George Washington: A BiographyWashington Irving's Life of George Washington (published in five volumes in 1856-59) was the product of his last years and remains his most personal work. Christened with the name of the great general, Irving was blessed by Washington while still a boy of seven, and later came to know many of the prominent figures of the Revolution. In these pages he describes them using firsthand source material and observation. The result is a book which is fascinating not only for its subject (the American Revolution), but also for how it reveals in illuminating detail the personality and humanity of a now remote, towering icon. Here is an intimate portrait of Washington the man, from Virginia youth to colonial commander to commander-in-chief of the patriot army to first president and great guiding force of the American federation. But one cannot read Irving's Life without marveling at the supreme art behind it, for his biography is foremost a work of literature. Charles Neider's abridgment and editing of Irving's long out-of-print classic has created a literary work comparable in importance and elegance to the original. George Washington, A Biography, Neider's title for his edition of Irving's Life, makes the work accessible to modern audiences. The extensive introduction provides a detailed analysis of Irving's life and times, and the difficulties he faced as he worked against his own failing health to finish what he felt was his masterpiece. This new edition of the superb biography of America's first citizen by America's first literary artist remains as fresh and unique today as when it was penned. |
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Page 153
... hand in case of emergency . Gage , on the other hand , issued orders that the munitions of war in all the public magazines should be brought to Boston . One of these magazines was the arsenal in the northwest part of Charlestown ...
... hand in case of emergency . Gage , on the other hand , issued orders that the munitions of war in all the public magazines should be brought to Boston . One of these magazines was the arsenal in the northwest part of Charlestown ...
Page 195
... hands . Whether British or Amer- ican mercy , fortitude , and patience are most pre - eminent ; whether our virtuous citizens , whom the hand of tyranny has forced into arms to defend their wives , their children and their property , or ...
... hands . Whether British or Amer- ican mercy , fortitude , and patience are most pre - eminent ; whether our virtuous citizens , whom the hand of tyranny has forced into arms to defend their wives , their children and their property , or ...
Page 716
... hand fell from his wrist . I took it in mine and pressed it to my bosom . Dr. Craik put his hands over his eyes and ... hand as a signal that he was no more . " " Tis well , ' said she in the same voice . * All is over now . I shall soon ...
... hand fell from his wrist . I took it in mine and pressed it to my bosom . Dr. Craik put his hands over his eyes and ... hand as a signal that he was no more . " " Tis well , ' said she in the same voice . * All is over now . I shall soon ...
Contents
Early Days | 3 |
Expeditions Beyond the Blue Ridge | 13 |
Washington in the Ohio Country | 22 |
Copyright | |
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