Perhaps the most important element in Washington’s military education during the French and Indian War was his development of a strategic sense. The struggle for the Forks of the Ohio had started as a Virginia affair, but it quickly took on an international prominence. Washington became one of the men at the center of the conflict. Although he had a limited understanding of the European politics and diplomacy that helped to fuel the war, he nevertheless sensed the crucial importance of Indian affairs. He also perceived the strategic value of the different regions of North America — such as the Middle Atlantic, the Ohio, and the Hudson Valley — and learned how British ministers thought of conquering or defending a continent. Most of all, he learned how war could become a battleground for the competing ambitions and interests of the various colonies.
Place | City | |
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Bennington Battle Monument | Bennington | An obelisk marks the site where military supplies were stored and commemorates the battle that took place two miles away in New York. |
Bennington Museum | Bennington | Memorializes the Battle of Bennington (1777); includes local and military artifacts and the “Bennington Flag.” |
Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site | Hubbardton | The visitor center has a museum that includes artifacts and a diorama of the battle. |
Mount Independence State Historic Site | Orwell | Remnants of a fort and the most important Revolutionary War site in Vermont. Originally connected to Fort Ticonderoga by a floating bridge. |
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum | Vergennes | Dedicated to preserving the maritime history of Lake Champlain, it includes a replica of a gunboat used by Benedict Arnold. |
Old Constitution House | Windsor | Delegates from the independent state of Vermont met here to write a constitution, making it a republic. |
General George Washington: A Military Life (2005)