Many American’s today don’t realize how close this country came to being either a monarchy or a military dictatorship. I think it is fair to say, that had we chosen another man to lead the continental armies, one of three things would have happened; One, We would have lost the war and still been a British Colony for many years, two, we would have become a monarchy which is what some close to Washington wanted, or three we would have become a military dictatorship which is what almost happened in 1783 just one month before the peace treaty with Britain was ratified.
How is this possible you ask? George Washington was a truly extraordinary man. He, by the force of his personality, kept the continental army going when they were tired, starving, cold and disheartened. He also turned down two documented opportunities to use that power to his advantage.
In May of 1782, he received a letter from Colonel Lewis Nicola, Commander of the Invalid Regiment. In his letter, Nicola complained about the state of the army, laying out all of the grievances that plagued the Army year after year. His solution was for Washington to use the army to take over the government and establish a new monarchy. After all, everyone knew that the reason nothing was being done for the army was because there was no centralized government. Congress was too weak.
Washington’s response was swift and to the point, letting Nicola know that, “you could not have found a person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable.” He went on to tell Nicola that he never wanted to receive a similar letter from him again. However, he did acknowledge the validity of Nicola’s concerns with regard to the army and assured him, “he would do everything in his power to find a solution.”
Unfortunately, this was not the last time Washington would hear about the Army marching on Congress to redress the wrong done to the army. In February of 1783 Washington received another letter, this time from Alexander Hamilton. He also talked about the discontent of the army and told Washington that the men were beginning to blame him, Washington, for not doing enough. He told Washington that many were ready to resort to the sword to procure justice. Hamilton suggested that Washington take direction of the Army and thereby moderate their demands when they marched on Congress. General Washington stewed about the letter he received from Hamilton for days. He believed that if the Army became the arbiters of the law, the results would be disastrous. Finally he replied to Hamilton, letting him know that “No observations are necessary to evince the fatal tendency of such a measure. . . .It would at this day be productive of civil commotions and end in blood. . . . .God forbid that we should be involved in this.”
Ultimately, Washington had to call a meeting of his officers to stop such a march on congress and prevent a mutiny of his troops. His men were chomping at the bit to give Congress a piece of their minds. They were cold, hungry, and had not been paid for over a year. And even if they were paid, the money issued by Congress was worthless anyway, and no one would accept it as legal tender. Printed material had been circulating among his men calling for a meeting of general and field officers. The circular was also calling for them to forcibly seek redress from the long delinquent Congress. “Washington immediately issued strict orders condemning the meeting and calling for another meeting to be held on the fifteenth of March. At that time, Washington felt they could openly discuss their grievances and come to a more intelligent solution to their problems.”
Washington knew, however, that this situation could still explode. The night before the meeting was to take place, Washington came to a realization. He had not planned on attending the meeting, hoping his officers would chose the right course on their own, but upon reflection, he knew that he had to attend to try to stop what he feared would be the result of the day. His men were angry and he needed to be the one to try to talk them down. It was into this environment that Washington walked, on March 15, 1783. He stood in front of his officers, and with dignity, made his case for advancing the cause of honor and liberty. Although not recognized as a great orator, when Washington left the tent, his officers voted to abide by Washington’s wishes, only one officer abstained from the vote. Just one month later, Washington received word that hostilities were to cease. The peace treaty with Britain had been ratified and America had dodged a bullet.
I can’t help but compare our revolution, to the struggles that are going on in the Middle East today and their fight for freedom. Which direction will their new governments take? It is all too easy to see how one man can make the difference between winning or losing liberty. Our Country might look so different now if not for the integrity of the Commander in Chief of our Continental Armies. Washington was a man who held the meaning of liberty in his heart. He was a man who never wavered from his goal and he served with unwavering loyalty to his country. Because of him, America has been truly blessed. We are a unique experiment and we need to follow in the footsteps of George Washington, moving forward with integrity to preserve what he dedicated his life to help create.
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