George Washington’s long career as soldier began with defeat as a young line officer in the bloody frontier skirmishes of the French and Indian War; it culminated in the role of commanding general of the Continental army in victory over the British army. This soldier’s life included long years of Spartan campaigning, the creation of a professional army, the honing of innovative tactics and strategies, and the development of crucial international military alliances.

In this history of George Washington’s career as an army officer, Dave Palmer reveals the many qualities of character that made Washington an extraordinary military commander, qualities that allowed him not only to lead a fledgling army to secure the independence of his newly formed country but to define the role of the military in a free and democratic society.