7 George Washington 7limited interest in state affairs. However, over the next
few years, he transformed from a moderate into a radical.
He served as a delegate to both the First Continental
Congress in Philadelphia in September 1774, which he
attended in full military uniform, and the Second Congress
in March 1775.
Recognizing Washington’s military experience and
leadership, the Continental Congress made him com-
mander in chief of all colonial military forces in June 1775.
In March 1776 his army staged a siege and eventually
expelled British troops from Boston. Washington fared
less well in his subsequent defense of New York. However,
in December 1776, Washington’s forces pulled off stun-
ning victories at Trenton and Princeton, stealing across
the Delaware River in the midst of a raging snowstorm to
surprise the British in formal battle. Washington’s army
suffered losses against the British forces in Pennsylvania
at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown in the fall
of 1777. In December 1777 Washington withdrew to Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania, where he set up winter quarters and
reorganized his army despite the bitter cold. By 1778
France recognized American independence and sent mil-
itary support to help Washington’s forces fight the
British. In July 1778 a French naval fleet blockaded the
British troops in New York City, leaving the British iso-
lated from reinforcements. After 1779 the theatre of war
shifted to the south. On Oct. 19, 1781, Washington’s
army—combined with the French naval fleet and ground
troops—staged a siege at Yorktown, Virginia, forcing the
surrender of the British under General Charles Cornwallis.
The Treaty of Paris was signed on Sept. 3, 1783, officially
ending the American Revolution.
It is unquestionable that Washington’s strength of
character, his ability to hold the confidence of the army
and people and to diffuse his own courage among them,