The General and Mrs. Washington: The True Story of How the First President's Marriage Changed US History

by Bruce Chadwick

Book Overview

Here is the story of the fateful marriage of the richest woman in Virginia and the man who could have been king. In telling their story, Chadwick explains not only their remarkable devotion to each... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402210418
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.1" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Very good

I think this is a very well developed history of a relationship and a nation. It is a great companion to George Washington: An Unexpected Life. I bought both together.

The First First Couple

Chadwick increases our admiration for George Washington, and gives us a glimpse into how exceptional Martha and his marriage to her were. Chadwick tells of their lives up to their meeting and what the marriage may have meant for each. For Martha it was a chance to enjoy family life with a man of her own generation. For George it seemed to be companionship, maybe a rebound and access to the upper reaches Virginia society. While I knew GW freed his slaves, I was unaware of his lifelong objection to slavery, and his attempts (however feeble) to do something about it. He did not really get a windfall fortune through his marriage as I thought, he got a challenge. It is not clear what he did to free Martha from her wastrel father-in-law's legal and debt burdens, but he did. I didn't know that Martha stayed with him in Valley Forge and Morristown when she could have luxuriated at Mount Vernon When the time came, GW's military, administrative and physical skills were exactly what the colonies needed. Once a new country was formed this first couple, started things right with honesty and dedication. The revolution could have turned sour, many of them do, and GW, with Martha at his side were a main component of starting out on the right foot. Chadwick assembles all this and more, with enlightening descriptions of life in colonial Virginia.