic prank. You only wish you could have seen Cornwallis' face when he found out what happened. Now, although the Patriots were exhausted from the previous week's fighting and sleep deprived, they marched on once again through the harsh winter, on their way to yet another battle. Now, while the Americans were on their way, Lieutenant Colonel Mahat had left Princeton to provide

forces for General Cornwallis. While en route, he ran into the main American army, so instinctively he ordered his men to attack with bayonets. The British soldiers spotted the American leader. They thought, could it be? Was this George Washington? So they chased him down, knocking him off his horse and began beating him. They screamed at him, surrender, you damn rebel. Instead, the man refused to surrender, so they stabbed him with their bayonets. But upon closer look, it actually wasn't General Washington, but his friend, General Hugh Mercer. Now, with the death of General Mercer, the Americans began to flee. These guys had defeated a group of mercenaries the previous week, and they had caught those guys by surprise.

But this was a different story. This time they were fighting the king's regulars. Up until then, the British had proven their overwhelming superiority over the patriots. So how could the Americans hope to defeat them? Were they about to suffer yet another defeat at the hands of the redcoats? Was the victory of Trenton just the flash in the pan with the hard-fought gains they obtained be lost? So here you have the American soldiers retreating, but it was at this moment of uncertainty that their leader, General Washington, arrived on horseback.

And this was no longer the pathetic figure we saw after the disaster in New York City. Washington called out to his men, and I quote, parade with us, my brave fellows. There is but a handful of the enemy, and we shall have them directly. Washington stated himself before the advancing British force. forces, and stirred by the sight of their leader, the American soldiers began organizing themselves into battle formation. And once order was established, Washington rode forward, and he led his men in a charge to capture the high ground. Washington placed himself between his advancing forces and the enemy's forces.

Despite his conspicuous position, he calmly instructed his men to hold their fire. So here he is between the two armies. Time slowed down as the Americans charged closer and closer to the Redcoats. They were 50 yards away, 45 yards, 40 yards, 35 yards. And finally, when they were 30 yards away, Washington turned to his men and ordered fire. Almost at the same time, the British unleashed their own volleys. And men from both sides fell, struck by the bullets, smoke and velded the battlefield, and Washington disappeared from view. Now, this was a sight that horrified John Fitzgerald, who was an aide to Washington.

With his commander in between both forces and in the line of fire, Fitzgerald instinctually felt that Washington was hit, so he covered his eyes with his hat so he wouldn't see his commander struck down. After all, Washington was the center of the whole cause. If he dies, American independence suffers a devastating blow. Now, what is about to happen is one of those moments you wish you could share with every American. It's almost as if the story's too good to be true, and yet it is true, because in the midst of the smoke, Fitzgerald could make out a figure. on horseback. It was George Washington. He was completely unscathed. Once again he seemed protected from the bullets just like at the Monongahela, and he cried out to Fitzgerald,

and I quote, away, my dear colonel, bring up the troops, the day is our own. With his adrenaline flowing, Washington once again sensed the charm of warfare. Those who witnessed him that day saw shades of the young man at the Monongahela 21 years earlier. With the bravado of a conquering hero, Washington turned to his men and proclaimed, and I Quote, it is a fine fox chase, my boys. Inspired by his courage, the Americans fired their artillery and charged at the redcoats. One of his soldiers later wrote about Washington, saying, and I quote, I shall never forget what I felt at Princeton on his account,

when I saw him brave all the dangers of the field and his important life hanging as it were by a single hair with a thousand deaths flying all around him. Believe me, I thought not of myself. That gives you just a glimpse of the impact Washington has. had on his soldiers. And this is where I believe that the Dollar Bill portrait truly fails to capture the man. You almost never hear about this version of George Washington. This isn't the boring man who was just our first president. Now the intense fighting erupted and the battlefield was soon stained by the blood of both British and American men. But the Americans had the initiative

and they pounded the Red Coast. The British broke ranks and began to flee. The Patriots were on their way to another victory. They chased them until about 200 redcoats actually sought refuge in Nassau Hall on what would become the campus of Princeton University. There's a great legend that a young Alexander Hamilton unleashed a barrage of artillery, with one cannonball actually striking a portrait of King George II and decapitating his likeness. Before long, the British raised the white flag. They had suffered 500 casualties with two or 300 captured, while the Americans incredibly. Only lost three or four dozen. And again, Washington ordered the humane treatment of his prisoners. Now, the news of the two victories in Trenton and Princeton electrified the American people.

You have to remember that just a few days earlier, the cause was gasping for its last breath. But since then, the Americans had stood face to face with the British army and won. Now the Patriots believed that they may actually be able to win the war. Ben began enlisting and droves swelling up the ranks of the army. And the world was watching what was happening in North America, and they were just as stunned. Frederick the Great, one of the most hardened and accomplished military figures of the day, declared, and I quote, the achievements of Washington and his little band of compatriots between the 25th of December and the 4th of January, a space of 10 days, were the most brilliant of any recorded in the annals of military achievements.

In time, historians would later write of the significance of what happened in Trenton and Princeton, British scholar George Trevelyan observed it may be doubted whether so small a number of men ever employed so short a space of time with greater and more lasting effects upon the history of the world. With the cause of American liberty at its lowest point, with the army on the brink of dissolution, the Patriots completely turned events around and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Nothing short of undertaking such a daring and bold plan could have saved American independence. It's hard to imagine just how much was at stake those 10 days. What was at stake was nothing short of the entire future of the United States of America. Think of what that means. All of American history would have been forever altered.

There probably wouldn't be any American history, at least not in the way we know it. And think about the impact the United States has had in the world. Think about its role in the two world wars and the Cold War. Think about its role as the leader of the free world. Think about its technological achievements, the birth of flight, the landing on the moon, the creation of the internet. Think of its cultural significance. And think of its economic dominance.

Do these things still happen in the same way and at the same time? Maybe. Who really knows? I have a feeling that things play out quite differently, but for the events at Trenton and Princeton. And at the center of these events was George Washington. He made the decisions that made the difference. It was Washington who signed off on the desperate plan to attack on Christmas Day.

and then in Princeton, just after the new year. It was Washington who convinced them to stay in the army after their enlistments expired. It was Washington who personally led his troops into battle, cutting off their retreats, braving the musket fire, and inspiring them on to victory. Now, George Washington was not a perfect man. He was a flesh and blood human being like all the rest of us. But even human being can do extraordinary things. And in these stories, we see a man with the mark of greatness.

While these episodes in Washington's life might see, seem too good to be true, they are true. They are part of how our country became what it is today. So the next time you look at that famous portrait on the dollar bill, remember, those who knew him saw a very different man. If you want to learn more about today's episode, check out the book Washington A Life by Ron Chernow or 1776 by David McCullough. Our next episode will feature a mystery president, someone very different than George Washington, someone you might not know much about but who had a major impact on our country's history. So please subscribe to get all of our future episodes.

This American President is produced by myself Richard Lim and Michael Neal. Special thanks to my dad, Bert Chu, who created our website. Find us on the web at this Americanpresident.com for show notes about this and all future episodes. Follow us on Twitter at This A-M-E-R-P-R-E-S for updates. Also, please review us on iTunes to help us promote the podcast. I'm going to leave you with a clip from the 1959 film John Paul Jones. Now, if you watch the film, there's a scene where John Paul Jones meets George Washington during the war, and you see Jones talking to him.

But you only see Washington's back. You never actually see his face in the scene. Washington is talking about the sacrifices of the army and the ideals of the cause they're fighting for. Now, while Jones is looking at him, Washington is there towering over him. You hear his voice, but you never see his face. You get the sense that he's this distant figure that you can't even look at, that he's a god, unknowable, unapproachable, and reigning over you. It reminded me a lot of the classic film Ben Hur in that great scene where Ben Hur first encounters Jesus. Ben Hur, a slave is on the

ground, dying of thirst, and praise God, please help me. And a man walks up to him, a carpenter. You never see his face, but he gives Ben her water, washes his face and then stares down the Roman soldier. In this scene, you don't see Jesus' face, but you see the effect he has on everyone around him, his goodness, his power, his wisdom. It struck me how similar these two scenes are. The way Washington is portrayed is very similar to the way Jesus. is portrayed. And he looked up the year Ben-Hur was made and it was 1959, the same year that John Paul Jones was made. And it gives you the sense of just how Americans felt about George Washington to the point that they would even compare him to Christ Jesus himself.

There's no need, sir, for you to listen to this litany of gloom. And I do not have to tell you that your captured cargo was of great help. You were to be commended. But, sir, why are you I've come to offer my services, sir, in any capacity. You are a proven sea officer. Why are you not with your ship? I have no ship, sir. I know my profession is a sea officer, but what use is that in a Navy were officers are chosen only by influence. 17 captains promoted above me.

So, sir, I am resigning my commission in the Continental Navy of the United States. What are you fighting for, Jones? the principle of liberty or promotion. You talk of the Continental Navy of the United States. But, sir, there will be no United States unless all of us remain united and bound by that vision of liberty and freedom of tyranny which we swore and which we have dedicated ourselves to make a fact. And it will be a fact.

The goal will be attained. And the permanent design will be set for the new generations of free men that I am sure will live by the high ideals we have set in this blessed land. The United States will continue to exist as long as we have faith. I'm Richard Lim. We're back next time with more This American President.