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WASHINGTON, George (1732-1799), first president of the U.S., commander in chief of the Continental army during the American Revolution. He symbolized qualities of discipline, aristocratic duty, military orthodoxy, and persistence in adversity that his contemporaries particularly valued as marks of mature political leadership.

Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732, in Westmoreland Co., Va., the eldest son of Augustine Washington (1694??743), a Virginia planter, and Mary Ball Washington (1708?9). Although Washington had little or no formal schooling, his early notebooks indicate that he read in geography, military history, agriculture, deportment, and composition and that he showed some aptitude in surveying and simple mathematics. In later life he developed a style of speech and writing that, although not always polished, was marked by clarity and force. Tall, strong, and fond of action, he was a superb horseman and enjoyed the robust sports and social occasions of the Virginia planter society. At the age of 16 he was invited to join a party to survey lands owned by the Fairfax family (to which he was related by marriage) west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. His journey led him to take a lifelong interest in the development of western lands. In the summer of 1749 he was appointed official surveyor for Culpeper Co., and during the next two years he made many surveys for landowners on the Virginia frontier. In 1753 he was appointed adjutant of one of the districts into which Virginia was divided, with the rank of major.

Early Military Experience.

Washington played an important role in the struggles preceding the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was chosen by Lt. Gov. Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia to deliver an ultimatum calling on French forces to cease their encroachment in the Ohio River valley. The young messenger was also instructed to observe the strength of French forces, the location of their forts, and the routes by which they might be reinforced from Canada. After successfully completing this mission, Washington, then a lieutenant colonel, was ordered to lead a militia force for the protection of workers who were building a fort at the Forks of the Ohio River. Having learned that the French had ousted the work party and renamed the site Fort Duquesne, he entrenched his forces at a camp named Fort Necessity and awaited reinforcements. A successful French assault obliged him to accept articles of surrender, and he departed with the remnants of his company.

Washington resigned his commission in 1754, but in May 1755 he began service as a volunteer aide-de-camp to the British general Edward Braddock, who had been sent to Virginia with a force of British regulars. A few kilometers from Fort Duquesne, Braddock抯 men were ambushed by a band of French soldiers and Indians. Braddock was mortally wounded, and Washington, who behaved gallantly during the conflict, narrowly escaped death. In August 1755 he was appointed (with the rank of colonel) to command the Virginia regiment, charged with the defense of the long western frontier of the colony. War between France and Britain was officially declared in May 1756, and while the principal struggle moved to other areas, Washington succeeded in keeping the Virginia frontier relatively safe.

The American Revolution.

After the death of his elder half brother Lawrence (1718?2), Washington inherited the plantation known as Mount Vernon. A spectacular rise in the price of tobacco during the 1730s and ?0s, combined with his marriage in 1759 to Martha Custis, a young widow with a large estate, made him one of the wealthiest men in Virginia. Elected to the House of Burgesses in 1758, he served conscientiously but without special distinction for 17 years. He also gained political and administrative experience as justice of the peace for Fairfax Co.

Like other Virginia planters, Washington became alarmed by the repressive measures of the British crown and Parliament in the 1760s and early ?0s. In July 1774 he presided over a meeting in Alexandria that adopted the Fairfax Resolves, calling for the establishment and enforcement of a stringent boycott on British imports prior to similar action by the First Continental Congress. Together with his service in the House of Burgesses, his public response to unpopular British policies won Washington election as a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress in September and October 1774 and to the Second Continental Congress in 1775.

The opening campaigns of the war.

When fighting broke out between Massachusetts and the British in 1775, Congress named Washington commander of its newly created Continental army, hoping thus to promote unity between New England and Virginia. He took command of the makeshift force besieging the British in Boston in mid-July, and when the enemy evacuated the city in March 1776, he moved his army to New York. Defeated there in August by Gen. William Howe, he withdrew from Manhattan to establish a new defensive line north of New York City. In November he retreated across the Hudson River into New Jersey, and a month later crossed the Delaware to safety in Pennsylvania.

Although demoralized by Howe抯 easy capture of New York City and northern New Jersey, Washington spotted the points where the British were overextended. Recrossing the icy Delaware on the night of Dec. 25, 1776, he captured Trenton in a surprise attack the following morning, and on Jan. 3, 1777, he defeated British troops at Princeton. These two engagements restored patriot morale, and by spring Washington had 8000 new recruits. Impressed by such tenacity, Howe delayed moving against Washington until late August, when he landed an army at the head of Chesapeake Bay. Wanting to fight, Washington tried unsuccessfully to block Howe抯 advance toward Philadelphia at the Battle of Brandywine Creek in September. Following the British occupation of the city, he fought a minor battle with them at Germantown, but their superior numbers forced him to retreat. Washington and his men spent the following winter at Valley Forge, west of Philadelphia. During these months, when his fortunes seemed to have reached their lowest point, he thwarted a plan by his enemies in Congress and the army to have him removed as commander in chief.

In June 1778, after France抯 entry into the war on the American side, the new British commander, Sir Henry Clinton, evacuated Philadelphia and marched overland to New York; Washington attacked him at Monmouth, N.J., but was again repulsed. Washington blamed the defeat on Gen. Charles Lee抯 insubordination during the battle梩he climax of a long-brewing rivalry between the two men.

Victory.

Washington spent the next two years in relative inactivity with his army encamped in a long semicircle around the British bastion of New York City梖rom Connecticut to New Jersey. The arrival in 1780 of about 6000 French troops in Rhode Island under the comte de Rochambeau augmented his forces, but the weak U.S. government was approaching bankruptcy, and Washington knew that he had to defeat the British in 1781 or see his army disintegrate. He hoped for a combined American-French assault on New York, but in August he received word that a French fleet was proceeding to Chesapeake Bay for a combined land and sea operation against another British army in Virginia, and reluctantly agreed to march south.

Washington and Rochambeau抯 movement of 7000 troops, half of them French, from New York State to Virginia in less than five weeks was a masterpiece of execution. Washington sent word ahead to the marquis de Lafayette, commanding American forces in Virginia, to keep the British commander, Lord Cornwallis, from leaving his base of operations at Yorktown. At the end of September the Franco-American army joined Lafayette. Outnumbering the British by two to one, and with 36 French ships offshore to prevent Yorktown from being relieved by sea, Washington forced Cornwallis to surrender in October after a brief siege. Although peace and British recognition of U.S. independence did not come for another two years, Yorktown proved to be the last major land battle of the Revolution.

Washington as a military leader.

Washington抯 contribution to American victory was enormous, and analysis of his leadership reveals much about the nature of the military and political conflict. Being selective about where and when he fought the British main force prevented his foes from using their strongest asset, the professionalism and discipline of their soldiers. At the same time, Washington remained a conventional military officer. He rejected proposals made by Gen. Charles Lee early in the war for a decentralized guerrilla struggle. As a conservative, he shrank from the social dislocation and redistribution of wealth that such a conflict would cause; as a provincial gentleman, he was determined to show that American officers could be every bit as civilized and genteel as their European counterparts. The practical result of this caution and even inhibition was to preserve the Continental army as a visible manifestation of American government when allegiance to that government was tenuous.

Political Leadership.

In one of his last acts as commander, Washington issued a circular letter to the states imploring them to form a vibrant, vigorous national government. In 1783 he returned to Mount Vernon and became in the mid-1780s an enterprising and effective agriculturalist. Shay抯 Rebellion, an armed revolt in Massachusetts (1786?7), convinced many Americans of the need for a stronger government. Washington and other Virginia nationalists were instrumental in bringing about the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to promote that end. Elected as a delegate to the convention by the Virginia General Assembly, Washington was chosen its president. In this position he played virtually no role梕ither formal or behind the scenes梚n the deliberations of the convention; however, his reticence and lack of intellectual flair may well have enhanced his objectivity in the eyes of the delegates, thereby contributing to the unself-conscious give and take that was the hallmark of the framers?deliberations. Also, the probability that Washington would be the first president may have eased the task of designing that office. His attendance at the Constitutional Convention and his support for ratification of the Constitution were important for its success in the state conventions in 1787 and 1788.

First administration.

Elected president in 1788 and again in 1792, Washington presided over the formation and initial operation of the new government. His stiff dignity and sense of propriety postponed the emergence of the fierce partisanship that would characterize the administrations of his three successors桱ohn Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. He also made several decisions of far-reaching importance. He instituted the cabinet, although no such body was envisioned by the Constitution. He was socially aloof from Congress, thus avoiding the development of court and opposition factions. By appointing Alexander Hamilton secretary of the treasury and Thomas Jefferson secretary of state, he brought the two ablest and most principled figures of the revolutionary generation into central positions of responsibility. Washington supported the innovations in fiscal policy proposed by Hamilton梐 funded national debt, the creation of the Bank of the United States, assumption of state debts, and excise taxes, especially on whiskey, by which the federal government would assert its power to levy controversial taxes and import duties high enough to pay the interest on the new national debt. Similarly, he allowed Jefferson to pursue a policy of seeking trade and cooperation with all European nations. Washington did not foresee that Hamilton抯 and Jefferson抯 policies were ultimately incompatible. Hamilton抯 plan for an expanding national debt yielding an attractive rate of return for investors depended on a high level of trade with Britain generating enough import-duty revenue to service the debt. Hamilton therefore felt that he had to meddle in foreign policy to the extent of leaking secret dispatches to the British.

Second administration.

The outbreak of war between revolutionary France and a coalition led by Britain, Prussia, and Austria in 1793 jeopardized American foreign policy and crippled Jefferson抯 rival foreign policy design. When the French envoy, Edmond Gen阾, arrived in Charleston in April 1793 and began recruiting American privateers梐nd promising aid to land speculators who wanted French assistance in expelling Spain from the Gulf Coast梂ashington insisted, over Jefferson抯 reservations, that the U.S. denounce Gen阾 and remain neutral in the war between France and Britain. Washington抯 anti-French leanings, coupled with the aggressive attitude of the new regime in France toward the U.S., thus served to bring about the triumph of Hamilton抯 pro-British foreign policy梖ormalized by Jay抯 Treaty of 1795, which settled outstanding American differences with Britain.

The treaty梬hich many Americans felt contained too many concessions to the British梩ouched off a storm of controversy. The Senate ratified it, but opponents in the House of Representatives tried to block appropriations to establish the arbitration machinery. In a rare display of political pugnacity, Washington challenged the propriety of the House tampering with treaty making. His belligerence on this occasion cost him his prized reputation as a leader above party, but it was also decisive in securing a 51?8 vote by the House to implement the treaty. Conscious of the value of his formative role in shaping the presidency and certainly stung by the invective hurled at advocates of the Jay Treaty, Washington carefully prepared a farewell address to mark the end of his presidency, calling on the U.S. to avoid both entangling alliances and party rancor.

After leaving office in 1797, Washington retired to Mount Vernon, where he died on Dec. 14, 1799.

Evaluation.

Washington抯 place in the American mind is a fascinating chapter in the intellectual life of the nation. Washington provided his contemporaries with concrete evidence of the value of the citizen soldier, the enlightened gentleman farmer, and the realistic nationalist in stabilizing the culture and politics of the young republic. Shortly after the president抯 death, an Episcopal clergyman, Mason Locke Weems, wrote a fanciful life of Washington for children, stressing the great man抯 honesty, piety, hard work, patriotism, and wisdom. This book, which went through many editions, popularized the story that Washington as a boy had refused to lie in order to avoid punishment for cutting down his father抯 cherry tree. Washington long served as a symbol of American identity along with the flag, the Constitution, and the Fourth of July. The age of debunking biographies of American personages in the 1920s included a multivolume denigration of Washington by American author Rupert Hughes (1872?956), which helped to distort Americans?understanding of their national origins. Both the hero worship and the debunking miss the essential point that his leadership abilities and his personal principles were exactly the ones that met the needs of his own generation. As later historians have examined closely the ideas of the Founding Fathers and the nature of warfare in the Revolution, they have come to the conclusion that Washington抯 specific contributions to the new nation were, if anything, somewhat underestimated by earlier scholarship.

1、美国西北部的州。

北接加拿大，西临太平洋。面积17.65万平方公里。人口501.8万（1991）。首府奥林匹亚。最大城市西雅图。1543-1792年有西班牙、俄国、英国、法国等国的探险者进入该地。1818-1846年为英国、美国共有。1846年确定沿本州北境的北纬49°线为国美、加拿大国境线。1889年建州。西部为海岸山脉、喀斯喀特山脉及两山脉间的低地带。海岸山脉较低矮，仅北端的奥林匹克山海拔2，000多米。东侧的喀斯喀特山脉高峻，许多山峰海拔3，000米以上，冰雪覆盖，冰川垂挂，最高的雷尼尔山海拔4，392米。两山之间的低地带系沉降的地沟，北部形成普吉特湾，水深，多良港。西部气候温和多雨，人口密集，农业发达，山地多针叶林，别名“常绿州”。但喀斯喀特山脉以东为比较干燥的哥伦比亚台地。旱地农业（小麦、大麦、玉米、马铃薯）和畜牧（羊）为主。河谷便于灌溉之处，果树栽培很盛。在哥伦比亚河上建有全国最大的大古力水坝，提供丰富电力，为炼铝和军工服务，铝的生产量占全国半数。在铝的基础上发展了首要工业部门飞机制造业，西雅图是世界著名的生产喷气客机的城市。其他有海军造船厂和导弹工厂。木材、造纸、食品、化学等工业也很发达。沿海渔业很盛。旅游业发达。主要城市还有斯波坎、塔科马。

2、首都

美国首都华盛顿，全称“华盛顿哥伦比亚特区” (Washington D.C.) ，是为纪念美国开国元勋乔治·华盛顿和发现美洲新大陆的哥伦布而命名的。华盛顿在行政上由联邦政府直辖，不属于任何一个州。

华盛顿临近大西洋，位于马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州之间的波托马克河与阿纳卡斯蒂亚河汇流处，小型海轮可达。正式名称为“华盛顿·哥伦比亚特区”。为纪念华盛顿和哥伦布而得名。市区面积178平方公里，特区总面积6094平方公里，人口约55万。黑人约占60-70％。居民主要为联邦政府官员、雇员及其家属；勤杂人员几占30％（大部为黑人）。由第一任总统华盛顿提议，1790年定为首都（1800年自费城迁此），1812年为英军占领，国会、总统府等均被毁。二十世纪以来建为现代化城市，成为美国政治、文化、教育的中心、有美国国会（国会大厦）、总统府（白宫）、国务院、国防部（五角大楼）等和国会图书馆、国立博物馆、老国立美术馆、新国立美术馆以及乔治敦大学（建于1789年）、乔治·华盛顿大学（建于1812年）等文教机构。著名的纪念建筑物有华盛顿纪念塔、林肯和杰斐逊纪念堂等。旅游业及有关的服务性行业为主要经济部门。

华盛顿原是一片灌木丛生之地，只有一些村舍散落其间。1789年，美国联邦政府正式成立，乔治·华盛顿当选为首任总统。当国会在纽约召开第一次会议时，建都选址问题引起激烈争吵，南北两方的议员都想把首都设在本方境内。国会最后达成妥协，由总统华盛顿选定南北方的天然分界线——波托马克河畔长宽各为16公里的地区作为首都地址，并请法国工程师皮埃尔·夏尔·朗方主持首都的总体规划和设计。新都尚未建成，华盛顿便于1799年去世。为了纪念他，这座新都在翌年建成时被命名为华盛顿。

华盛顿是美国的政治中心，白宫、国会、美国最高法院以及绝大多数政府机构均设在这里。国会大厦（右图）建在被称为“国会山”的全城最高点上，它是华盛顿的象征。这座乳白色的建筑有一个圆顶主搂和相互连接的东、西两翼大楼，美国国会参众两院都在国会大楼里办公。白宫是一座白色大理石圆形建筑，是华盛顿之后美国历届总统办公和居住的地方。椭圆形的美国总统办公室设在白宫西厢房内，南窗外边是著名的“玫瑰园”。白宫正楼南面的南草坪是”总统花园”，美国总统常在这里举行欢迎贵宾的仪式。国会大厦和白宫之间有“联邦三角”建筑群，其中包括联邦政府机构以及国家美术馆、国家档案馆、泛美联盟、史密森国家博物馆和联邦储备大厦等。华盛顿面积最大的建筑是位于波托马克河河畔的美国国防部所在地五角大楼。

华盛顿有许多纪念性建筑。离国会大厦不远的华盛顿纪念碑，高169米，全部用白色大理石砌成，乘电梯登上顶端可把全市风光尽收眼底。杰弗逊纪念堂和林肯纪念堂等也都是美国有名的纪念性建筑物。

华盛顿还是美国的文化中心之一。全市有乔治敦、乔治·华盛顿等9所高等院校。创建于1800年的国会图书馆是驰名世界的文化设施，华盛顿歌剧院、美国国家交响乐团、肯尼迪艺术中心等都是美国著名的文化机构。此地有相当多博物馆，国际女性艺术博物馆就是其中之一。华盛顿还有美国国家艺术博物馆、自然历史博物馆、宇航博物馆等许多著名博物馆。

华盛顿市徽的外形看上去像是一只正在展翅的鹰，图案近景是华盛顿纪念碑，远景为国会山和波托马克河。华盛的市树为美洲橡树，市花为鹃菊，市鸟为红尾雀，市歌为《年轻的故乡华盛顿》。

1984年5月15日，华盛顿与北京结为友好城市。

世界上一年中下雪最多的地方是美国首都华盛顿，年降雪量达1870厘米。
为什么华盛顿能下这么多的雪呢？已知下雪要有两个条件，一是温度要下降到摄氏零度以下，二是要有充足的水汽。华盛顿离大西洋、五大湖都不远，水汽来源十分充沛；同时，来自格兰岛的冷空气常常经过这里，因而使它成了世界上年降雪量最多的地方。

3、总统

【名人简介】乔治•华盛顿（1732年-1799年），美国开国总统。早年当过土地测量员。在美国独立战争中，他任大陆军总司令，为美国的独立作出了巨大的贡献。1789年当选总统，1793年再选连任。由于他对争取美国独立、发展美国经济、建设民主法制和巩固联邦基础所作的贡献，被美国人尊称为“国父“。1797年两届任满后，华盛顿拒绝再参加竞选，隐退回乡。此举开创了美国历史上摒弃终身总统制及和平转移权力的范例。

【经典名言】我们最稳当的保证人是我们自己的智慧。

【名言解说】稳当：稳固牢靠。智慧是过去经验的结晶，是每个人自己独有的财富，它教我们做和说，它教我们赢取自己的生活和自由。别人的智慧无法帮助我们变得聪明。因此，自己的智慧最可靠。

乔治·华盛顿1732年生于美国弗吉尼亚的威克弗尔德庄园。他是一位富有的种植园主之子，二十岁时继承了一笔可观的财产。1753年到1758年期间华盛顿在军中服役，积极参加了法国人同印第安人之间的战争，从而获得了军事经验和威望；1758年解甲回到弗吉尼亚，不久便与一位带有四个孩子的富孀——玛莎·丹德利居·卡斯蒂斯结了婚（他没有亲生子女）。

华盛顿在随后的十五年中经营自己的家产，表现出了非凡的才能，1774年他被选为弗吉尼亚的一位代表去参加第一届大陆会议时，就已经成为美国殖民地中最大的富翁之一了。华盛顿不是一位主张独立的先驱者，但是1775年6月的第二届大陆会议（他是一位代表）却一致推选他来统率大陆部队。他军事经验丰富，家产万贯，闻名遐迩；他外貌英俊，体魄健壮（身高6英尺2时），指挥才能卓越，尤其他那坚韧不拔的性格使他成为统帅的理所当然的人选。在整个战争期间，他忠诚效劳，分文不取，廉洁奉公，堪称楷模。

华盛顿于1775年6月开始统率大陆军队，到1797年3月第二届总统任期期满，他的最有意义的贡献就是在这期间取得的。1799年12月在弗吉尼亚的温恩山，他在家中病逝。

首先，他在美国独立战争中是一位成功的军事领袖。但事实上他决非是一位军事天才，当然也决不能与亚历山大和凯撒一类的将军相提并论。他的成功至少有一半是由于同他对垒的英军将领的出人意料的无能，另一半才是由于他自己的才能。但是应记住几位其他美国将领均遭惨败，而华盛顿虽说打了几个小败仗而最终却赢得了战争的胜利。

其次，华盛顿是立宪会议主席。虽然他的思想对美国宪法的形成没有起重要的作用，但是他的支持者和他的名望对各州批准这部宪法却起了重大的作用。当时有一股强大的力量在反对新宪法，要不是华盛顿的影响，很难说这部宪法能实行得了。

再其次，华盛顿是美国第一任总统。美国有一位华盛顿这样德才兼备的人作为第一任总统是幸运的。翻开南美和非洲各国的历史，我们可以看到即使是一个以民主宪法为伊始的新国家，堕落成为军事专制国家也是易如反掌。华盛顿是一位坚定的领袖，他保持了国家的统一，但是却无永远把持政权的野心，既不想做国王，又不想当独裁者。他开创了主动让权的先例——一个至今美国仍然奉行的先例。

与当时的其他美国领袖如托马斯·杰弗逊、詹姆斯·麦迪逊、亚历山大·汉密尔顿等相比，乔治·华盛顿缺乏创新的精神和深刻的思想。但是他比所有这些雄才大略的人物都重要得多，无论在战争还是和平期间，他在行政领导方面都起着至关重要的作用，没有他任何政治运动都不会达到目的。对美国的形成，麦迪逊的贡献是重大的，而华盛顿的贡献几乎可以说是不可缺少的。

乔治·华盛顿在本册中的位置在很大程度上取决于人们怎样认识他给美国所带来的历史意义。要求一个当今的美国人对那种历史意义做出不偏不倚的评价自然是困难的。

虽然美国在二十世纪中叶具有甚至比鼎盛时期的罗马帝国还要大的军事力量和政治影响，但是其政权也许不会象罗马帝国那样行之久远。另一方面，美国所取得的技术成就有几项将来也会被其他民族视为有重大意义的，这一点看来是有目共睹的。例如飞机的发明和人类在月球上的登陆就代表了过去世世代代人们梦寐以求的成果；很难想象核武器的发明将来会被看成是无足轻重的成就。

既然乔治·华盛顿大体上可以和罗马的奥古斯都·凯撒相媲美，在本册中把他与奥古斯都排得很接近似乎不无道理。如果说把华盛顿排得略低了一点儿，那主要是因为他比奥古斯都领导的时间要短得多，还有许多其他人如托马斯·杰弗逊和詹姆斯·麦迪逊对美国的形成也起了重要的作用。但是华盛顿比亚历山大大帝和拿破仑这样的人物排得高些，因为他的功劳比起他们的来说是更加不可磨灭的。 美利坚合众国的缔造者——华盛顿

大家都知道，美国的首都是华盛顿，它位于大西洋沿岸的波托马克河畔。其实，在1800年以前美国并没有这样一座城市，它是美国人民为纪念美国的开国元勋——乔治·华盛顿而专门建立的，由此可以看出他在美国人民心目中的是多么崇高。
1732年12月22日，乔治·华盛顿生于弗吉尼亚的一个种植园主家庭。他自幼丧父，只继承了少量的田产和10个黑奴。16岁的时候，就去西部作土地测量员，后来又在俄亥俄河流域领做过土地买卖，靠着自己的艰苦奋斗，华盛顿成为当地有名的大种植园主。
当时，英法两国为争夺北美殖民地进行了旷日持久的战争，英国为战胜法国，竭力争取北美大种植园主的支持，1754年，弗吉尼亚总督答应把20万英亩土地给参加反法战争的富人，华盛顿积极参加了英国方面对法作战，指挥弗吉尼亚地方武装英勇战斗，屡立战功，协助英军把法军赶出北美。但战争结束后，英国却立刻翻脸，宣布西部土地为王室私产，不准垦殖。这一禁令使华盛顿一下子丧失了3万多英亩土地，从此，他成为英国殖民政策的坚决反对者。
1775年4月19日，波士顿人民在列克星顿打响了反抗英国殖民统治的第一枪，北美各州人民纷纷响应，轰轰烈烈的美国独立战争爆发了。
1775年6月，北美13个英属殖民地在费城召开“大陆会议”，华盛顿被任命为大陆军总司令。这时，波士顿义军正和那里的英军激战，华盛顿立即骑马出发，于7月3日抵达波士顿，他亲临前线指挥战斗，给英军以严重打击。
在战争初期，美军打得非常艰苦，他们中的大多数人是临时招集来的农民，衣服破烂不堪，没有武器，没有受过正规军事训练，根本不像一支军队，另一方面，美军的后勤供应也极度的困难，士兵们经常吃不饱、穿不暖，有时一连五六天吃不到面包，只好吃马料，在寒冷的冬季，有许多士兵不得不赤脚行军。
相反，他们的对手英军却装备精良，训练有素，后勤供应充足。所以，美军一败再败，纽约等要塞相继失守，到1777年9月，连首都费城也被英军占领，有些意志不坚的将领竟率兵向英军投降。
在极端严峻的形势下，华盛顿始终忠于北美人民的独立事业，从来没有动摇过。他以非凡的才干，把原来自由、散漫，缺乏组织纪律和统一指挥的美军组织起来，在战斗中锻炼成长，逐步建立了一支强大的正规军。他鼓励美军士兵，号召他们为自由而战，指出：美利坚人是自由的，还是奴隶；我们的田产应当归自己，还是被劫夺、被毁坏；两条路，一条是勇敢地反抗，一条是驯服，正摆在独立军将士面前。
他努力将各州团结、联系起来，共同作战。1777年10月，美军在萨拉托加大败英军，从而扭转了整个独立战争的局面。与此同时，为了孤立英国，美国又多方展开了外交活动，争取法国等国的援助。1778年6月，法国军舰开进美国，英军被迫从费城撤退，把主攻方向转向南方。1780年，英军把主力转移到南方港口城市约克镇。法国和美军两路并进，直逼约克镇。法军用海军封锁海港，切断英军海上补给线，断绝了英国军队退路，华盛顿则率部从正面猛攻。
1781年9月，英军统帅康华理率部上千余人向华盛顿投降，美国独立战争取得了最后的胜利。
独立战争胜利后，华盛顿解甲归田，回到弗吉尼亚继续经营自己的种植园，在葡萄树和无花果树的绿荫下享受宁静的田园生活。1787年，华盛顿再度出山，主持制宪会议，制定了世界上第一部资产阶级宪法。1789年4月，华盛顿当选为美国第一任总统。
当他担任美国总统八年后，发誓不再连任，坚决回到芒特弗农山庄，过平民生活。1799年12月14日，华盛顿病逝。