The digital gallery

During the Campaign of 1776, no matter what adversity Washington faced, he responded with bravery, an iron will, and determination. He inspired his troops and rallied them time after time. There was no one else in the American colonies who could have done what Washington did. The war would go on another seven years, climaxing with the joint French-American victory at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. Washington is depicted in the painting center right on horseback. How, after all, did Washington win? He won because he and his men had a cause. He was fighting the right war—keeping his less-experienced army intact, winning just enough times, and gaining the aid of the French. The British Crown and British people had no stomach for more blood and more treasure. Reflecting over the last nearly 250 years, we remember that the entire future of our country hung by a mere thread in the critical months of late 1776 and very early 1777. If just one of several events had gone even a bit differently, imagine how the course of the United States may well have changed. And, indeed, in those five months, the destiny of our country rested heavily on the shoulders of one man, General George Washington. Painting by John Trumbull. / Image courtesy of Architect of the Capitol and Wikipedia.