George Washington was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia on February 22, 1732. George was the youngest son of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Bell Washington. George's early education consisted of the study of such subjects as mathematics, surveying, the classics, and rules of civility. His father died in 1743. From then on, he went to live with his half brother Lawrence. George then lived and traveled with his brother for nine years. His brother also died of tuberculosis. After George's brother passed away he ultimately inherited the Mount Vernon estate. George Washington played a major part in the American Revolution. On July 3, 1776, Washington took command of the troops surrounding British occupied Boston. He spent the next few months training the rag-tag team made up mostly of untrained colonists. There were 14,000 men with little supplies. Even though Washington prevailed, he nearly failed due to the lack of men and supplies. Until he surprised the Hessian garrison by crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776. In 1780 the main theater of the war shifted to the south where, in cooperation with Comte de Rochambeau and the com d Esaing, Washington brilliantly planned and executed the Yorktown Campaign. During this action, Washington and his troops defeated Charles Cornwallis and the British forces; securing American victory on October 19, 1781. George Washington had grown enormously in the time during the war. After the war he gradually learned to trust his own judgement after he had taken some advice from officers such as Gates and Charles Lee. Then George developed what was maybe his greatest strength in the society suspicious of the military. His ability to deal with civil authority. On the battle field, Washington relied on a policy of trial and error, soon becoming a master of improvisation. Often Washington was accused of being overly cautious. He could be bold when success seemed possible. He learned to be skillful and to combine green troops with veterans to produce a winning, fighting force. After the war Washington returned to Mount Vernon, which had declined in his absence. Upon his return to Mount Vernon, Wasington concentrated on restoring his home. Even though he had become President of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of former Revolutionary war officers, he avoided involvement in Virginia politics. Washington added a greenhouse, a mill, an icehouse, and new land to the estate of Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon like Washington had already become a national institution.

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