George Washington

A compact biography follows his childhood in Virginia and early surveying expeditions, recounts his service in frontier conflicts and growing involvement in colonial politics, then chronicles his selection to lead the Continental forces, the struggles to organize and supply a ragged army, and pivotal campaigns such as the retreat from New York, the surprise at Trenton, Saratoga, and the winter at Valley Forge. It addresses the Franco-American alliance, southern campaigns culminating in Cornwallis's surrender, episodes of treason, and his farewell to officers, then treats his retirement at Mount Vernon, two presidential terms, and his final years.