Washington's rise from anonymity as a minor land-owner and surveyor to become America's first national hero is recreated by veteran historical writer James Crutchfield. The author draws a vivid picture of a man who, with no military training, led the thirteen fledgling colonies through five years of grueling war against formidable British forces, steered the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and served two terms as the first president of the United States. Washington's accomplishments were so stunning and he was so revered that by the end of the war some of his generals urged him to install himself as king, an idea he looked upon with abhorrence, calling the very thought 'painful'. Nor would he consider standing for a third term as president.In this revealing book, James Crutchfield pictures Washington as an enigmatic man whose outward commonness concealed a quick, analytical mind capable of learning from mistakes. He gauged his successes not on battles won but on the effect his decisions would have on the future of his country. 'Washington remains an American hero, in every definition of the word', Crutchfield says. 'He was a man who rose above the political uncertainty of the infant United States to chart its destiny for two centuries into the future'.