HISTORY’s six-hour, three-night miniseries event “Washington” will chip away at the bronzed and marbled image of America’s first President and bring to life the man whose name is known to all, but whose epic story is understood by few.
“Washington” takes something of a different tack, telling the story about fabled founding father George Washington. This new miniseries from the History Channel strives to explore the full arc of his very human journey using excerpts of Washington’s letters and interviews with a series of notable historians and politicians. These sources pepper the narrative by providing key insights from the likes of President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Joseph J. Ellis, Annette Gordon-Reed, Jon Meacham, and Alan Taylor. Nicholas Rowe, perhaps best known for his work in “The Crown” and “Young Sherlock Holmes,” portrays George Washington in the three-part series.
The story begins in 1754 in the Ohio country, near modern-day Pittsburgh. American colonists wearing British red find themselves under the command of a twenty-two-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Washington with orders from King George II. Land claimed by Britain, France, and the native tribal populations lay in dispute, with Washington’s mission to reach Fort Duquesne before the French. For the young Washington, this excursion into the frontier represents his first major opportunity in battle. Described by a historian as an ambitious guy who sometimes overreached, Washington engages the French and then watches in horror as his men kill several of them – only to learn later learn that the party comprised of diplomats. Always concerned about his reputation, Washington subsequently attempts to reframe the narrative about the incident in his favor.
The French soon retaliate, attacking Washington’s small and poorly located fort named Necessity. Minutes from defeat, Washington receives a French request for a parlay. After forcing Washington to sign a peace agreement called the Articles of Capitulation, the French send him back to Virginia in apparent disgrace. Upon his return, however, Washington papers over the defeat in a newspaper article, unexpectedly becoming a folk hero in the process.
After the debacle in Ohio, Britain sends regular officers that outrank all of their American counterparts. When Britain demotes Washington from lieutenant colonel to captain, he resigns in protest. Seven months later, Washington returns to the military as a volunteer. As one of Virginia’s most experienced frontier commanders, he becomes aide to British General Braddock.
In 1755, as the British army pushes toward Fort Duquesne, French Canadian troops attack along the Pennsylvania frontier in an ambush. Although Washington loses two horses to gunfire, with bullet holes in his coat, he emerged from the battle without a scratch. Near death, General Braddock relinquishes command to Washington, giving him the opportunity of a lifetime. A hasty retreat barely saves the lives of Braddock’s men. The aftermath of the battle leaves Washington a changed man, no longer seeing war as an adventure. He also finds himself a war hero, his reputation rebuilt at last. His height and physical stature enhance his persona, making him seem almost like a figure straight out of a romance novel.
The next year, as conflict intensifies on the frontier, Washington emerges as the most likely candidate to command the Virginia Colony’s militia. The need for training apparent to him, he imposes strict discipline, characteristic of a tough taskmaster. Still, he tempers punishment with periodic mercy, often at the last minute, which engenders loyalty among the troops.
Through the methodical process of building an army, Washington learns how to lead. His charge of the Virginia regiment transforms the men into an elite unit – a provincial force worthy of respect, every bit as good as the British. Yet lack of acknowledgment from John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun and the most powerful military commander on the continent, leads Washington to resign.
He then seeks a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses and marries Martha Dandridge, both pivotal events in his life. With Martha’s previous husband and relatives all dead, Martha finds herself a wealthy widow. Washington’s fortunes change immediately.
When the king closes the western frontier to colonists and imposes new taxes to help the British pay off debts from the French-Indian War, antagonism soon follows. British troops foment the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, after which they close the port. Other colonies take notice.
In 1774, the First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia. Not known for working well together, the colonists now act in concert against the British. Washington, eager to join in, believes the British intend to enslave the colonial population.
Soon afterward, Great Britain makes clear it will not back down. The events in Lexington and Concord further change many attitudes about British rule over the colonies. As a result, the Second Continental Congress in 1775 exhibits a wholly different temperament. In the quest to find military leadership for a fledgling nation, Washington soon becomes the obvious choice. Ironically, two decades after the British Army denied Washington a commission, he takes command of the entire colonial militia, albeit at extreme personal risk. A letter to Martha vividly reveals his distress regarding the situation.
The first episode ends with Washington’s arrival in Boston where he encounters an untrained militia – more akin to a mob. He expects 20,000 men and ten tons of gunpowder but finds only a fraction of both. He then realizes that taking on the British Empire will require a far more systematic and disciplined approach – this and more the subject of the final two episodes. The story unfolds in six hours over three nights on A&E’s History Channel. Narrated by Jeff Daniels and executive produced by Doris Kearns Goodwin, “Washington” lays out the transformation of perhaps the most mythical figure in U.S. history, while at the same time putting a human face on the great man now immortalized for all time.
“Washington” will premiere over Presidents’ Day weekend airing consecutively on
Sunday, Feb. 16th, Monday, Feb. 17th and Tuesday, Feb. 18th at 8pmET/PT
