By John F. Di Leo -
Reflections on the anniversary of General Washington’s arrival at Cambridge, July, 1775, a year before the Declaration of Independence...
Having been unanimously selected by his fellow delegates in the Continental Congress as Commander-in-Chief, on June 15, 1775, George Washington of Virginia was commissioned a General on June 19 and sent off to assume command of the newly created Continental Army… which was then little more than a fiction, as those awaiting him outside Boston really belonged to their localities and their states.
When General Washington arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 3, 1775, he took command of a collection of local militias, some large, some small, blessed with great patriotism, great courage, and great will… but precious little actual military ability or experience.
What General Washington knew from his own service with the English, during the Seven Years’ War (also known as the French and Indian War), was that, this time, he was up against the greatest fighting force in the world, in some ways, the greatest fighting force in human history up to that point.
And he knew that his troops, whatever their patriotism, courage and will, were no match for them.
