quakes i would say that henry knox was a leading light in the cabinet. often misunderstood and wrongly judged as a dimbulb because he was in a room where the pyrotechnic hamilton and jefferson. in any of us would find by thats overshadowed company. the problem with the second cabinet is that washington was having incredible difficulty filling the post. hamilton picked wolcott for it. unfortunately, wolcott and pickering and hammering -- hamilton remained in close correspondence throughout the closing months of the washington presidency and very much so during adams. quakes he was quite competent. he had been trained by hamilton. he certainly didn't have hamilton's creativity but he knew what he was doing. i don't see how it possibly blame washington for a situation that he really had no control over. people saw the example of alexander hamilton, who nearly went broke as a result of his service to the government. hamilton resigned to support his family. the other leading lights were not going to go down that road. it was not just the cabinet. it was all s

he offered henry the war department when knox resigned. the one person that this is not true about is another virginian, mason.bor, george in the book, we talk about george mason and his relationship with george washington that was always somewhat odd. it was a friendship rot with the disagreements that would not ordinarily infringe on a friendship, things that washington seem to overlook with other people. the only thing we can think that caused this is the fact that george mason was something of a didactic personality that tended to lecture, rather than converse. that was fine with certain people, who liked that. washington did not. masonms to us that george 's behavior towards george washington was always tinged by that, not condescension, but presumption of superior knowledge and in the light. thought, we think, is what happened in philadelphia. ehere must've been som interview between the two of them in terms of mason's opposition to the constitution that turned nasty, that made washington feel stupid. he could be quite touchy about t

i would say henry knox was a leading light in the cabinet. he is often misunderstood and wrongly charged -- judged as a dim bulb because he was in a room with a pyrotechnic hamilton and jefferson. any of us would find ourselves overshadowed by the company. washington had incredible difficulty filling the post. hamilton picked walcott. unfortunately, they remained in close correspondence throughout the closing months of the presidency, washington presidency. very much so during adams. so much so that adams ultimately fired these men, let them go with the exception of walcott. jeanne: he had been trained by hamilton. he certainly did not have hamilton's creativity, but he knew what he was doing. , i do not see how we could possibly blame washington for a situation he really had no control over. ofple saw the example alexander hamilton, who nearly went broke as a result of his service to the government. hamilton resigned to support his family. the other leading like -- lights were not going to go down that road. it was not just the cabinet. it w

joseph plumb martin went to maine and struggled getting his pension and lived on the property of henry knox. knox throws him off the property because he says it is not his property. joseph plumb martin dug the trenches that knox put cannons in in yorktown. later, they are arguing and knox throws him off his land. knox died choking on a chicken bone. not to say there is justice. just a curiosity that a man who survived the revolution dies choking on a chicken bone in serious debt because things have not turned out well for him. it is just the same story, again, about how the fighting man, the revolutionary soldier, was usually not taken care of. i am sure you know the expression "not worth a continental." soldiers were paid with continental paper money, which was not worth a continental. >> when washington addressed the troops at newburgh, the meeting house is still there. when he addresses the troops, wasn't there a bit about him pausing and taking out his spectacles? mr. davis: he said, i've never had to use these, but i am getting old and my eyes are getting bad. very poignant moment. the

john jay, to henry knox, head of the military forces which was a confederation congress and to jamesmadison asking him if we go to philadelphia, what sort of government would we trade. you can lock -- look back at the letters and said, we need to have government, it has to have the power of taxation, military force, it has to progressively open the frontier, we need to open the west. we have to have a central government that can defend us against european powers, that consolidates what's necessary for the nation and make an economy. they were coming from washington or washington was fully a partner to them. but washington also realized. this was another thing that was characteristic of this period, is washington was a great listener. now, that my come in part because he wasn't a particular good order but he was a great listener, you could see this before he was a general, before every battle, he would pull together all the officers and listened to all of them about how the battle should take place, what should we do, how should we handle crossing the delaware, yorktown and collective

after the constitutional convention was beginning to take shape, henry knox who was the head of militaryforces for what was the continental congress, confederation congress and james madison asking if we go to philadelphia, what sort of government can we create? what needs to be in this government? you can look at a circular letter he sent to all the state governors in his last year as a general saying we need a central government with more power, it has to control interstate commerce, has to have the power of taxation, has have military force, it has to progress of the open the frontier. we need to open the west. we have to have a central government that can defend us against european powers that consolidates what is necessary for raja nation and make a national market economy. these are words you often associate with hamilton. he gets a rock music opera about him. they were coming from washington. washington was fully a part to them but also realized and this was another thing that characterized this period. washington was a great listener. that man come in part because it wasn't a par