Junior Literary Guild Selection
Book Links Lasting Connection of 2010
“The only person uncertain about his appointment was George Washington himself. After the vote was taken, he turned to fellow Virginian patriot Patrick Henry and said, ‘Remember Mr. Henry…from the day I enter upon the command of the American army, I date my fall, and the ruin of my reputation.'”
Once the war had begun, the representatives of the thirteen original colonies at the Continental Congress were faced with a major decision. Who would organize the ragtag group of rebellious men into a real army and lead it in the fight against Great Britain? To answer that question, these representatives assembled in Philadelphia in June.
Everyone understood that the decision of who would command the American army was vitally important. The British forces had been whipped badly on April 29 and forced to retreat. But they hadn’t surrendered. They would fight back and they would seek revenge. The representatives in Philadelphia knew that the America commander would not only be responsible for the fate of the army and the lives of its soldiers, he would hold the entire future of the country in his hands.