he rocketed a stone to match the height of that geological marvel. in a justifiably famous exchange, alan nevins praised douglas southhall-freeman after reading the first two volumes of the magnum opus. yet, he was quick to add a qualifier. i wonder if you think it's a little bit disagreeable. he is not a likable young man. he was too much a careerist, even too much an egoist. freeman conceded the point but with a critical caveat, telling nevins the great fact is that washington grew. freeman was particularly struck by the transforming impact of the 16 years between washington's marriage in 1759 and his summons by congress to command a rag tag essentially regional force purporting to be a continental army.

grow he did. but the ingredients of growth were present from his earliest years. to be sure, young washington was a socially awkward aspirant to the colonial gentry, brave to the point of rashness, touchy where his honor was concerned, unsophisticated in matters of love. but even then he carried with him the seeds of sacrificial leadership. pregnant with character, this is washington at 22. the first of those three astonishing life-like figures. of washington, which anchored the exhibits in the reynolds education center here at mount vernon. here he is depicted in the forest, arguably his earliest true classroom. a skilled surveyor, stamping order on chaos by fixing his name to unchartered lands. washington was barely 15 when he pocketed his first 500 acres as a surveying theme.

land he wrote about the time is the most permanent estate and is likely to increase in value. his attitude reflected a tobacco growing culture, an exhausted soil was the price of prosperity. thus, the unending quest for unspoiled lands to the west. along with the wealth and distinctions, such holdings bestowed in virginia. one wonders, did these compensate with emotions held from martha's sons? and cooley taking their measure as if observing a misplaced free or errant boulder. his need to control was marked by a rootless childhood marked by family tensions and the

longing for escape. the eldest son of a second marriage, he lost his father at the age of 11. thereafter the name of augustin washington appears twice in his son's 19,000 surviving letters. from his vinegary mother, that's a carefully chosen word by the way -- you can choose any variation you want. it's -- you could do a whole study. you could do a whole course. you could write a book, i'm sure about how washington's mother has evolved in the national consciousness, how in the 19th century, she was held up to be a saintly figure, and -- let's just say the debunkers have still not finished their work with mary ball washington. from his vinegary mother, george inherited a natural aura of command. that's not the only legacy of mary ball washington to a son who i think resembled her more

than either care to acknowledge. of the mother, remembered one of george's boyhood playmates, i was ten times more afraid than i ever was of my own parents. it prompted washington to establish an independent sense of self. even while struggling to subdue his volatile emotions. i wish i could say he could temper his emotions. he is subject to attacks of anger on provocation. sometimes without just cause. time would cure the 16-year-old friend of the vice, predicted his lordship. adding that young george was someone, quote, who will go to school all his life. what a wonderful phrase. and how quintessentially american. and this is not a school where you get a degree. the great thing about washington, it's -- they're

frankly historians to this day who condescend to washington. because of his relatively scanty formal education. what they tend to overlook is he never stopped learning. his education was for life. he had relatively little interest -- he was not intellectual in the sense that abstract ideas and the play of ideas for the sake of their play mattered. his was a practical intellect. this was prophetic. for while his formal education was meager, washington knew what he did not know. the most important spur to life long learning and the key to understanding his later invention of cabinet government. from an early age, washington read more and more widely than we suppose. he read for practical benefit

and he read for literary diversion. he read seneca's dialogues, imbibing the great lesson that self-reliance offers the surest path to happiness. a sensual life is a miserable life, claimed the noble old roman. the contempt of death makes all the miseries of life easy to us. washington learned to read people as well as books. at the age of 16, he famously copied out 110 rules of civility and decent behavior in company and conversation. and i will not quote. it's irresistible but i shall resist. it's speculated this earliest cat manual was valued less for its instructions than for washington's characteristically dogged effort to improve his handwriting. what of a companion piece? young washington jotted down for its moral instruction. these are things which once

possessed will make a life that's truly blessed. a good estate on healthy soil, not cut by vice or yet by toil. around the warm fire, a pleasant joke with chimney ever free from smoke. a strength and tire, a sparkling bole, a quiet life, a quiet soul. if nothing else, washington's choice of verse hints at what may have been missing from his austere upbringing. though his formal education was modest, his military career offered its own seminar in the art of leadership. his thirst for knowledge was unslakable. in time, he would travel more extensively and meet a wider range of people than any american his age. his curiosity undimmed by fame or the dulling incense of public adulation, washington appears to have gained something from nearly every encounter he had. this was his true education.

its benefits magnified by the methodical habits and attention to detail. the death of his had father left young george without a role model. but not for long. he had his older brother lawrence to emulate. he was a stylist member in good standing of the military. he was surpassed by only his marital one. marrying into the fairfax clan opened doors to both brothers. for example, it was the fairfax connection that first led an adolescent george beyond the blue ridge. the journey over the mountains in the water logged spring of 1748 reflects an adventurous youth on the cusp of manhood. eager for experience, yet appreciative of comfort. whether it took the form of a good feather bed in remote country lodges or the superiority of sleeping under

the stars over a straw mattress crawling with vermin. clearly a discriminates young man, washington voiced contempt for, quote, the worst road that was trod on by man or beast. he ought to try the commute in northern virginia. at the home of a frederick, maryland, justice of the peace he was dismayed to find neither tablecloth or knife to eat, but as good luck would have it we had knives of our own. his critical eye was put to better use surveying prime acreage under lord fairfax and in shooting wild turkeys for nourishment 37 every day offered fresh tests of his endurance and ingenuity. a persistent wind blew down his tents. other times the smoke drove them from their shelter. washington learned to make do with what was at hand. displaying the talent for improvisation that was to be a

hallmark of his military and political careers. one evening, being without spits for roasting or plates, he adapted forks and wood chips in their place. living off the land, washington also had his first encounter with native americans. whose liquor-induced war dance he found highly entertaining. the allure of the west, shadowy preview of the continental republic he would champion. this seized ahold of him with a grip that never relaxed. this then is washington at 22. a young giant whose social status has yet to catch up to his imposing physical stature. by then he was a celebrity, based on the reconnaissance of the french and indian territory. lawrence's death in july 1752 had opened the door to the

military career his younger brother coveted. with no practical experience, george was appointed a major. in the southernmost of virginia's four military districts. he pulled every string within reach to be transferred to the more prestigious command of the northern neck. his jockeying for position paid off in the autumn of 1753. that there was more to this ambitious youth than mere place seeking is evidenced by the decision to entrust washington with an assignment that would test the mettle of one many years his senior. stoked by the alarmist reports of an impending french invasion, london wished to know more about the enemy's presence in the disputed ohio river valley. 21-year-old george washington was to be its unlikely emissary. his orders were plain enough. depending on what he learned, washington was to present an

ultimatum to the french commandant on behalf of king george ii, politely demanding that the french vacate his own territory. the story of washington's first diplomatic mission and its decidedly undiplomatic outcome is as tangled as the ohio country hotly disputed by the french, the english and native american tribes only too willing so play the european powers off each other. the governor hoped to eliminate the french from the ohio valley is as clear as the ambition of the land hungry ohio company to take their place. but the governor lacked the military resources to do so is equally transparent. playing his cards close to his vest, dinwiddie didn't inform them of washington's mission until a week after the young man's departure for the frontier.

an intricate series of courtship rituals crossed signals, raised hopes, false promises and silken betrayals preceded him from the lake erie shore town of presque isle. he got his first taste of bureaucratic evasion with extravagant courtesy promised to forward the docume t governor general in quebec. unless colonel washington wished to deliver it himself. a diversionary tactic that washington saw through like a plate glass window. the french practiced their own form of diplomacy. the young envoy from williamsburg had all he could do to convince his indian allies to come away with him. so alluring were the weapons, if is oent the natives remained behind.

washington's return trip was marred by terrible weather, inadequate supplies and native treachery. the far more experienced christopher guest covered 18 miles on blistered, half frozen feet. they nearly fell victim to an indian guide who had volunteered his services only to open fire on them at the first opportunity. gist tackled the guide and would have killed him yet for washington's intervention. hoping to put some distance between themselves and their would be assailant, they tramped all night on freshly fallen snow. with a small hatchet, they built a raft capable of crossing the ice-choked allegheny river, or so they thought. hurled into the frigid waters by the current, they spent the night on an island before walking across the frozen surface in the morning. mid january 1754 found washington back in williamsburg where grateful burgess gave him

50 pounds in recognition of his services. and dinwiddie ordered his journal of the trip be sent to the board of trade in london. when the same narrative was printed for public distribution, washington got his first taste of celebrity. it would give way soon enough to global notoriety. publication of his wilderness diary and of his immature boast to have found the sound of flying bullets in his words charming, moved king george to observe that washington couldn't have heard very many bullets. undeterred by the dismal picture washington communicated, governor dinwiddie ordered him to recruit 100 volunteers part of a much larger force entrusted of building today's river town of pittsburgh. he might as well have appealed for 100,000. at length, washington managed to assemble a squadron of 75 men in his words, loose, idle persons that are quite destitute of

house and home. only the promise of future land grants filled out the ranks. at least until the desertions began. foreshadowing the later war time relations with a fractious congress, washington chafed under insinuation by several burgesses that he was part of a plot to advance the interests of the ohio company. the same assembly appointed 14 of the members to oversee any military operations. this too contributed to washington's education. as he contended daily with skulking militia, unwilling and unreliable suppliers and lawmakers who fought wars with their tongues, a safe distance from the front. anyone else might well have put in protest or worst turned into the proverbial man on horse back. a charismatic threat to the very popular liberties he was sworn to defend. it is a testament to washington's character then and

later that he never became jaded or cynical. to the contrary, the greater his exposure to human inadequaciein the more tolerance he displayed. we must make the best of mankind as they are to clear the adult washington since we cannot have them as we wish. his fatalistic attitude did not extend to how others saw him. deprived of adequate transport and supplies for his latest foray into the wilderness, major washington moved swiftly to protect his flanks in the press if not in the woods. he complained to governor dinwiddie of 24 wagons impressed at winchester, we've got ten after wasting a week and some of those so illy provided with teams that we could not travel with them without the soldiers assisting them up the hills. i doubt not but at some points i may have strained the law,

washington confessed, but i hope as my sole motive was to expedite the march i shall be supported if it, should any authority be questioned, which at present i don't apprehend will, unless some busy body intermettles. do you think the governor got the message? a month later promoted to a lieutenant colonel it was in a different tone of voice that he addressed his excellency. among the long reinforcements was a south carolina company whose royal commission entitled its members to higher rank and pay, compared to washington's hastily recruited irregulars. on learning that his earnings would be substantially less than his counterpart in the regular british army, washington threatened to resign. i have to tell you, washington -- young washington threatened to resign more often than henry kissinger.

and henry kissinger had more to back it up, quite frankly, at that stage in his career than did young washington. only the immediate danger of a french thrust into the likely defended regional border prevented them from abandoning their positions. on second thought, washington said he'd serve voluntarily rather than by quote, slaving dangerously for the shadow of pay. he's laying the guilt trip. indeed, he says, quote, i would rather prefer the great toil of a laborer and dig for maintenance provided i were reduced of necessity, than serve upon such ignoble terms. the newly promoted washington reiterated his -- of the pork

and the bread that passed for rations. upon the whole he added i find so many cogs upon the expedition that i despair of success. and your honor will continue me if the post i now injoy, the dudety where i will most cheerfully execute as a volunteer, but by no means upon the present pay. the recipient of the unsettling letter might be forgiven a touch of whiplash. worse lay ahead. on the morning of wednesday, may 28, washington and a small contingent of indian allies, answering to their tribal leader, a man known to history as the half king, sniffed out an armed party of three dozen french men. convinced at the threat they posed, justified a preemptive strategy, washington and the half king proceeded to ambush the enemy.

instantly the french kings' troops sprang for their weapons as washington recalled the incident later, leading the english in turn to unleash a devastating volley. ten of the french soldiers fell dead. all but one of the survivors were taken prisoner. it was at this juncture that washington lost control of the situation which contrasted powerfully with his own experiences as a diplomatic courier. remember, no one had shot at him at the fort. rather he had been treated with exquisite courtesy by those his king in london would declare trespassers. a very different fate now awaited his french counterpart, the 35-year-old frenchman. before washington could stop it, before he had read the ultimatum, the half king sent a

hatchet into the frenchman's skull and washed his hands in his brains. at least we think that's what happened. after more than 250 years, the debate continues over precisely what happened at jumenville glen. writing more than a century ago, francis parkman cut washington some slack. he speculated that the french embassy was sent to spy on washington's movements prior to alerting the masters at ft. duquesne so they might bring superior force to bear against the general and his pitful force. indeed, parkman acquits washington of anything worse than military ardor. a natural consequence of his quote, vehement and fiery nature. modern historians tend to be less generous. in his imaginess teerial history of the seven years war, fred

harrison disputes washington as a clumsy cover-up. most of the french casualties were not killed by shots, but of native massacre that followed the surrender. shaken by what he had witnessed, washington retired to a defensive position at the nearby great meadows. in the floor of the valley encircled by hills ideally sighted for an enemy laying siege, the virginians dubbed it ft. necessity by its occupants and dismissed by the half king as that little thing upon the meadow. reinforcements swelled washington's army to perhaps 400 men. no match for an estimated 900 french soldiers and their indian allies. surrounded by hostile forces, burning to avenge the murdered comrades, his men being picked off by enemy sharpshooters, targeting three sides of his little fort, washington waited

only a few hours before entering into surrender talks. he signed the surrender on the 4th of july, 1754. afterward he would blame a dutch translator for failing to catch a french characterization of jumenville's death as quote an assassination. a word with grave connotations for his honor and britain's legal position. to complete the route, washington left behind his journal which the victorious french hurried to publish as proof of english aggression. in the ensuing reorganization, washington's command was abolished. fresh disputes over rank prevented the emotionally bruised warrior from accepting an overtour from north carolina governor horatio sharp who wanted washington as part a new campaign against french strong holds in the ohio valley. on october 23, having learned he can expect no title higher than

captain, in the newly commissioned army, then taking shape, washington resigned his commission. two months later he was at mount vernon which he had rented from his brother's widow since remarried. that gloomy winter, washington spent more time than usual socializing with his fairfax neighbors. i know what you're thinking, at last we get to the good stuff. sally fairfax, was she or wasn't she? did they or didn't they? opinion varies widely. to james thomas flexner, sally was the most passionate love of washington's life. though even he goes on to acknowledge, the exact nature their relationship cannot be zee find. john furly wrote of young washington's quote infatuation with sally. the judicious chair suggests that washington's persistent

attempts to draw her into a correspondence went beyond what he calls "a mere schoolboy crush." clearly, washington had in chernow's carefully chosen words, may have had a much more active interlife than his reserved exterior might have assumed. that said, he would not be the first ambitious, raw boned youth to be smitten by a slightly older, though vastly more sophisticated woman of flirtatious habits and universally acknowledged charms. that their relationship remained platonic seems likely. if only because it seems out of character for washington even then to have betrayed his friend, george william fairfax. and because no contemporary evidence or even gossip supports the idea of a sexual liaison. in the closely knit society of fairfax county, such a scandal would have been hard to can

conceal. if you doubt that, just think about this. more than 250 years after the fact, we know all about young tom jefferson's improper advances to a friend's wife. now, the sally fairfax episode is revealing mostly of our own need to make washington one of us. conduct that would have gone unnoticed in a thousand other colonial youths is sifted for signs of moral weakness, or let's face it, any kind of emotions at all in young washington. in love, as in war, neither youth nor experience is a character flaw. far more revealing to me, at least, is the sad, shrewd observation washington made near the end of his life. to one of martha washington's granddaughters on the brink of marriage, he spoke of love as quote, a mighty pretty thing, but like other delicious things

it is courting. be assured that there is no truth more certain than that all our enjoyments fall short of our expectations. and to none does it apply with more force than to the gratification of the passions. contrast this autumnal wisdom to young washington's political ambitions. whatever his feelings toward fairfax's wife, had he had no designs upon his friend's district in the house of burgesses. yet, he practiced the discretion bordering on deception. early in 1755, surveying his chances like a colonial ward healer, washington instructed the supporter in frederick county to conduct his own poll of local political opinion. quote, sound the pulse with an air of indifference and unconcern, without disclosing

much of mine. in the end he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of voters still angry over his earlier impressment of horses with which to counter the french military threat. his first defeat at the polls was to prove no less instructive than the affair at jumenville glen, the humiliation of ft. necessity or the shadowy romance conducted mostly in his imagination with his best friend's wife. few men have profited more handsomely from their mistakes than george washington. as virginia and its colonial brethren renewed their efforts to expel the french, washington's preoccupation with rank, a mark of youthful insecurity, yielded to the unquestioned bravery and rapid response with which he tried to forestall the deadly route of general edward braddock's westward march. from the start, washington had