Late in the writing of this book, I suffered a severe orthopedic injury that nearly derailed the project. For that reason, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Dr. Jonathan Deland at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, who is a veritable wizard at repairing feet and ankles. During this period, when I had to vacate my brownstone, Margo Lion and Helen and Roger Lowenstein extended welcome asylum that enabled me to go on researching the book. This was friendship of a high and special order.

As I have noted in previous acknowledgments, I am singularly blessed in my agent, Melanie Jackson, and my editor, Ann Godoff of The Penguin Press. With deep faith in this project, both women provided consistently intelligent commentary and as much encouragement as any author could possibly want. Their unfailing warmth, immense integrity, and personal kindness to me have made my long-standing business and literary collaboration with them a pure joy. Their respective assistants, Caitlin McKenna and Lindsay Whalen, steadily helped to move this project along. I have also appreciated the fantastic support of the entire team at The Penguin Press, especially Tracy Locke and Sarah Hutson, who have always been models of cheerful efficiency. Janet Biehl did a fine, judicious copyedit of the manuscript under the always vigilant guidance of Bruce Giffords. In the early stages of this book, I profited from the excellent research assistance of Kate Daloz, who tracked down many interesting books and articles and then helped to assemble the picture section of the work.

Finally, I must acknowledge the inexpressible debt that I owe to my late wife, Valerie Chernow, who died during the composition of this work. She encouraged me to undertake the project and discussed it with me nightly until the end. For more than twenty-seven years, Valerie was my muse, my in-house editor, my delightful confidante. To this beautiful human being, I owe simply everything.

NOTES

ABBREVIATIONS

Diaries. Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Diaries of George Washington, 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1976-79.

DiariesA. Dorothy Twohig, ed. George Washington’s Diaries: An Abridgment. Charlottesville, Va., 1999.

MTV Library of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, Mount Vernon, Va.

PWC. W. W. Abbot, Dorothy Twohig, and Philander D. Chase, eds. The Papers of George Washington: Colonial Series, 10 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1983-95.

PWCF. W. W. Abbot and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Papers of George Washington: Confederation Series, 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1992-97.

PWP. W. W. Abbot, Dorothy Twohig, Philander D. Chase, David R. Hoth, Christine Sternberg Patrick, and Theodore J. Crackel, eds. The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series, 15 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1987-.

PWR. W. W. Abbot, Dorothy Twohig, Philander D. Chase, Edward G. Lengel, Theodore J. Crackel, and David R. Hoth, eds. The Papers of George Washington: Revolutionary War Series, 18 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1985-.

PWRT. W. W. Abbot and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Papers of George Washington: Retirement Series, 4 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1998-99.

WWF. John C. Fitzpatrick, ed. The Writings of George Washington, 39 vols. Washington, D.C., 1931-44.

WWR. John Rhodehamel, ed. George Washington, Writings. New York, 1997.

PRELUDE: THE PORTRAIT ARTIST

1 Barratt and Miles, Gilbert Stuart, 78-79.

2 . Longmore, Invention of George Washington, 181.

3 . Chernow, Alexander Hamilton, 89.

4 . Burns and Dunn, George Washington, 58.

5 . Barratt and Miles, Gilbert Stuart, 137.

6 . Jefferson, Writings, 1319.

7 . Schutz and Adair, Spur of Fame, 98.

8 . Custis, Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington, 418.

9 . Higginbotham, George Washington Reconsidered, 282.

CHAPTER ONE: A SHORT-LIVED FAMILY

1 PWP, 10:333.

2 Higginbotham, George Washington Reconsidered, 20.

3 Anderson, George Washington Remembers, 31.

4 Wiencek, Imperfect God, 31.

5 Ibid., 34.

6 Wills,Cincinnatus, 68.

7 Freeman, George Washington, 1:58.

8 Ibid., 1:69.

9 PWCF,2:175. Letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, December 8, 1784.

10 Freeman, George Washington, 1:193.

11 Conkling, Memoirs of Mother and Wife of Washington, 22.

12 Hervey, Memory of Washington, 45.

13 Felder, Fielding Lewis and Washington Family, 34.

14 Ramsay, Life of George Washington, 3.

15 PWP, 7:32. Letter to George Steptoe Washington, December 5, 1790.

16 Brookhiser, Founding Father, 137.

17 Abbot, “Uncommon Awareness.”

18 WWF,35:341. Letter to George Washington Parke Custis, December 19, 1796.

19 Henriques, Realistic Visionary, 188.

20 WWR, 3. “Rules of Civility,” 1747.

21 Ibid., 10.

22 Ibid., 5.

23 Ibid., 6.

24 Sayen, “George Washington’s ‘Unmannerly’ Behavior.”

25 WWF,35:295. Letter to George Washington Parke Custis, November 28, 1796.

26 PWRT, 1:169. Letter to George Washington Parke Custis, June 4, 1797.

CHAPTER TWO: FORTUNE’S FAVORITE

1 PWRT, 4:507.

2 Freeman, George Washington, 1:76-77.

3 WWF,35:329-30. Letter to Sir John Sinclair, December 11, 1796.

4 Flexner, George Washington, 1:30.

5 . PWC,1:289-90. Letter to John Augustine Washington, May 28, 1755.

6 . Ibid., 4:119. Letter from William Fairfax, March 22, 1757.

7 WWR,720. Letter to George Steptoe Washington, March 23, 1789.

8 Flexner, George Washington, 1:27.

9 . Palmer, George Washington and Benedict Arnold, 43-44.

10 Flexner, George Washington, 1:30.

11 PWCF,5:515. “Comments on David Humphreys’ Biography of George Washington.”

12 Flexner, George Washington, 1:30.

13 Freeman, George Washington, 1:195.

14 Ibid., 1:199.

15 PWCF, 6:423. Letter to James Craik, August 4, 1788.

16 WWR,142. Letter to Jonathan Boucher, July 9, 1771.

17 Ibid., 11. “A Journal of My Journey over the Mountains,” March 15, 1747/8.

18 Ibid., 13. “A Journal of My Journey over the Mountains,” March 23, 1747/8.

19 Ibid., 14. “A Journal of My Journey over the Mountains,” April 4, 1747/8.

20 PWC,1:44. Letter to Richard [no last name], ca. 1749-50.

21 WWR,14. “A Journal of My Journey over the Mountains,” April 3, 1747/8.

22 Lengel, General George Washington, 14.

23 PWC, 1:39.

24 Ibid., 1:45-46. Memorandum, ca. 1749-50.

25 Irving, Life of George Washington, 16.

26 Felder, Fielding Lewis and Washington Family, 33.

27 PWC, 1:41. Letter to Robin [no last name], ca. 1749-50.

28 Ibid., 1:47. “Poetry,” ca. 1749-50.

29 Unger, Unexpected George Washington, 18.

30 Cunliffe, George Washington, 42.

31 PWC,1:44. Letter to Richard, ca. 1749-50

32 DiariesA, xvi.

33 PWC,1:6. Letter to Lawrence Washington, May 5, 1749.

34 Ibid., 1:38. Letter to Ann Fairfax Washington, ca. September-November 1749.

35 Flexner, George Washington, 1:47.