Somewhere between chopping down the cherry tree and crossing the Delaware River - a triumph of will that changed the course of the American Revolution - George Washington had the epiphany that turned him into one of the world's greatest tacticians and leaders. Alan Axelrod presents a riveting argument that it happened at Great Meadows, a remote western Pennsylvania battlefield where the inexperienced 22-year-old lieutenant colonel from Virginia met a highly skilled French army and suffered a terrible defeat which left over a third of his men dead. Washington walked away. He was devastated by the defeat, but his ability to use the experience to achieve eventual greatness is an inspirational tale. "Blooding at Great Meadows" features not only an exciting and thought-provoking narrative, but also examines the significance of Washington's actual dispatches, along with recent archeological findings from Great Meadows. This was essentially the battle that started the French and Indian Wars. Was it also the battle that 'fathered' America?