Chaplains not only pray, but they also preach. One of the remarkable sermons that comes from Washington’s collection is by Reverend Israel Evans, Chaplain to Brig. Gen. Maxwell of the Western Army.⁹⁴ The title is “A discourse, delivered at Easton, on the 17th of October, 1779, to the Officers and Soldiers of the Western Army, after their return from an expedition against the five nations of hostile Indians. Easton, October 18, 1779.” The officers of the Western Army voted to have it printed and “distributed amongst the federal Corps of the Army gratis.”⁹⁵ Evans’ discourse was based on 2 Samuel 22:40, 50, “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: them that rise up against me hast thou subdued under me.—Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen; and I will sing praises unto thy name.”

We cannot consider Evans’ extensive sermon at any length, yet there are passages in it worthy of notice, as they reveal the religious beliefs that were held by the chaplains and the commanding officers of the American Army. He provides a Christian perspective on the Revolutionary War (going on at the time he delivered his message), but also the French and Indian War from two decades earlier.

The first text explains their mission and honors the soldiers who confronted the dangers of fighting the Indian tribes in the wilderness, given the universal remembrance of Braddock’s disastrous defeat. The second passage explains the Gospel benefits of the soldiers’ expedition against the hostile enemies. Evans declared:

When the tyrant of Britain, not contented to expand his malignant wrath on our sea coasts, sent his emissaries to raise the savages of the wilderness to war, and to provoke them to break their faith with the United States of America; then our defenseless frontiers became the seat of savage fury, and hundreds of our countrymen bled, and hundreds of them suffered more than the tender ear can hear related, or the compassionate heart can endure....But this was a war, from which the boldest and bravest were ready to shrink, and they who had fought an army of regular veterans, dreaded the sudden and hidden attacks of the subtle and bloody savages....Who has resolution enough to expose himself to the secret ambuscade, and risk the unhappy fate of a General Braddock?...Public mercies demand public acknowledgements, and therefore our worthy General has seized this first opportunity for calling us together, to return our most grateful thanks to Almighty God, for the very signal support and success he has been pleased to grant us, during the expedition we have just finished....The pleasure that we shall meet with, when we once more see the illustrious CHIEF of the Armies of the United States, and obtain his approbation, for he knows your worth, will make you forget all your past dangers and toils, and make you pant for an opportunity to distinguish yourselves in his presence.

It is clear that the general and the chief were pleased with the soldiers’ successful mission. It is also evident that these same officers, inclusive of Washington, the Chief, had no objection to Chaplain Evans’ Christian understanding of the soldiers’ mission into the wilderness.

Before I close this Discourse, suffer me to remind you of other happy consequences of your success. You have opened a passage into the wilderness, where the Gospel has never yet been received....Churches shall rise there, and flourish when perhaps the truths of the Gospel shall be neglected on those eastern shores. For it cannot be supposed, that so large a part of this continent shall for ever continue the haunt of savages, and the dreary abodes of superstition and idolatry. As the Gospel, or Son of Righteousness has only glanced on the shores of this western world, and it is predicted of it, that it shall be universally propagated, it will probably like the Sun, travel to the western extremities of this continent. And when men from other nations, prompted by Liberty and love of the pure Gospel of truth, shall cross the ocean to this extensive empire, they will here find a safe asylum from persecution and tyranny. How honorable then must your employment appear, when considered in all those points of view. How happy to have been the instruments in the hand of God, for accomplishing so great a revolution, and extending the Kingdom of his Son so far. Liberty, and Religion shall have their wide dominion from the Atlantic through the great continent to the western ocean ....promoting the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, ...may you more especially be the partakers of all the benefits and happiness, with which Christ will crown his faithful and dutiful Subjects!

This passage is filled with the American post-millennial theology of the time, that viewed the Christianization of this new nation as a precursor to the second coming of Christ. It also reflects the seeds of America’s later idea of “manifest destiny”—the inexorable call of American settlers to occupy the entire North American continent from coast to coast. In another chapter, we will consider how the millennial hope was explicitly part of Washington’s personal faith as well.

THE SUFFERING SOLDIER OF CHARACTER AT VALLEY FORGE AND BEYOND

The spiritual strength of the army was necessary not only for confronting the impending assaults of the far stronger British Army, but also for enduring the sheer fatigue, exposure, and near starvation that would be part of the Army’s experience before victory was secured. Today, the very name Valley Forge implies heroic sacrifice and perseverance. George Washington described the sufferings of his men at Valley Forge to Virginia Congressman John Banister on April 21, 1778, after the long, brutal winter.

...for without arrogance, or the smallest deviation from truth it may be said, that no history, now extant, can furnish an instance of an Army’s suffering such uncommon hardships as ours have done, and bearing them with the same patience and Fortitude. To see Men without Cloathes to cover their nakedness, without Blankets to lay on, without Shoes, by which their Marches might be traced by the Blood from their feet, and almost as often without Provisions as with; Marching through frost and Snow, and at Christmas taking up their Winter Quarters within a day’s March of the enemy, without a House or Hut to cover them till they could be built and submitting to it without a murmur, is a mark of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled.⁹⁶

But the sufferings of the American soldiery, that Washington so poignantly described, had already begun before Valley Forge. Writing the summer before to a committee of Congress, composed of Philip Livingston, Elbridge Gerry, and George Clymer on July 19, 1777, Washington explained his men’s lack of food, soap, and clothing.

Gentn.: The little Notice I had of your coming to the Army, and the shortness of your Stay in Camp, will, more than probably, occasion the omission of many matters which of right, ought to be laid before you, and the interruption which my thoughts constantly meet, by a variety of occurrences must apologize for the crude, and indigested manner in which they are offered....

With respect to Food, considering we are in such an extensive and abundant Country, No Army was ever worse supplied than ours with many essential Articles of it. Our Soldiers, the greatest part of the last Campaign, and the whole of this, have scarcely tasted any kind of Vegitables, had but little Salt, and Vinegar, which would have been a tolerable Substitute for Vegitables, they have been in a great measures strangers to....Soap is another Article in great demand....I have no reason to accuse the Cloathier general of Inattention to his department, and therefore, as his Supplies are incompetent to the wants of the Army, I am to suppose his resources are unequal;... It is a maxim, which needs no illustration, that nothing can be of more importance in an Army than the Cloathing and feeding it well; on these, the health, comfort, and Spirits of Soldiers essentially depend, and it is a melancholy fact, that the American Army are miserably defective in both these respects; the distress the most of them are in, for want of Cloathing, is painful to humanity, dispiriting to themselves, and discouraging to every Officer. It makes every pretension to the preservation of cleanliness impossible, exposes them to a variety of disorders, and abates, or destroys that Military pride, without which nothing can be expected from any Army.⁹⁷

Congress’ inability to meet these needs that were already evident in the summer meant that the sufferings of the coming winter at Valley Forge were inevitable.

At any rate, the profoundly patient, sacrificial, and ultimately loyal character that Washington had developed among his soldiers required a national character in return. Nothing less than gratitude and justice by Congress and the American people would be commensurate with such heroic sacrifice. Thus, Washington wrote to Theodorick Bland on April 4, 1783: “We have now a National character to establish; and it is of the utmost importance to stamp favourable impressions upon it; let justice then be one of its characteristics, and gratitude another.”⁹⁸

Washington was concerned for many things as a General—food, soap, clothing, shelter, munitions, just payment for his men, and the blessings of heaven. As we contemplate Washington’s words and place them in his historical circumstances, it occurs to us that a man so concerned for righteousness in his army, and for military chaplains to lead his men in seeking the blessings of heaven, just might have been a praying man himself. We intend to consider the debate over Washington’s prayer at Valley Forge in a subsequent chapter, and when we do, we will further describe the magnitude of the sufferings of the neophyte American Army that shivered and starved in the frigid hills outside of British-occupied Philadelphia in that winter of despair in 1777-1778.

CONCLUSION

We close this chapter with an interesting contrast of Washington with Napoleon. This was made in 1932 on the bicentennial of Washington’s birth, by Noel Porter, Arch Deacon of California, when he wrote:

Finally Washington manifested the spirit of the Cross of Jesus Christ—the spirit of self sacrifice and unselfish service. During the time Washington lived there was another great general in the person of Napoleon. Napoleon was a great military genius, but Washington was a greater man. France can never repay Napoleon for rescuing her from the hands of the despoilers; yet while he waded through the seas of blood he thought only of a crown and a bauble for his son. Washington waded through blood and hunger and privation for his country’s sake and when it was done he asked no reward save to be left alone in his Virginia farm. Napoleon asked for a crown and received nothing; Washington asked for nothing and received a crown.⁹⁹

A selfless soldier, committed to his calling, strategically minded, fearless in battle, concerned for the welfare of soldiers and civilians alike, trusting in the hand of Providence in all of these characteristics, Washington determined the ideal mold for generations of soldiers to come.

TEN

George Washington on Character and Honor

“It gives me real concern to observe ... that you should think it Necessary to distinguish between my Personal and Public Character and confine your Esteem to the former.”

George Washington, 1775

¹

“While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion. To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian.”

George Washington, 1778

²

This book is dedicated to accurately portraying Washington’s religion by a thorough examination of his own words. Through our studies of the man, we have come to the conclusion that part of the difficulty in understanding his religious views is due to his generally non-disclosing personality, coupled with the deep moral commitments that formed his character. Washington, both by temperament and by his personal principles, was a private man. How then can we accurately assess his personal religious views more than two centuries later?

In this chapter, we will explore Washington’s character and his emphasis on honor. His concern for character and honor contributed to his deep reluctance to speak of himself. Because Washington’s principled silence about himself was coupled with his natural shyness, there is a striking connection between Washington the man and the monument that bears his name—tall, majestic, silent, and seemingly impersonal. But did Washington’s inwardness and typical silence about the beliefs of his heart mean that he did not have a Christian faith? We believe that Washington’s character and personality have been misinterpreted by skeptics and secularists. They claim that his apparent silence on matters of personal religion implies that he did not believe nor live as a Christian. However, we are convinced that to interpret Washington in this way does injustice to the man and is an injustice to his character.

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT AND ITS SYMBOLIC MESSAGE

It seems to us that the Washington monument is almost as much of a monument to our culture’s view of George Washington as it is to Washington himself. The 555-foot-high obelisk is a fitting symbolic declaration of the profound significance of our founding father. After all, Washington was the single dominating figure of our nation’s creation. But the statue’s towering, faceless height also seems to suggest a transcendent unknowable personality. The highest message of the monument at its very pinnacle declares, “Laus Deo” or “Praise to God!” Yet this lofty message at its crowning height is invisible to all who stand below looking on high. Similarly, the many inner messages of the monument that are found chiseled in stone along the ever-rising stairs, such as, “Search the Scriptures,” “Holiness to the Lord,” “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” are left unread, since the mandated way to the top is by speeding elevator, and the daunting and contemplative walk up the stairs is typically closed. All of this adds to the general ignorance Americans have of George Washington’s character, personality, faith, and values.

But Washington’s seeming unknowability has something to do with his own personality and character as well. Like his monument, he was strikingly attractive and toweringly tall for his day. Yet his quiet, shy, and other-focused demeanor, coupled with his elevated sense of the dignity of rank and office, typically kept his inner thoughts and feelings at a distance from many, if not most of those who occupied his life’s activities. But with careful study, we believe we can uncover a great deal of the heart and soul of the man, even though he has been and continues to be draped with the mantle of an almost impenetrable glory from the past and the calloused indifference of the present. In this book we seek to explore the inner staircase of Washington’s soul. By careful consideration of the many records of his life that he left for posterity, we plan to show that the highest aspirations of his heart were truly intended to offer Laus Deo!

THE PRIMACY OF CHARACTER IN WASHINGTON’S WRITINGS

A careful study of Washington’s use of the word “character” shows that it was profoundly important to his view of human conduct. The word itself appears almost fifteen hundred times in his writings. Even his strenuous critic, Loyalist Reverend Jonathan Boucher, tutor of Washington’s stepson, had to admit that Washington had a respectable character. “I did know Mr. Washington well, and though occasion may call forth traits of character that never could have been discovered in the more sequestered scenes of life, I cannot conceive how he could, otherwise than through the interested representations of party, have ever been spoken of as a great man. He is shy, silent, stern, slow and cautious; but has no quickness of parts, extraordinary penetration, nor an elevated style of thinking. In his moral character he is regular, temperate, strictly just and honest.”³

The breadth of Washington’s use of the word “character” is remarkable. It encompasses the character of officers⁴ and other army officials,⁵ militia men,⁶ prisoners,⁷ deserters,⁸ as well as the character of the entire Continental Army.⁹ It’s clear that to Washington, character mattered.¹⁰ His letters touched on the character of those to whom he was writing¹¹ and extended to national character,¹² the protection derived from a good character,¹³ the character of political divisions,¹⁴ the character of his employees,¹⁵ politicians,¹⁶ judges,¹⁷ governmental positions,¹⁸ and the defense of others from injurious aspersions.¹⁹ He addressed character in terms of business partners and business transactions,²⁰ foreign affairs,²¹ wars,²² and schools.²³

His reflections on character also reached to matters of the character of friends,²⁴ of appropriate suitors of his family members,²⁵ and of Christian conduct.²⁶ In this light, one can understand why things that impacted his own character were of deep concern to him as well.²⁷ This is especially well illustrated in his September 21, 1775, letter to Governor Jonathan Trumbull. Gov. Trumbull was also a clergyman. Washington’s response to the Governor shows that he considered one’s public and private character to be inseparable, and that they should both reflect the highest standards:

It gives me real concern to observe...that you should think it Necessary to distinguish between my Personal and Public Character and confine your Esteem to the former.²⁸

After a careful explanation of the military realities facing the American army, Washington ended his letter to the Governor with this ironic conclusion: “I am, with great Esteem and Regard, for both your Personal and Public Character, sir, etc.”²⁹ [emphasis added] As a result of this pointed exchange, Washington and Trumbull became fast friends, with deep, mutual respect for their public and private characters. This was evident when the Reverend Gov. died a few years after the War. Washington wrote to his son Jonathan Trumbull on October 1, 1785:

My dear Sir: ...You know, too well, the sincere respect and regard I entertained for your venerable father’s public and private character, to require assurances of the concern I felt for his death; or of that sympathy in your feelings for the loss of him, which is prompted by friendship.³⁰ (emphasis added)

From his earliest years in the military, Washington had become deeply concerned for the continuity between one’s private and public character, because he believed that a man’s character ultimately made the difference in a crisis. He recognized this from his earliest military command in 1756. In his first command, he wrote to Gov. Robert Dinwiddie explaining, “I have been obliged to suspend Ensign Dekeyser for Misbehavior till your pleasure is known. See the proceedings of the enquiring Court. His Character in many other respects has been infamous.”³¹ His concern for character became even more apparent in the midst of the many trials of the American Revolution.

A TIME WHEN CHARACTER MATTERED

If there ever was a time when character mattered, it was in Washington’s role in the birth of America. If he had operated with a different set of moral values and a different personal character, America would have had a king or dictator instead of a federal Constitution and representative government.³² Perhaps even worse, America would never have begun at all.

Consider a pivotal incident where Washington’s character changed the direction of America. This occurred at the end of the Revolutionary War, when the American troops were at Newburgh in New York. Although overjoyed with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, the American troops were restive, since they had rarely been paid. Moreover, Congress’ ability to pay in the future was uncertain.

A treacherous solution to this fiscal crisis dawned on some of the officers and insinuated itself into the thinking of others. The army could simply seize power and rule. They had the organized firepower. They could make the great Washington their new King. If Washington were to refuse to accept the crown, the army could stubbornly refuse to disband until they had wrung the guarantees of payment from the impoverished Congress. Either way, the only true barrier to their plan was Washington.

On March 4, 1783, Washington wrote to Alexander Hamilton of the looming dangers. He warned of an American civil war between Congress and the Army because of the financial crisis. Congress was even entertaining the idea of disbanding the unpaid Army to save expenses. Washington’s worries and the strength of his own character are both revealed as he reflected on “...the danger that stares us in the face on account of our funds.” In ominous language, he evaluated the solution contemplated by Congress:

Our finances are in so deplorable a state at this time . . . The danger, to which the Army has been exposed, to a political dissolution for want of subsistence, ... no observations are necessary to evince the fatal tendency of such a measure....It would...end in blood. Unhappy situation this! God forbid we should be involved in it.³³

The weight of the possibility of yet another war put tremendous strain on Washington and his hope for America’s future.