.
.
by William M. Fowler, jr.
Hardback (6.3×9.3 inches). 281 pages. 2025.
After George Washington resigned his military commission, he went home to Mount Vernon, where his estate and various properties were in a bit of disarray. He held a considerable amount of land in the then far western areas of Virginia and his agent had been lax in collecting rents and tolls. While not destitute, his finances needed shoring up, for he had not taken a general’s salary during the Revolution.
Off he went, met resistance from the tenants and squatters, and eventually he sued them all and won. They vacated the land. He invested time and energy backing a canal and road project to improve transportation into the west — not coincidentally where his lands were located. He never saw its completion, for the canal took decades to build — just in time for railroads to begin hauling goods and passengers.
As he slowly put his farms and finances back into order, a multitude of friends and acquaintances urged him to get more involved in the politics of the US as the Articles of Confederation proved too limiting to keep the country united in the face of considerable states’ rights issues. Once more, duty called and Washington reluctantly attended the Philadelphia convention that drafted the original Constitution and the formation of government as we know it. He was unanimously elected as President.
No images are within this book.
The book concentrates on the short time between his resignation as military Commander in Chief and election as President. It is filled with insight and conveys events and details with smart, smooth prose. I admit little knowledge of this period, so this fills a gap for me.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
