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 70
... horse galloping wildly without a rider . Throughout this disastrous day Washington distinguished him- self by his courage and presence of mind . His brother aides , Orme and Morris , were wounded and disabled early in the action and the ...
... horse galloping wildly without a rider . Throughout this disastrous day Washington distinguished him- self by his courage and presence of mind . His brother aides , Orme and Morris , were wounded and disabled early in the action and the ...
Page 81
... horse , the officer who had taken care of General Braddock in his last moments . In those days the conveniences of ... horse- manship , the admirable horses he was accustomed to ride , and the aristocratical style of his equipments , we ...
... horse , the officer who had taken care of General Braddock in his last moments . In those days the conveniences of ... horse- manship , the admirable horses he was accustomed to ride , and the aristocratical style of his equipments , we ...
Page 628
... horse moves more readily to his thill than I to the painter's chair . It may easily be conceived , therefore , that ... horse - chestnuts from Westmoreland , his native county , the haunt of his schoolboy days , which had been sent to ...
... horse moves more readily to his thill than I to the painter's chair . It may easily be conceived , therefore , that ... horse - chestnuts from Westmoreland , his native county , the haunt of his schoolboy days , which had been sent to ...
Contents
Early Days | 3 |
Expeditions Beyond the Blue Ridge | 13 |
Washington in the Ohio Country | 22 |
Copyright | |
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