George Washington in the American Revolution George Washington ( February 22 , 1732 – December 14 , 1799 ) commanded the Continental Army in American Revolutionary War ( 1775 – 1783 ) , and was the first President of the United States , serving from 1789 to 1797 . Because of his central role in the founding of the United States , Washington is often called the " Father of his Country " . His devotion to republicanism and civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians . Washington played a leading military and political role in the American Revolution . His involvement began as early as 1767 , when he first took overt political stands against the acts of the British Parliament . After the war broke out with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 , his role became military with his appointment as commander - in - chief of the Continental Army . He appeared before the Second Continental Congress in military uniform , signaling that he was prepared for war . Congress created the Continental Army on June 14 ; the next day it selected Washington as commander - in - chief . The task he took on was enormous , balancing regional demands , competition among his subordinates , morale among the rank and file , attempts by Congress to manage the army ' s affairs too closely , requests by state governors for support , and an endless need for resources with which to feed , clothe , equip , arm , and move the troops . In the early years of the war Washington was often in the middle of the action , first directing the Siege of Boston to its successful conclusion , but then losing New York City and almost losing New Jersey before winning surprising and decisive victories at Trenton and Princeton at the end of the 1776 campaign season . At the end of the year in both 1775 and 1776 , he had to deal with expiring enlistments , since the Congress had only authorized the army ' s existence for single years . With the 1777 establishment of a more permanent army structure and the introduction of three - year enlistments , Washington built a reliable stable of experienced troops , although hard currency and supplies of all types were difficult to come by . In 1777 Washington was again defeated in the defense of Philadelphia , but sent critical support to Horatio Gates that made the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga possible . Following a difficult winter at Valley Forge and the entry of France into the war in 1778 , Washington followed the British army as it withdrew from Philadelphia back to New York , and fought an ultimately inconclusive battle at Monmouth Court House in New Jersey . Washington ' s activities from late 1778 to 1780 were more diplomatic and organizational , as his army remained outside New York , watching Sir Henry Clinton ' s army that occupied the city . Washington strategized with the French on how best to cooperate in actions against the British , leading to ultimately unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the British from Newport , Rhode Island and Savannah , Georgia . His attention was also drawn to the frontier war , which prompted the 1779 Continental Army expedition of John Sullivan into upstate New York . When General Clinton sent the turncoat General Benedict Arnold to raid in Virginia , Washington began to detach elements of his army to face the growing threat there . The arrival of Lord Cornwallis in Virginia after campaigning in the south presented Washington with an opportunity to strike a decisive blow . Washington ' s army and the French army moved south to face Cornwallis , and a cooperative French navy under Admiral de Grasse successfully disputed British attempts to control of the Chesapeake Bay , completing the entrapment of Cornwallis , who surrendered after the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781 . Although Yorktown marked the end of significant hostilities in North America , the British still occupied New York and other cities , so Washington had to maintain the army in the face of a bankrupt Congress and troops that were at times mutinous over conditions and pay . The army was formally disbanded after peace in 1783 , and Washington resigned his commission as commander - in - chief on December 23 , 1783 . Military experience . Born into a well - to - do Virginia family near Fredericksburg in , Washington was schooled locally until the age of 15 . The early death of his father when he was 11 eliminated the possibility of schooling in England , and his mother rejected attempts to place him in the Royal Navy . Thanks to the connection by marriage of his half - brother Lawrence to the wealthy Fairfax family , Washington was appointed surveyor of Culpeper County in 1749 ; he was just 17 years old . Washington ' s brother had purchased an interest in the Ohio Company , a land acquisition and settlement company whose objective was the settlement of Virginia ' s frontier areas , including the Ohio Country , territory north and west of the Ohio River . Its investors also included Virginia ' s Royal Governor , Robert Dinwiddie , who appointed Washington a major in the provincial militia in February 1753 . Washington played a key role in the outbreak of the French and Indian War , and then led the defense of Virginia between 1755 and 1758 as colonel of the Virginia Regiment . Although Washington never received a commission in the British Army , he gained valuable military , political , and leadership skills , and received significant public exposure in the colonies and abroad . He closely observed British military tactics , gaining a keen insight into their strengths and weaknesses that proved invaluable during the Revolution . He demonstrated his toughness and courage in the most difficult situations , including disasters and retreats . He developed a command presence — given his size , strength , stamina , and bravery in battle , he appeared to soldiers to be a natural leader and they followed him without question . Washington learned to organize , train , and drill , and discipline his companies and regiments . From his observations , readings and conversations with professional officers , he learned the basics of battlefield tactics , as well as a good understanding of problems of organization and logistics . He gained an understanding of overall strategy , especially in locating strategic geographical points . He developed a very negative idea of the value of militia , who seemed too unreliable , too undisciplined , and too short - term compared to regulars . On the other hand , his experience was limited to command of at most 1 , 000 men , and came only in remote frontier conditions that were far removed from the urban situations he faced during the Revolution at Boston , New York , Trenton and Philadelphia . Political resistance . In December 1758 Washington resigned his military commission , and spent the next 16 years as a wealthy Virginia plantation owner ; as such he also served in the Virginia House of Burgesses . Although he expressed opposition to the 1765 Stamp Act , the first direct tax on the colonies , he did not take a leading role in the growing colonial resistance until protests of the Townshend Acts ( enacted in 1767 ) became widespread . In May 1769 , Washington introduced a proposal , drafted by his friend George Mason , calling for Virginia to boycott British goods until the Acts were repealed . Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts in 1770 , and , for Washington at least , the crisis had passed . However , Washington regarded the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 as " an Invasion of our Rights and Privileges " . In July 1774 , he chaired the meeting at which the " Fairfax Resolves " were adopted , which called for , among other things , the convening of a Continental Congress . In August , Washington attended the First Virginia Convention , where he was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress . As tensions rose in 1774 , he assisted in the training of county militias in Virginia and organized enforcement of the boycott of British goods instituted by the Congress . Boston . After the Battles of Lexington and Concord near Boston in April 1775 , the colonies went to war . Washington appeared at the Second Continental Congress in a military uniform , signaling that he was prepared for war . Congress created the Continental Army on June 14 , 1775 , and discussed who should lead it . Washington had the prestige , military experience , charisma and military bearing of a military leader and was known as a strong patriot ; he was also popular in his home province . There was no other serious competition for the post , although Washington did nothing to actively pursue the appointment . Massachusetts delegate John Adams nominated Washington , believing that appointing a southerner to lead what was then primarily an army of northerners would help unite the colonies . Washington reluctantly accepted , declaring " with the utmost sincerity , I do not think myself equal to the Command I [ am ] honored with . " Washington assumed command of the colonial forces outside Boston on July 3 , 1775 , during the ongoing siege of Boston , after stopping in New York City to begin organizing military companies for its defense . His first steps were to establish procedures and to weld what had begun as militia regiments into an effective fighting force . He was assisted in this effort by his adjutant , Brigadier General Horatio Gates , and Major General Charles Lee , both of whom had significant experience serving in the British Army . When inventory returns exposed a dangerous shortage of gunpowder , Washington asked for new sources . British arsenals were raided ( including some in the West Indies ) and some manufacturing was attempted ; a barely adequate supply ( about 2 . 5 million pounds ) was obtained by the end of 1776 , mostly from France . In search of heavy weapons , he sent Henry Knox on an expedition to Fort Ticonderoga to retrieve cannons that had been captured there . He resisted repeated calls from Congress to launch attacks against the British in Boston , calling war councils that supported the decisions against such action . Before the Continental Navy was established in November 1775 he , without Congressional authorization , began arming a " secret navy " to prey on poorly protected British transports and supply ships . When Congress authorized an invasion of Quebec , believing that province ' s people would also rise against British military control , Washington reluctantly went along with it , even authorizing Benedict Arnold to lead a force from Cambridge to Quebec City through the wilderness of present - day Maine . As the siege dragged on , the matter of expiring enlistments became a matter of serious concern . Washington tried to convince Congress that enlistments longer than one year were necessary to build an effective fighting force , but he was rebuffed in this effort . The 1776 establishment of the Continental Army only had enlistment terms of one year , a matter that would again be a problem in late 1776 . Washington finally forced the British to withdraw from Boston by putting Henry Knox ' s artillery on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city , and preparing in detail to attack the city from Cambridge if the British tried to assault the position . The British evacuated Boston and sailed away , although Washington did not know they were headed for Halifax , Nova Scotia . Believing they were headed for New York City ( which was indeed Major General William Howe ' s eventual destination ) , Washington rushed most of the army there . Defeated at New York City . Washington ' s success in Boston was not repeated in New York . Recognizing the city ' s importance as a naval base and gateway to the Hudson River , he delegated the task of fortifying New York to Charles Lee in February 1776 . Despite the city ' s poor defensibility , Congress insisted that Washington defend it . The faltering military campaign in Quebec also led to calls for additional troops there , and Washington detached six regiments northward under John Sullivan in April . The wider theaters of war had also introduced regional frictions into the army . Somewhat surprised that regional differences would be a problem , on August 1 he read a speech to the army , in which he threatened to punish " any officers or soldiers so lost to to virtue and a love of their country " that might exacerbate the regional differences . The mixing of forces from different regions also brought more widespread camp diseases , especially dysentery and smallpox . Washington had to deal with his first major command controversy while in New York , which was partially a product of regional friction . New England troops serving in northern New York under General Philip Schuyler , a scion of an old patroon family of New York , objected to his aristocratic style , and their Congressional representatives lobbied Washington to replace Schuyler with General Gates . Washington tried to resolve the issue by giving Gates command of the forces in Quebec , but the collapse of the Quebec expedition brought renewed complaints . Despite Gates ' experience , Washington personally preferred Schuyler . To avoid a potentially messy situation , General Washington gave Schuyler overall command of the northern department , but assigned Gates as second in command with combat authority . The episode exposed Washington to Gates ' desire for advancement , possibly at his expense , and to the latter ' s influence in Congress . General Howe ' s army , reinforced by thousands of additional troops from Europe and a fleet under the command of his brother , Admiral Richard Howe , began arriving off New York in early July , and made an unopposed landing on Staten Island . Without intelligence about Howe ' s intentions , Washington was forced to divide his still poorly trained forces , principally between Manhattan and Long Island . The Howes , who were politically ambivalent about the conflict , had been authorized to act as peace commissioners , and attempted to establish contact with Washington . However , they refused to address their letters to " General George Washington " , and his representatives refused to accept them . In August , the British finally launched their campaign to capture New York City . They first landed on Long Island in force , and flanked Washington ' s forward positions in the Battle of Long Island . General Howe refused to act on a significant tactical advantage that could have resulted in the capture of the remaining Continental troops on Long Island , but he chose instead to besiege their positions . Although Washington has been criticized by many historians for sending additional troops to reinforce the redoubts on Long Island , it was clear to both Washington and the Howes that the Americans had successfully blocked the East River against major shipping by sinking ships in the channel , and that he was consequently not risking the entrapment of additional men . In the face of a siege he seemed certain to lose , Washington then decided to withdraw . In what some historians call one of his greatest military feats , he executed a nighttime withdrawal from Long Island across the East River to Manhattan to save those troops . The Howe brothers then paused to consolidate their position , and the admiral engaged in a fruitless peace conference with Congressional representatives on September 11 . Four days later the British landed on Manhattan , scattering inexperienced militia into a panicked retreat , and forcing Washington to retreat further . After Washington stopped the British advance up Manhattan at Harlem Heights on September 16 , Howe again made a flanking maneuver , landing troops at Pell ' s Point in a bid to cut off Washington ' s avenue of retreat . To defend against this move , Washington withdrew most of his army to White Plains , where after a short battle on October 28 he retreated further north . This isolated the remaining Continental Army troops in upper Manhattan , so Howe returned to Manhattan and captured Fort Washington in mid November , taking almost 3 , 000 prisoners . Four days later , Fort Lee , across the Hudson River from Fort Washington , was also taken . Washington brought much of his army across the Hudson into New Jersey , but was immediately forced to retreat by the aggressive British advance . During the campaign a general lack of organization , shortages of supplies , fatigue , sickness , and above all , lack of confidence in the American leadership resulted in a melting away of untrained regulars and frightened militia . Washington grumbled , " The honor of making a brave defense does not seem to be sufficient stimulus , when the success is very doubtful , and the falling into the Enemy ' s hands probable . " Washington was fortunate that General Howe was more focused on gaining control of New York than on destroying Washington ' s army . Howe ' s overly rigid adherence to his plans meant that he was unable to capitalize on the opportunities that arose during the campaign for a decisive action against Washington . Counterattack in New Jersey . After the loss of New York , Washington ' s army was in two pieces . One detachment remained north of New York to protect the Hudson River corridor , while Washington retreated across New Jersey into Pennsylvania , chased by General Charles , Earl Cornwallis . Spirits were low , popular support was wavering , and Congress had abandoned Philadelphia , fearing a British attack . Washington ordered General Gates to bring troops from Fort Ticonderoga , and also ordered General Lee ' s troops , which he had left north of New York City , to join him . Lee , whose relationship with Washington was at times difficult , made excuses and only traveled as far as Morristown , New Jersey . When Lee strayed too far from his army on December 12 , his exposed position was betrayed by Loyalists , and a British company led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton surrounded the inn where he was staying and took him prisoner . Lee ' s command was taken over by John Sullivan , who finished marching the army to Washington ' s camp across the river from Trenton . The capture of Lee resulted an important point in negotiations between the sides concerning the treatment of prisoners . Since Lee had previously served in the British Army , he was treated as a deserter , and threatened with military punishments appropriate to that charge . Even though he and Lee did not get on well , Washington threatened to treat captured British officers in the same manner Lee and other high - profile prisoners were treated . This resulted in an improvement in Lee ' s captivity , and he was eventually exchanged for Richard Prescott in 1778 . Despite the loss of troops due to desertion and expiring enlistments , Washington was heartened by a rise in militia enlistments in New Jersey and Pennsylvania . These militia companies were active in circumscribing the furthest outposts of the British , limiting their ability to scout and forage . Although Washington did not coordinate this resistance , he took advantage of it to organize an attack on an outpost of Hessian s in Trenton . On the night of December 25 – 26 , 1776 , Washington led his forces across the Delaware River and surprised the Hessian garrison , capturing 1 , 000 men . This action significantly boosted the army ' s morale , but it also brought Cornwallis out of New York . He reassembled an army of more than 6 , 000 men , and marched most of them against a position Washington had taken south of Trenton . Leaving a garrison of 1 , 200 at Princeton , Cornwallis then attacked Washington ' s position on January 2 , 1777 , and was three times repulsed before darkness set in . During the night Washington evacuated the position , masking his army ' s movements by instructing the camp guards to maintain the appearance of a much larger force . Washington then circled around Cornwallis ' s position with the intention of attacking the Princeton garrison . Hugh Mercer , leading the American advance guard , encountered British soldiers from Princeton under the command of Charles Mawhood . The British troops engaged Mercer and in the ensuing battle , Mercer was mortally wounded . Washington sent reinforcements under General John Cadwalader , which were successful in driving Mawhood and the British from Princeton , with many of them fleeing to Cornwallis in Trenton . The British lost more than one quarter of their force in the battle , and American morale rose with the victory . These unexpected victories drove the British back to the New York City area , and gave a dramatic boost to Revolutionary morale . During the winter , Washington , based in winter quarters at Morristown , loosely coordinated a low - level militia war against British positions in New Jersey , combining the actions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania militia companies with careful use of Continental Army resources to harry and harass the British and German troops quartered in New Jersey . Washington ' s mixed performance in the 1776 campaigns had not led to significant criticism in Congress . Before fleeing Philadelphia for Baltimore in December , Congress granted Washington powers that have ever since been described as " dictatorial " . The successes in New Jersey nearly deified Washington in the eyes of some Congressmen , and the body became much more deferential to him as a result . John Adams complained of the " superstitious veneration " that Washington was receiving . Washington ' s performance also received international notice : Frederick the Great , one of the greatest military minds , wrote that " the achievements of Washington [ at Trenton and Princeton ] were the most brilliant of any recorded in the history of military achievements . " The French foreign minister , a strong supporter of the American cause , renewed the delivery of French supplies . Philadelphia and Valley Forge . Early maneuvers . In May 1777 , uncertain whether General Howe would move north toward Albany or south toward Philadelphia , Washington moved his army to the Middlebrook encampment in New Jersey ' s Watchung Mountains . When Howe then moved his army southwest from New Brunswick , Washington correctly interpreted this as move to draw him out of his strong position , and refused to move . Only after Howe apparently retreated back toward the shore did Washington follow , but Howe ' s attempt to separate him from his mountain defenses was foiled in the Battle of Short Hills in late June . Howe , who had already decided to campaign against Philadelphia , then withdrew from New Jersey , embarked much of his army on ships in late July , and sailed away , leaving Washington mystified as to his destination . Washington ' s difficulty in discerning Howe ' s motives was due to the presence of a British army moving south from Quebec toward Fort Ticonderoga under the command of General John Burgoyne . Howe ' s departure was in part prompted by the successful capture of the fort by Burgoyne in early July . Although there had been an expectation on Burgoyne ' s part that Howe would support his campaign to gain control of the Hudson , Howe was to disappoint Burgoyne , with disastrous consequences to the British . When Washington learned of the abandonment of Ticonderoga ( which he had been told by General Anthony Wayne " can never be carried , without much loss of blood " ) , he was shocked . Concerned that Howe was heading up the Hudson , he ordered Arnold , along with Daniel Morgan and his corps of riflemen , north to assist General Gates with the defense of the Hudson . Washington had had some difficulty with General Arnold in the spring . Congress had adopted a per - state scheme for the promotion of general officers , which resulted in the promotion of several officers to major general ahead of other officers with more experience or seniority . Combined with the commissioning of foreign officers to high ranks , this had led to the resignation of John Stark . Arnold , who had distinguished himself in the Canadian campaign , had also threatened to resign . Washington wrote to Congress on behalf of Arnold and other officers who were disgruntled by this promotion scheme , stating that " two or three other very good officers " might be lost because of it . Washington had also laid the seeds for conflict between Arnold and Gates when he gave Arnold command of forces in Rhode Island in late 1776 ; because of this move Gates came to view Arnold as a competitor for advancement , and the previously positive relationship between Gates and Arnold cooled . However , Arnold put aside his complaints when the news of Ticonderoga ' s fall arrived , and agreed to serve . Congress , at the urging of its diplomatic representatives in Europe , had also issued military commissions to a number of European soldiers of fortune in early 1777 . Two of those recommended by Silas Deane , the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Conway , would prove to be important in Washington ' s activities . Lafayette , just twenty years old , was at first told that Deane had exceeded his authority in offering him a major general ' s commission , but offered to volunteer in the army at his own expense . Washington and Lafayette took an instant liking to one another when they met , and Lafayette became one of Washington ' s most trusted generals and confidants . Conway , on the other hand , did not think highly of Washington ' s leadership , and proved to be a source of trouble in the 1777 campaign season and its aftermath . Fall of Philadelphia . When Washington learned that Howe ' s fleet was sailing north in Chesapeake Bay , he hurried his army south of Philadelphia to defend the city against Howe ' s threat . General Howe turned Washington ' s flank at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11 , 1777 , and marched unopposed into Philadelphia on September 26 after some further maneuvers . Washington ' s failure to defend the capital brought on a storm of criticism from Congress , which fled the city for York , and from other army officers . In part to silence his critics , Washington planned an elaborate assault on an exposed British base in Germantown . The October 4 Battle of Germantown failed in part due to the complexity of the assault , and the inexperience of the militia forces employed in it . Over 400 of Washington ' s men were captured , including Colonel George Mathews and the entire 9th Virginia Regiment . It did not help that Adam Stephen , leading one of the branches of the attack , was drunk , and broke from the agreed - upon plan of attack . He was court martialed and cashiered from the army . Historian Robert Leckie observes that the battle was a near thing , and that a small number of changes might have resulted in a decisive victory for Washington . Meanwhile Burgoyne , out of reach from help from Howe , was trapped and forced to surrender his entire army on October 17 , ten days after the Battle of Bemis Heights . The victory made a hero of General Gates , who received the adulation of Congress . While this was taking place Washington presided from a distance over the loss of control of the Delaware River to the British , and marched his army to its winter quarters at Valley Forge in December . Washington chose Valley Forge , over recommendations that he camp either closer or further from Philadelphia , because it was close enough to monitor British army movements , and protected rich farmlands to the west from the enemy ' s foraging expeditions . Valley Forge . Washington ' s army stayed at Valley Forge for the next six months . Over the winter , 2 , 500 men ( out of 10 , 000 ) died from disease and exposure . The army ' s difficulties were exacerbated by a number of factors , including a quartermaster ' s department that had been badly mismanaged by one of Washington ' s political opponents , Thomas Mifflin , and the preference of farmers and merchants to sell their goods to the British for hard currency instead of the nearly worthless Continental currency . Profiteers also sought to benefit at the army ' s expense , charging it 1 , 000 times what they charged civilians for the same goods . Congress authorized Washington to seize supplies needed for the army , but he was reluctant to use such authority , since it smacked of the tyranny the war was supposedly being fought over . During the winter he introduced a full - scale training program supervised by Baron von Steuben , a veteran of the Prussian general staff . Despite the hardships the army suffered , this program was a remarkable success , and Washington ' s army emerged in the spring of 1778 a much more disciplined force . Washington himself had to face discontent at his leadership from a variety of sources . His loss of Philadelphia prompted some members of Congress to discuss removing him from command . They were prodded along by Washington ' s detractors in the military , who included Generals Gates , Mifflin , and Conway . Gates in particular was viewed by Conway and Congressmen Benjamin Rush and Richard Henry Lee as a desirable replacement for Washington . Although there is no evidence of a formal conspiracy , the episode is known as the Conway Cabal because the scale of the discontent within the army was exposed by a critical letter from Conway to Gates , some of whose contents were relayed to Washington . Washington exposed the criticisms to Congress , and his supporters , within Congress and the army , rallied to support him . Gates eventually apologized for his role in the affair , and Conway resigned . Washington ' s position and authority were not seriously challenged again . Biographer Ron Chernow points out that Washington ' s handling of the episode demonstrated that he was " a consummate political infighter " who maintained his temper and dignity while his opponents schemed . French entry into the war . The victory at Saratoga ( and to some extent Washington ' s near success at Germantown ) were influential in convincing France to enter the war openly as an as an American ally . French entry into the war changed its dynamics , for the British were no longer sure of command of the seas and had to worry about an invasion of their home islands and other colonial territories across the globe . The British , now under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton , evacuated Philadelphia in 1778 and returned to New York City , with Washington attacking them along the way at the Battle of Monmouth ; this was the last major battle in the north . Prior to the battle Washington gave command of the advance forces to Charles Lee , who had been exchanged earlier in the year . Lee , despite firm instructions from Washington , refused Lafayette ' s suggestion to launch an organized attack on the British rear , and then retreated when the British turned to face him . When Washington arrived at the head of the main army , he and Lee had an angry exchange of words , and Washington ordered Lee off the command . Washington , with his army ' s tactics and ability to execute improved by the training programs of the previous winter , was able to recover , and fought the British to a draw . Lee was court martialed and eventually dismissed from the army . Not long after Clinton ' s return to New York , a French fleet arrived off the North American coast . Washington was involved in the discussion on how to best use this force , and an attack was planned against the British outpost at Newport , Rhode Island . Despite the presence of two of Washington ' s most reliable subordinates , Lafayette and Greene , the attempt at cooperation was a dismal failure . British and Indian forces organized and supported by Sir Frederick Haldimand in Quebec began to raid frontier settlements in 1778 , and Savannah , Georgia was captured late in the year . During the comparatively mild winter of 1778 – 79 , Washington and Congress discussed options for the 1779 campaign season . The possibility of a Franco - American campaign against Quebec , first proposed for 1778 , had a number of adherents in Congress , and was actively supported by Lafayette in Washington ' s circle . Despite known weaknesses in Quebec ' s provincial defenses , Washington was adamantly opposed to the idea , citing the lack of troops and supplies with which to conduct such an operation , the nation ' s fragile financial state , and French imperial ambitions to recover the territory . Under pressure from Congress to answer the frontier raids , Washington countered with the proposal of a major expedition against the Iroquois . This was approved , and in the summer of 1779 a sizable force under Major General John Sullivan made a major expedition into the northwestern frontier of New York in reprisal for the frontier raids . The expedition successfully drove the Iroquois out of New York , but otherwise had little effect on the frequency and severity of frontier raids . Washington ' s opponent in New York , however , was not inactive . Clinton engaged in a number of amphibious raids against coastal communities from Connecticut to Chesapeake Bay , and probed at Washington ' s defenses in the Hudson River valley . Coming up the river in force , he captured the key outpost of Stony Point , but advanced no further . When Clinton weakened the garrison there to provide men for raiding expeditions , Washington organized a counterstrike . General Anthony Wayne led a force that , solely using the bayonet , recaptured Stony Point . The Americans chose not to hold the post , but the operation was a boost to American morale and a blow to British morale . American morale was dealt a blow later in the year , when the second major attempt at Franco - American cooperation , an attempt to retake Savannah , failed with heavy casualties . British southern strategy , and treason . The winter of 1779 – 80 was one of the coldest in recorded colonial history . New York Harbor froze over , and the winter camps of the Continental Army were deluged with snow , resulting in hardships exceeding those experienced at Valley Forge . The war was declining in popularity , and the inflationary issuance of paper currency by Congress and the states alike harmed the economy , and the ability to provision the army . The paper currency also hit the army ' s morale , since it was how the troops were paid . Congress fixed the rate between paper and gold dollars at 40 - to - 1 in March 1780 , but many merchants refused to accept the Continental currency at the official exchange rate . One Loyalist wrote , " Mock - money and mock - states shall melt away / / And the mock troops disband for want of pay . " The British in late 1779 embarked on a new strategy based on the assumption that most Southerners were Loyalists at heart . General Clinton withdrew the British garrison from Newport , and marshalled a force of more than 10 , 000 men that in the first half of 1780 successfully besieged Charleston , South Carolina . In June 1780 he captured over 5 , 000 Continental soldiers and militia in the single worst defeat of the war for the Americans . Washington had at the end of March pessimistically dispatched several regiments troops southward from his army , hoping they might have some effect in what he saw as a looming disaster . He also ordered troops stationed in Virginia and North Carolina south , but these were either captured at Charleston , or scattered later at Waxhaws and Camden . Camden saw the ignominious defeat of General Gates , who had been appointed to the southern command by Congress without Washington ' s advice or knowledge beforehand . Gates famously abandoned his army and retreated by horse after his battle lines were broken . The debacle ended Gates ' career as a field officer , but he eluded formal inquiries into his behavior because of his political connections . Washington ' s army suffered from numerous problems in 1780 : it was undermanned , underfunded , and underequipped . Because of these shortcomings Washington resisted calls for major expeditions , preferring to remain focused on the principal British presence in New York . Knowledge of discontent within the ranks in New Jersey prompted the British in New York to make two attempts to reach the principal army base at Morristown . These attempts were defeated , with significant militia support , in battles at Connecticut Farms and Springfield . September 1780 brought a new shock to Washington . British Major John André had been arrested outside New York , and papers he carried exposed a conspiracy between the British and General Benedict Arnold . Washington respected Arnold for his military skills , and had , after Arnold ' s severe injuries in the Battles of Saratoga in October 1777 , given him the military command of Philadelphia . During his administration there , Arnold had made many political enemies , and in 1779 he began secret negotiations with General Clinton ( mediated in part by André ) that culminated in a plot to surrender West Point , a command Arnold requested and Washington gave him in July 1780 . Arnold was alerted to André ' s arrest and fled to the British lines shortly before Washington ' s arrival at West Point for a meeting . In negotiations with Clinton , Washington offered to exchange André for Arnold , but Clinton refused . André was hanged as a spy , and Arnold became a brigadier general in the British Army . Washington organized an attempt to kidnap Arnold from New York City ; it was frustrated when Arnold was sent on a raiding expedition to Virginia . Yorktown . The early months of 1781 continued to be difficult for the American cause . Troops mutinied in Pennsylvania , inspiring troops in New Jersey to also do so . Washington was uninvolved in resolving the Pennsylvania troops ' demands , but he sent troops under General Robert Howe that harshly put down the New Jersey mutiny , hanging two men . General Arnold ' s raiding expedition to Virginia was a notable success , ravaging the countryside and destroying military and economic infrastructure and supplies . He was ineffectually opposed by Virginia militia and Continental recruits under Baron von Steuben . Washington ordered Lafayette and additional Continental troops south , and convinced French Admiral Destouches to send his Newport - based fleet to the Chesapeake . Destouches was however opposed by the British fleet of Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot at the Battle of Cape Henry in March 1781 , and was unable to gain entry to the bay . General Clinton thereafter sent more troops to Virginia under General William Phillips , who resumed raiding operations in central Virginia . In the early months of 1781 the French foreign minister , the comte de Vergennes , realized that the war , now being conducted on a global stage , could not last much longer without decisive action in North America . To this end , the French army at Newport was ordered to join Washington ' s outside New York , and the Comte de Grasse , commander of that year ' s West Indies fleet , was ordered to assist in operations in North America . France also gave six million livres to the United States to assist in the war effort . In May 1781 Washington and the French army command met at Wethersfield , Connecticut after the French instructions arrived . They discussed options for joint operations , with Washington arguing for an assault on New York , and Rochambeau for operations in Virginia against General Phillips . Rochambeau agreed to bring his army to New York , and dispatches were sent to the West Indies outlining the options to de Grasse . General Clinton had turned over command of the southern army to General Cornwallis . After the defeat of Gates at Camden , he had nominally gained control over South Carolina , although there was significant militia skirmishing , led by partisan fighters like Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter . Cornwallis then attempted to extend British authority into North Carolina , but one wing of his army was defeated in the October 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain , and another was defeated in the January 1781 Battle of Cowpens . Kings Mountain in particular proved a decisive blow to further attempts to recruit Loyalists , and force Cornwallis had been instructed to rely upon . In the wake of Camden , Washington had selected Nathanael Greene to replace Gates at the head of the southern Continental forces , and Greene waged an effect partisan campaign against Cornwallis . When he finally reached sufficient strength , Greene offered Cornwallis open battle at Hillsboro , North Carolina in March . Although he lost the Battle of Guilford Court House , Greene inflicted significant casualties on Cornwallis while retaining his own army intact . Cornwallis moved to Wilmington , North Carolina to regroup , and then made the controversial decision to bring his army into Virginia , which he saw as the supply base for Greene ' s army . Joining with the army of Phillips , he maneuvered against the growing Continental presence led by Lafayette , while continuing to raid and destroy economic and military targets in the state . Eventually his decision to enter Virginia reached Clinton , who was surprised at the move . After a series of confusing and sometimes contradictory suggestions , Clinton in late July issued firm orders to Cornwallis to establish a fortified deep - water port in Virginia . Cornwallis informed Clinton that he would do so at Yorktown . Siege and victory . Admiral de Grasse received the dispatches of Washington and Rochambeau in mid - July . He immediately sent dispatches north indicating that he would be sailing for the Chesapeake Bay to assist in operations there . When Washington learned of this decision , he reluctantly abandoned the idea of attacking New York . In a brilliant but risky strategic move , he marched 6 , 000 soldiers from New York to Virginia , leaving the New York highlands only lightly defended . Washington would in later years claim that early preparations to operate against New York were intended to deceive Clinton , but the documentary record of 1781 does not support him . Later operations , as the march got underway , did involve deliberate deception . As part of the march troops appeared to establish camps and other works on the west side of the Hudson , as if preparing for an attack on New York . By the time Clinton saw through the deception , Washington had already crossed the Delaware . De Grasse sailed north with his entire fleet ( 28 ships of the line ) , while his British counterpart , Admiral Rodney ( not expecting de Grasse to take his entire fleet ) sent only 15 ships in pursuit . In early September , while the French and Continental armies marched south , de Grasse and the British fleet ( enlarged by the inclusion of ships from New York to 19 ships ) met in the Battle of the Chesapeake . The French victory was strategically vital , for it denied the British control of the Chesapeake and set the stage for the encirclement of Cornwallis at Yorktown . Upon his arrival at Yorktown Washington had command of 5 , 700 Continentals , 3 , 200 militia and 7 , 800 French regulars . On September 28 the Franco - American army blockaded Yorktown , and began digging siege trenches on October 6 . By the 9th guns had been emplaced on the first parallel , and began firing on the entrenched British camp . Work proceeded rapidly thereafter on the second parallel , only from the British defenses . On the 14th two outer redoubts of the British defenses were stormed , and the entirety of the British camp was with range of the French and American cannons . After a failed attempt to escape across the York River , Cornwallis opened negotiations on October 17 . Two days later terms were agreed , and his 8 , 000 men paraded in surrender . Despite the size of the contending forces , and the importance of the siege , there were only 260 allied and 550 British casualties . One of the American casualties was Washington ' s stepson and aide - de - camp John Parke Custis , who died of a camp disease during the siege . The disaster at Yorktown broke the morale of the governing class in London and paralyzed Britain ' s national will to make war . The war party in Britain lost control of Parliament , and the new government opened peace talks . These came to fruition in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris , in which Britain recognized American independence . Waiting for peace . Following Yorktown , Washington ' s army returned to New York , while Rochambeau ' s remained in Virginia . Washington , concerned that Congress " may think our work too nearly closed " , worked to make sure that the army would be prepared for a campaign in 1782 . Although British ship movements caused Washington some concerns during the winter of 1781 – 2 , he was able to enjoy relative comfort in Philadelphia . He returned to his headquarters in Newburgh , New York in March 1782 , where he had to deal with greedy military supply contractors . The execution of militia officer Joshua Huddy by Loyalists occasioned an exchange between Washington and Clinton , and led to the so - called " Asgill Affair " , after the officer selected to be executed in retaliation for Huddy ' s hanging . Despite the onset of peace negotiations in the second half of 1782 , Washington remained vigilant , treating with suspicion assertions on the part of General Clinton ' s replacement , Sir Guy Carleton , that he had suspended " all hostilities " . To boost morale , Washington introduced the Badge of Military Merit , to be awarded for " unusual gallantry " or " extraordinary fidelity and essential service " . The badge , a purple - colored cloth in the shape of a heart , is a precursor to the modern American Purple Heart . In 1783 Washington continued to keep the army ready at Newburgh , although some of his officers made veiled threats to Congress about long - overdue pay . Washington diffused this hint at mutiny with an address to the troops on March 15 recommending patience . On March 26 he was informed that France and Spain had made peace with Britain , one of the last preconditions for a final peace . Thereafter he was occupied with the logistics of prisoner exchanges , and pressed Congress to ensure soldiers being furloughed or discharged received at least some of their back pay . He met once with General Carleton to discuss the return of runaway slaves , a contentious point on which Carleton refused to budge . ( Carleton announced in the meeting , to Washington ' s apparent chagrin , that 6 , 000 Negroes had already been sent to Nova Scotia , and refused to assist the efforts of slave hunters . ) In June troops in Pennsylvania mutinied , marching on Philadelphia and surrounding the State House where Congress sat . In response Congress temporarily relocated to Princeton , and Washington dispatched troops south from New York . After action by Congress addressed their concerns , the mutinous troops returned to their posts . The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3 , 1783 . On November 21 , the British evacuated New York City , and Washington and Governor George Clinton took possession of the city , ending large - scale British occupation of American territory . ( Britain continued to occupy frontier forts that had been ceded to the United States until the mid - 1790s . ) Resignation and post - war career . Washington ' s contribution to victory in the war was not that of a great battlefield tactician . He has been characterized , according to historian Edward G . Lengel , in many different ways : " charismatic hero , master of guerrilla warfare , incompetent or infallible battlefield commander , strategic genius , nationalist visionary , fanatical micromanager , and lucky dog " . Although he has frequently been said to engage in the Fabian strategy of wearing his opponent down , the truth is more nuanced . On a number of occasions his subordinates convinced him to hold off on plans of attack they saw as rash . Washington only really adopted a Fabian strategy between late 1776 and the middle of 1777 , after losing New York City and seeing much of his army melt away . Trenton and Princeton were Fabian examples . By August 1777 , however , Washington had rebuilt his strength and his confidence and stopped using raids and went for large - scale confrontations , as at Brandywine , Germantown , Monmouth and Yorktown . Washington is often characterized as complaining about undisciplined militia forces , but he understood that they were a vital part of the nation ' s defenses , since regular army troops could not be everywhere . He was also at times critical of the mercenary spirit and " the dearth of public spirit " that often underlay difficulties in recruiting for the army . One of Washington ' s important contributions as commander - in - chief was to establish the precedent that elected civilian officials , rather than military officers , possessed ultimate authority over the military . Throughout the war , he deferred to the authority of Congress and state officials , and he relinquished his considerable military power once the fighting was over . This principle was especially visible in his handling of the Newburgh conspiracy , and in his " Farewell Orders " . The latter document was written at his final wartime headquarters , a house on the outskirts of Princeton owned by the widow Berrien ( later to be called Rockingham ) , but was sent to be read to the assembled troops at West Point on November 2 . At Fraunces Tavern in New York City on December 4 , he formally bade his officers farewell . On December 23 , 1783 , Washington resigned his commission as commander - in - chief to the Congress of the Confederation at Annapolis , Maryland , and retired to his home at Mount Vernon . After the war Washington chaired the Constitutional Convention that drafted the United States Constitution , and was then elected the first President of the United States , serving two terms . He briefly engaged in additional military service during a threatened war with France in 1798 , and died in December 1799 . He is widely recognized as the " Father of his country " .