I am almost embarrassed by the way I got sucked into General George Washington: A Military Life by Edward G. Lengel. I listened to it and was stricken by the frequent descriptions of President Washington’s physicality. I don’t have a problem thinking of these men, the presidents, as flesh-and-bones people. Just ask my writing group who have been subjected to some poetry of mine on the topic. But this was distracting. I was taken aback by it, perhaps because this book is about Washington’s military history. On second thought, perhaps it makes more sense to hear these very visceral descriptions on this context. For the individual, the battlefield is very much about the body, and preservation of it.
I am glad that I listened to this book. It made me want to learn more about a some others of the era. Patrick Henry, Benjamin Rush, “Mad” Anthony Wayne are among them.
Reading about these guys always brings some perspective with it. George Washington, in his military pursuits, along with most of the continentals from this era basically had to learn on the job in these life-or-death times. How’s that for pressure?
I will never again be able to think about horses without thinking about George Washington and the American Revolution. As always, I found myself fascinated by the language and diction of those from a different era. When I think about the way that the founders spoke, occasionally, I find myself swept away by their romantic use of language. There are so many snippets of phrasing that I want to write down just so that I can refer back to them. Washington’s quotes that involve the concept of “manliness” are of those. However, one of the touching quotes that I loved was this: “I have grown gray in your service and now find myself growing blind.” Here, we see Washington as a man not invincible to the effects of time. Makes you want to hug him.