Until the Clock Strikes Midnight

Earlier this week I wrote about whether it’s better to be a fast starter or a clutch closer.

It dawned on me in thinking about our amazing journey to independence, I had overlooked perhaps the greatest closer of all time:

George Washington.

I think it’s easy to place these iconic leaders on a pedestal and treat them as infallible. They were far from perfect - and there is much to be learned from their struggles as well as their victories.

As we celebrated our nation’s birthday this weekend, I put on my old history teacher hat to share some of Washington’s most impactful moments as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. 

Here are what I consider to be his top five moments as a military leader - and the lessons that accompany them.

MOMENT ONE: THE SIEGE OF BOSTON

A crucial part of being a leader is to play the hand you're dealt.

As a former wrestling coach, I know this all too well. In my first year as a head wrestling coach, I inherited a team of seven wrestlers. This meant we would forfeit half the weight classes. Fortunately, unlike Washington, while I was fighting for our program’s survival, our nation’s independence wasn’t on the line.

Becoming the leader of the Continental Army, Washington didn’t exactly inherit the “creme de la creme” of fighting stock. As a result, strategy was paramount. Frequent head-to-head combat would surely leave the Patriots at a decided disadvantage.

In May of 1775, Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys launched a successful ambush on Fort Ticonderoga in New York, securing the fort without firing a shot. But the real prize? The cannons they captured in the process.

Throughout 1775, there had been a number of back and forth battles in and around Boston. Realizing he needed a catalyst to tilt the odds in his favor, Washington wrote to Henry Knox, asking him to transport the cannons to Boston. This was no small feat, as it required oxen and ice sledges to move the cannons 300 miles - in the dead of winter, no less. 

Henry Knox was up to the task, executing the mission in 56 days. The Continental Army had to wait over a month for the powder to fire the cannons to arrive, but by early March, they were in business.

They began firing their fifty-nine cannons on March 2nd, 1776, placing their largest cannons at Dorchester Heights, perfectly positioned to attack the enemy. Unable to return fire to the rebels’ location, the British withdrew and sailed to Nova Scotia two weeks later.

Washington’s tactical brilliance - aided by former bookseller turned artillery captain in Knox - he helped his army achieve a key geographical win early in the conflict.   

MOMENT TWO: THE BATTLE OF TRENTON 

Despite the success in the Siege of Boston, 1776 was a bleak year in terms of actual battlefield combat.

In 1776, as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, how did Washington’s forces fare in direct combat for the first eleven months?

They were winless.

That’s right. A goose egg. Zeroes across the board.

Long Island. Kip’s Bay. White Plains. Fort Washington. Fort Lee. Loss after loss, with Washington’s Army losing and retreating at every turn.

But what do the great ones do? They know the game isn’t over until there are zeros on the clock.

On December 26th, 1776, Washington’s troops crossed the Delaware and launched a dawn surprise attack on the Hessians at Trenton who were groggy from a bit too much Christmas cheer. 

It was a smashing success. In addition to capturing at least 1,000 Hessian mercenaries, there was a greater victory: morale. 

All Continental soldiers were volunteers,  enlisting for one-year terms. With this victory to close out 1776, it was just the kindling Washington needed to keep the embers of Patriot hope alive - and to spark new enlistments and reenlistments for 1777.

MOMENT THREE: THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON

Washington also knew how to double-down on a hot hand.

After the victory at Trenton, Washington could easily have marched his troops into winter quarters; as strange as it seems in modern times, opposing armies would cease hostilities for the winter, and even socialize with one another in certain circles.

Washington decided to push his luck by advancing on to attack Princeton eight days later. His forces were pursued by British General Cornwallis, but after a daring overnight escape, Washington’s forces outmaneuvered Cornwallis’ troops who would have had a decided advantage. Instead, he was able to surprise British Commander Mahwood’s smaller force, routing his opponent.

While this second victory did not secure as many British surrenders, it did achieve two objectives. First, it secured the greater part of New Jersey for the Patriots. Second, it shifted the narrative of the year of war. Despite most of 1776 being a dreadful showing for Washington’s forces, they essentially closed the year winning two battles in less than ten days, and all the British had to show for a year of military success was the occupation of New York City.

Great leaders know when to take risks. They are able to assess when “the juice is worth the squeeze” - and act accordingly.

MOMENT FOUR: VALLEY FORGE

As great as the narrative was at the end of 1776, a year later, it was a mixed bag at the end of 1777.

On the plus side, winning the Battle of Saratoga marked a strategic turning point. The British three-pronged attack plan to control the Hudson River and split the American forces in half had failed; in addition, this victory showed that the Americans could compete, inspiring the French to join the conflict on the Americans’ side to fight their sworn enemy in the British.

That said, Washington’s forces had suffered a rough fall. After losing the Battle of Brandywine in September and the Battle of Germantown to follow in early October of 1777, the British captured Philadelphia. In addition to the city being a prime business center and key shipping port, it also was the capital of the Patriots. The loss was both a strategic and symbolic setback.

To make matters worse, as the Continental Army camped in Valley Forge for the winter of 1777-1778, supplies were at an all-time low. The soldiers battled starvation, hypothermia, and disease. Many men had no shoes, and with the freezing weather, the conditions were ripe for a mutiny. 

Washington’s leadership kept the army intact. He spent the winter keeping the soldiers engaged, mounting an internal reorganization. He also utilized Baron von Steuben, a former Prussian officer, to become the inspector general of the Continental Army. 

Von Steuben trained and drilled the troops throughout the winter, providing some much needed structure and discipline to the ragtag army. By the end of winter, not only had the army survived, but were in a better position to fight in 1778.

While there was no head-to-head combat in Valley Forge, Washington’s stroke of leadership during this brutal winter was perhaps his finest hour as Commander-in-Chief in overcoming the enemy from within.

MOMENT FIVE: THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN

As I’ve been saying all week, the great ones are typically known for their final acts.

In this regard, George Washington was no different. After a back-and-forth stretch of battles over the next three years - with more Patriot defeats than victories in 1780 -  Washington saw his opportunity in 1781 to strike a decisive blow to end the Revolutionary War.

General Cornwallis decided to set camp at Yorktown, Virginia in the summer of 1781. It seemed like a wise strategic choice with Washington’s army up north in New York City and the British Royal Navy protecting his forces.

Timing in war - much like life - is everything. Washington had a six week window where the French fleet could be liberated from their ongoing battles with the British in the Caribbean. He surmised that if could successfully march his forces from New York to Yorktown with the French fleet supporting them by sea to bombard the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay, the Patriots would have the British trapped on both sides, providing a chance for the Allies to strike a fatal blow.

The catch? Just the matter of secretly marching 17,000 soldiers several hundred miles south while threading the needle with the timing of the French fleet, which would only be available until mid-October. 

Washington, a master of espionage, used all the gamesmanship he could muster. He spread misinformation to the British, with his spies leaking false plans of more major battles ahead in New York while his troops mobilized by the cover of night. Small encampments were maintained up north with fires burning, extending the ruse.

Washington’s master stroke paid off. Combining forces with French General Comte de Rochambeau, his troops arrived at the Yorktown Peninsula at the perfect time. Supported by sea from French Admiral de Grasse, the combined effort lay siege to Yorktown for 22 days. The British surrendered on October 19, 1781.

As the British lay down their arms, legend has it the British band playing a fitting tune as the mightiest army in the world had been defeated: “The World Turned Upside Down.” Although the official Treaty of Paris granting American independence was not signed until 1783, it was the last military conflict of the Revolutionary War.  

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Statistics can be used to tell interesting stories. As Mark Twain and many others have been quoted, “There are lies, damn lies, and there are statistics.”

Statistically, the United States had no business winning the Revolutionary War. And the heralded Commander-in-Chief? He lost more battles than he won.

What made Washington great was his resilience and adaptation. He knew that sometimes it was better to retreat than attack. On other days, he knew that he needed to take risks and fight in unconventional ways. With an undertrained, poorly-resourced fighting force, he was overmatched in almost every way that counted. 

If George Washington and his fellow leaders had relied on statistics instead of grit to carry the day, we may be drinking tea this weekend instead of whatever your pallet desired as you were dazzled by firework displays on the 4th of July.

As we charge into Q3 off this most joyous weekend, for all the leaders out there, Washington’s leadership carries a message. Every metric may not be pretty during the battle, but the fight isn’t over until the proverbial clock strikes midnight. 

May we always cherish this gift of freedom our predecessors fought and died for - and may we each do our part to fulfill the promise of what this nation was meant to be!

#leadership