Destiny Calls: George Washington Appointed Commander in Chief

---

George Washington proved to be the right man at the right time in history to lead the American military effort during the Revolutionary War. That journey began on June 15, 1775, when the delegates of the Second Continental Congress unanimously appointed him to serve as “General and Commander in Chief of the army of the United Colonies.” Despite Washington’s fears that this position and the immense challenges and responsibilities that would come with it were “a trust too great for my capacity,” as he wrote back home to his beloved wife Martha, “. . . as it has been a kind of destiny that has thrown me upon this service, I shall hope that my undertaking it is designed to answer some good purpose. . . .” Across the eight trying years of war that followed, Washington never wavered in his duty, commitment, and promise to “exert every power I possess . . . for the support of the glorious cause.”

The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775. Meeting in the wake of the opening shots of the Revolutionary War at the Battles of Lexington and Concord earlier that spring, the delegates of the convention needed to make momentous decisions now that the long-running dispute between Great Britain and her American colonies had reached such an unprecedented stage of armed hostility.

Towering over the assembly of prominent colonial leaders gathered at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) was 43-year-old George Washington of Virginia. Standing more than six feet tall, the broad-shouldered, muscular Washington left a lasting mark on his fellow delegates as he sat on several committees tasked with putting the colonies on a military footing. A veteran of the French and Indian War, Washington prided himself on his military background, and his heroic exploits as a soldier were well known to the other delegates. As a way to show that he and Virginia stood ready to fight in defense of American liberty, Washington wore his buff and blue military uniform during the congressional sessions. It was a signal that others picked up on. As Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania described Washington, “He has so much martial dignity in his deportment that you would distinguish him to be a general and a soldier from among ten thousand people.”

After Congress resolved to adopt the militia forces currently surrounding British-held Boston, raise additional troops, and form them all into an army of the United Colonies, which later became known as the Continental Army, John Adams of Massachusetts “had no hesitation” about who the leader of that new fighting force should be. Considering the deep-rooted rivalries between the northern and southern colonies, the commander of the army needed to be someone both sections could rally behind. Holding the respect and trust of both north and south alike, Washington was seen as the ideal compromise candidate. “He is a complete gentleman,” Thomas Cushing, a Massachusetts delegate, wrote about the mighty Virginian. “He is sensible, amiable, virtuous, modest, and brave.” Eliphalet Dyer of Connecticut agreed, hailing Washington as “discreet and virtuous, no harum-scarum, ranting, swearing fellow, but sober, steady, and calm.” Those views were widely shared. After his nomination for the role of commander in chief by John Adams, Washington was unanimously elected to the post on June 15.

On the morning of Friday, June 16, the president of the Second Continental Congress, John Hancock, officially announced that George Washington had been entrusted with command of the army. In a humble acceptance speech that exemplified the modesty, character, and sense of responsibility that endeared him to the other delegates, Washington accepted the post with the following words:

“Mr. President: Though I am truly sensible of the high honor done me in the appointment, yet I feel great distress from a consciousness that my abilities and military experience may not be equal to the extensive and important trust. However, as the Congress desires, I will enter upon the momentous duty and exert every power I possess in their service for the support of the glorious cause; I beg they will accept my most cordial thanks for this distinguished testimony of their approbation.

But lest some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation, I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room that I this day declare, with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with.

As to pay, Sir, I beg leave to assure the Congress that, as no pecuniary consideration could have tempted me to have accepted this arduous employment at the expense of my domestic ease and happiness, I do not wish to make any profit from it. I will keep an exact account of my expenses; those I doubt not they will discharge, and that is all I desire.”

Among the many noble sentiments expressed in his acceptance speech, Washington’s vow to serve without pay was an unmistakable signal to many at home and abroad that the American commander in chief was a man of supreme principle and conviction. Even the seat of British imperial power took note of it, with one London newspaper writing that Washington “is to attend to the hazardous duty allotted him from principle only. A most noble example and worthy of imitation in Great Britain.”   

Despite his intense fears that he was not up to the task of leading the struggle against the mightiest military machine in the world, George Washington would go forward and do whatever duty required of him. As Washington confided to his devoted wife, since destiny had called for him, he would trust in “Providence,” and hope that his acceptance of such a daunting calling was “designed to answer some good purpose. . . .” In time, that “purpose” would become clear. This was to become a fight for far more than defending the violated rights of the American colonists against Great Britain. The American Revolution would transform into something much greater: a struggle with far-reaching implications for the rest of the world, changing the course of human history forever.

Bibliography

“Appointment as Commander in Chief | George Washington’s Mount Vernon.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/appointment-as-commander-in-chief.

Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life. Penguin Books, 2011.

McCullough, David. 1776. Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Parry, Jay A., et al. The Real George Washington. National Center for Constitutional Studies, 2009.

Rhodehamel, John. George Washington the Wonder of the Age. Yale University Press, 2020.