Before George could become fully engaged with his new military career there was a crisis in Lawrence's health to be dealt with. Lawrence had tuberculosis and his doctors advised him to spend the winter of 1751-52 in a warm climate to see if that might help.
On 28 September 1751 the brothers sailed for the island of Barbados, in the Caribbean, and spent 36 days at sea. This was George's one and only trip away from the United States. He kept a journal of his observations and experiences while on the island. One of those experiences was his first visit to a theater to see a play. This became a favorite form of entertainment for him in later years.
George's journals tend to be very unsentimental. They generally record practical information about soils, crops, weather, fortifications, etc. At one meal he recorded a long list of tropical fruits that were served including water-lemons, guava, and "forbidden fruit" which was probably grapefruit.
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While in Barbados George came down with small pox for three weeks which left him with light marks on his face but also made him immune to one of the most dangerous killers of soldiers during the American Revolution. Unfortunately Lawrence's health did not improve.
George sailed for home in December, planning to bring his sister-in-law to Bermuda where Lawrence would meet them. Unfortunately, Lawrence continued to deteriorate, and decided to skip a stay in Bermuda and sail straight home instead. He died at Mount Vernon in July 1752 when he was just 34 years old.
The year after Lawrence died George was given his first official mission for the government of Virginia.
As the French and the British each became more and more determined to control the Ohio River valley the French strategy was to build a string of forts along the river. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia prepared a letter for the French explaining that they were on British territory, asking them to explain why they were there, and ordering them to leave. The 21 year old George Washington was chosen to deliver the letter.
George set out on 30 October 1753. Along the way he picked up Jacob Van Braam to serve as interpreter, Christopher Gist to serve as guide, and five other men to round out the expedition. The group made slow progress in an unusually rainy and snowy winter season but finally reached the Native American settlement called Logstown on 24 November.
George spent some time in discussions with Native American leaders such as the Seneca chief Tanacharrisson, known as the half-king because he owed allegiance to the Iroquois confederation. The mission here was to ensure that the tribal leaders would remain loyal to England and also accompany George on his trip to the French.
The Half-king promised to stand by the English and also to accompany George on his trip. Together they traveled another 70 miles through the snow to Venango where they met the French Captain Joncaire. The French plied the Native Americans with presents and alcohol to see if they could be persuaded to switch sides. They also invited George and his men to a dinner where wine flowed freely and everyone got drunk except for George, who later wrote all that he saw and heard, that might be useful for the Governor, into his journal.
Ultimately, Captain Joncaire refused to read the letter from Governor Dinwiddie so George and his expedition had to journey on to another French fort 15 miles south of Lake Erie.
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Note:
My biographical study of George Washington was intended for my own education but I thought I would also like to share what I have learned here on my blog. The main sources of information I used were:
First, "George Washington: A Biography" by Washington Irving. I like this one because it was written by one of our early American literary masters and because it was written so long ago that Irving often mentions talking with people who had actually seen George.
Second, "Washington: An abridgement in one volume By Richard Harwell of the seven-volume George Washington" By Douglas Southall Freeman. I wanted the complete seven volume set but that is not yet available on Kindle. Too bad. Still, this abridgement is a great work, packed with information.
Third, "Washington: A Life" By Ron Chernow. This is an excellent modern biography that came out in 2010, helping me to get some of the more recent research missing from the older biographies.
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Copyright © 2018 by Joseph Wayne Gadway
