Life of General Washington

In a remarkable feat of historical detective work, Rosemarie Zagarri has assembled manuscripts from three separate archives to reconstruct - and publish for the first time in its full form - the only biography of George Washington authorized by the general himself. Written by his close friend and military aide David Humphreys. It offers a rare, intimate glimpse of Washington's life, from his birth in 1732 until his assumption of the presidency in 1789. Humphreys became Washington's aide-de-camp during the war. Afterward, in 1786, he came to Mount Vernon at Washington's invitation and lived there for nearly three years, drawing on private papers and the general's reminiscences to compose the story of Washington's life. Humphreys never published the fuller biography, which contained important details about Washington's childhood, his life at Mount Vernon, and his agonizing struggle over whether to accept the presidency. Washington's "Remarks", a review of a part of Humphrey's manuscript, are included in this edition and reveal a personal side that he seldom exposed in his letter or other writings.