JOE ARCHINO BOOKS

There’s an old saying that goes like this: behind every great man is a great woman. That was certainly the case with George and Martha Washington. George Washington’s faithful wife of over 40 years was born on June 2, 1731 at Chestnut Grove plantation in New Kent County, Virginia. Martha was her husband’s constant companion during the Revolutionary War, exposing herself to great hazards each year as she journeyed to be by the commander in chief’s side across the Continental A

At the age of 16 in July 1891, Winston Churchill professed to a friend, “I can see vast changes coming over a now peaceful world, great upheavals, terrible struggles; wars such as one cannot imagine. . . .” In those turbulent times ahead, Churchill emphasized that London and England would be in grave danger. He believed that he would occupy a high position of leadership during that dark hour and that it would fall to him “to save the capital and save the [British] Empire.” Fo

On April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City’s lower Manhattan. As Washington emerged onto the open-air balcony located on the building’s second floor, a mighty roar erupted from the massive crowd gathered on the streets below and spread across every nearby rooftop. Those in attendance were packed so tightly together that one observer said “it seemed one might literally walk on the heads of t

Among the pantheon of immortal American heroes, Ulysses S. Grant ranks at the very top, standing beside only George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for his contributions to the United States. As his faithful friend and most trusted subordinate during the American Civil War, William Tecumseh Sherman put it, “. . . if the name of Washington is allied with the birth of our country, that of Grant is forever identified with its preservation, its perpetuation.” Not only did Grant sa

One of the most famous authors of the nineteenth century, the great Washington Irving, was born on April 3, 1783 in New York City. The son of Scottish-English immigrants, Irving’s parents, like many of their fellow Americans, admired the greatest hero of the age, George Washington, and named their youngest child after him. At the tender age of six, Irving got to meet his namesake in New York City, the first capital of the United States and home to President George Washington

After nearly a year filled with some of the most stressful, mentally-exhausting days of his life, a victorious General George Washington finally entered a liberated Boston, Massachusetts on March 18, 1776. One day earlier, nearly 11,000 British troops and around 1,100 Loyalist civilians had crammed into over 120 ships, evacuating Boston and bringing an end to a 332-day siege of the embattled harbor town. It was a major moment of triumph for Bostonians and supporters of the Am

With nothing but a pair of glasses and his matchless prestige, General George Washington prevented a military coup and saved the American Revolution from ruin at a tense meeting with the officers of the Continental Army in the Temple of Virtue, the officers’ assembly hall at the army’s encampment in the Newburgh-New Windsor area of New York on March 15, 1783. The dawning of the year 1783 found the officers of the Continental Army on the verge of revolt against the Confederati

Character, duty, honor, country, trust, and responsibility. Those are six of the most important words that define the life and legacy of George Washington. America’s revolutionary generation knew that the storybook of mankind was replete with examples of ambitious men who took advantage of unique moments in history to seize power for themselves and to never give it up. With the massive popularity and power that he wielded as the commander and chief of the Continental Army dur

After learning of the crushing Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, President Abraham Lincoln said that “if there is a worse place than hell I am in it.” When Pennsylvania Governor Andrew G. Curtin described the terrible scenes of slaughter from that battle, Lincoln, his face “darkened with pain,” “moaned and groaned in anguish,” “showed great agony of spirit,” and “walked the floor, wringing his hands and uttering exclamations of grief.” In that gri

Author Jonathan Horn has written some terrific works of history. In honor of Horn’s birthday this week, here are a few thoughts on the great volumes he has produced so far. After almost two decades of uninterrupted service to his country during the Revolutionary War, at the Constitutional Convention, and as America’s first president, George Washington was ready to spend his final days in ease at his beloved home of Mount Vernon in Virginia. As much as he looked forward to his

This month marks the 250th anniversary of a crucial moment in the Revolutionary War and one of the mightiest triumphs over adversity in American history. In late January 1776, Colonel Henry Knox’s “Noble train of Artillery”reached the American siege lines outside of Boston, arriving with 59 pieces of captured artillery, a total lot weighing nearly 120,000 pounds, after an arduous 56-day journey from Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York. Using sleds and wagons pulled by teams

Another memorable book that I have read during my research for my own book on George Washington is The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by H.W. Brands. Franklin and Washington had a long-standing relationship that spanned three decades and they each possessed a deep mutual “respect and admiration” for one another. Both men were supremely dedicated to serving their fellow man and making the world a better place. The struggles that they undertook in war

2026 will be filled with celebrations to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. As the beneficiaries of 250 years of American nationhood, this is a mighty moment to reflect on that pivotal year of our founding and it should never be lost on us just how difficult of a time that was for those on the frontlines of the war to secure our independence. As historian David Hackett Fischer reminds us, “We celebrate 1

One of the best books that I've read during my research for my own book on George Washington is Ron Chernow's masterpiece, Alexander Hamilton . From their struggles together in war and in peace, the partnership between Washington and Hamilton was indispensable to the founding of the United States of America. As the great Hamilton scholar Stephen Knott has said, "Next to George Washington, Alexander Hamilton is most responsible for the country that you and I have the privilege