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Remember the Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare? Do you remember the moral of the story? It was “Slow and steady wins the race”. This famous quote from Aesop would be the perfect credo for a very famous American, George Washington. While many people know the first President as the kid who could never tell a lie, the guy with the wooden teeth, or the General who led our troops to victory during the Revolutionary War, Washington suffered through many times of adversity, and he made his share of mistakes, too.
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George wasn't known for making rash or snap decisions. He took his time, looked at a problem from all sides, and then passed judgment on a situation. After all, he knew everything he did, every decision he made, was being made in uncharted territory, and future generations would be watching.
Talk about pressure! He’d have to be sure every decision he made was done after careful, thoughtful debate. Otherwise, he would always have the fear that he was, at some time, going to flub it up. It’s no wonder he could be considered a Marathon Man.
George Washington inherited Mount Vernon from his brother after his death in 1759. He lived there with his wife Martha, and raised tobacco as his chief crop. As was the practice of the time, George would sell his crop to an agent in London. The agent would quote him a price for his crop, and George would calculate what he would make from that shipment. Based on the prices quoted from the agent in London, George would tell the agent how much china, dress material, furniture, etc. to buy for him and Martha for the coming year. Now George had always wanted to be part of the upper echelon of society, and he felt having the best of everything from Europe was the way to get things rolling.
What George didn’t initially know was that his British agent, like many others in Britain, saw the American colonists, despite being subjects of the crown, as ignorant backwoodsmen, incapable of knowing anything about goods and services in London.
Strangely enough for George, every year the price tobacco sold for at market was lower than the price quoted by the agent, and the price of goods was higher. He wasn’t making any money on this venture! It took the Marathon Man a while to realize this, but when he finally figured it out, he told the agent if he continued to work with him, he’d be in debtor’s prison! Worse yet, at the time, selling his crops to the British was his only option. At the time, London was the only tobacco market. A rock and a hard place? You’d better believe it! He had to find a way to make a profit from his crop.
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Fortunately, George had studied agricultural science. He knew all about the methods of crop rotation. He knew he could convert part of his land to grow the type of grain required for making WHISKEY! Whiskey was something he could sell directly to the colonist with no money grubbing agent involved. This would guarantee he would get a fair market value for his goods, and at last make a profit on his crops.
As a Marathon Man weighing his options, Washington came to realize for the first time during the French and Indian War that the British didn’t consider the colonists true British subjects, or colonial soldiers as members of the true British military.
Even back then, George knew he had the “stuff” to be a military officer. He had proved his worth to his superior officers many times. Not only was he a quick study, but he solved the problems of recruitment, the logistics of getting supplies to the men, as well as the problem of desertions, which gained him the respect of his superiors. He also knew the territory well. Years before as a surveyor, he had gone over every nook and cranny of the land. However, during the war, while he was involved in many of the skirmishes as a lowly colonist, he was considered less important to the British than a member of the “regular” military. As a result, he was never allowed to become a military officer. He was relegated to leading militia. Farmers, blacksmiths, shop keepers, the average Joes were the men Washington led during the war.
Ironically, after being captured by the French, he signed surrender, and was allowed to be released. As he was only a colonist, he was not considered an important cog in the British Army wheel, and of no real consequence to enemy.
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Washington’s reputation with the British began to change in 1755, when General Edward Braddock was leading an expedition into the Ohio Territory against the French. While Washington was part of that expedition, he was very sick at the time, and not in the front column of men. The troops were ambushed by the French and their Indian allies. Word was quickly sent to the rear guard of the waylay. Twenty-three year old George, sick as he was, rallied the Virginia militia to try and save the General from the ambush. The militia was unsuccessful, but more importantly for George, he was beginning to be seen as a leader in the eyes of the regular military.
As a result, he began acting more like a regular military soldier than a colonist leading a militia. By the end of the war, Washington was considered a hero not for the battles he had won, necessarily, but the battles he had survived. After the success Washington had, carefully building his reputation during the French and Indian War, one would think that when it came to the Revolutionary War, George would have sailed through all adversity, and forever be seen as the thoughtful, deliberate general who saved the colonies. Well, while that might make sense, when does life ever make sense? George should have had a little post it pinned to his uniform that read “Remember George, slow and steady wins the race.”---and he should have looked at it…often!
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Without that handy dandy little post- it note, George was not true to himself in August of 1776 during the Battle of Long Island in New York. Let’s pick up the story after Washington and his men chased the British out of Boston earlier that year. By June, George had set his sights on his troops doing the same to General William Howe and his men in New York. However, unlike in Boston, George and his officers didn’t position the troops in the most advantageously strategic place to fight the enemy. The British started their advance, and struck upon the Patriots weak defense of the area. Regarding the practical Rules of Engagement, George realized it was surrender or retreat. Up until this time, in past European wars, surrendering was the norm. This time, George thought about it and going against the norm, decided to sneak his men across the East River under the protection of darkness, rain and the fog that had rolled into the area. Howe never realized the troops had moved out.
Once Washington had regrouped his troops, the Marathon Man sat back and realized that maybe he shouldn’t have placed his men in New York so hastily. Maybe there was something to the slow, deliberate, and thoughtful method of working he had relied on to make his mark in the world.
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Taking this new realization into account, the winter of 1777-78 saw George scouting a location for his winter encampment. By this time, the British had taken Philadelphia, and had claimed the city as their winter encampment. You see, unlike today, during the 18th century, there was an agreed upon understanding that armies do not fight during the winter. George felt the most logical place to encamp his army was the fertile county side outside of Philadelphia centered on Valley Forge.
He felt this was the most logical place because it contained the most supplies, crops, etc. to sustain the 12, 000 men in the camp that winter. Yes, George, that would make sense, but we all know what happened at Valley Forge! Due to sickness, lack of clothing, and lack of food, at any given time there were less than 2,000 men available. WHAT HAPPENED? Well, what George didn’t know was that the farmers of the little valley decided to sell their crops to the highest bidder…the British. They had the money for the crops that the colonists didn’t. By the time Washington had realized what was going on, it was too late. In something that could be taken right out of today’s headlines, Congress was slow to pay up for the required supplies, and farmers were not willing to sell on credit. After all there was a war going on! Well Marathon Man, this is a pretty kettle of fish, ain’t it? Okay, let’s say it another way…it’s a marathon, not a sprint!
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To begin with, Washington got Major General Nathaniel Green as his quartermaster. Green was able to solve the supply problems by ordering a “grand forage”. This meant forcibly confiscating all cattle, horses and grain that remained in the region. It wasn’t the most agreeable solution, but it was one that was necessary.
Secondly, he asked Prussian drill master General Von Steuben to whip his troops into shape and reorganize the camp by improving sanitary conditions. This meant moving the latrines away from the living quarters. ‘Nuf’ said on that account! Next, the officers began working more directly with the troops; requiring them to drill in formation. This taught the troops to follow orders, which would be valuable in the battle field, and it taught the officers how to give directions to large groups of men to have them work more as a unit. This would be important in battle when large numbers of troops had to be quickly moved from one location to another. Above all else, Von Steuben’s methods taught military discipline, something that had been previously lacking amongst the colonists.
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As a result, the men began to bond as a unit. This, along with the fact that the troops were getting more food and more military training, what began as a winter where the men were waiting to die, ended with men who were becoming stronger, and better able to fight.
Washington was also beginning to realize a quick victory over the British as the only way to win the war was perhaps not the only way. This came to him as he watched his own troops at Valley Forge that winter become a stronger, more cohesive army. He now thought the longer the war took, the better their chances of winning. It was going to take time for the Americans to become a strong military force. Perhaps if they could just take it slow and steady, they’d win this race!
Everyone knows the conclusion to the Revolutionary War. Washington won the independence of the new nation, and then did the unthinkable -- he laid down his weapons, and gave control of the nation back to the new government of the United States. This was something that no recent military leader had ever done.
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What did George learn from all of this? For one thing, he did indeed find out that slow and steady wins the race. This little lesson served him well throughout the rest of his life. After the war, he retired to Mount Vernon to become something he had always dreamed of but had not yet achieved a gentlemen farmer. However, that wasn’t the end of the story. Within a few years he became, albeit grudgingly, the lead delegate from Virginia at the Constitutional Convention. His presence at the Convention gave it a stamp of legitimacy. His cautious, unpretentious persona also gave the other delegates a sense of security. As our country’s first President, members of Congress knew George was not a power hungry politician who would put his own wants and needs above those of the country.
What Can We Take From This?
In today’s society, too often we are bombarded by 24/7 news cycles, instant messaging, email; everything comes to us on a momentary basis. It’s no surprise then that our decision making processes sometimes mirror the same demand of instant accessibility. Some decisions cannot and should not be made that quickly. Many times, a more thoughtful debate would serve us better. Remember, life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon—pace yourself accordingly.
Excerpt from the book Mistakes Happen: An Historical Guide to Overcoming Adversity, available at www.historiesforkids.com or www.amazon.com
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