Life of George Washington, volume 3 of 5

About this book

"Life of George Washington, volume 3 of 5" by Washington Irving is a historical biography written in the mid-19th century. It traces Washington’s leadership through the central phase of the American Revolution, blending battlefield operations with political intrigue and vivid contrasts between American and British command.

The opening of the volume centers on the winter after Trenton: New Jersey rises against occupying forces, Washington settles at Morristown for a war of skirmishes, grants safe-conduct for Hessian convoys while warning he cannot restrain angry militia, and orders army-wide smallpox inoculation. It contrasts Howe’s comfortable New York headquarters with Washington’s austere, disciplined camp, and then turns to prisoner issues: efforts to exchange Ethan Allen and the contentious case of General Lee, Washington’s protests over prison-ship abuses, and his plea to avoid harsh retaliation. It follows the struggle to rebuild the army, safeguard the Hudson, and meet a British raid on Peekskill; then shifts to northern politics—Schuyler’s clashes with Congress, Gates’s rise to command at Ticonderoga, and Schuyler’s demand for an inquiry. Foreign officers arrive seeking rank (notably Conway and Kosciuszko), while Washington forms his select guard and wrestles with promotion inequities, including the slight to Benedict Arnold. The section closes with the British strike on Danbury, the burning of stores, the Connecticut militia’s sharp counterblows at Ridgefield, General Wooster’s death, and Arnold’s conspicuous bravery as the enemy retreats to its ships.