The Charmed Life of George Washington

By many accounts, George Washington led a charmed life, taking risks where bravery borders on lunacy. In The Hesperus Prophecy, when he encounters Hesperus for the second time, we learn Washington takes exceptional risks because he’s realized things always work out in his favor. Hesperus confirms Washington’s beliefs, that he is pre-destined for greatness, and the universe has grand plans for him. Unfortunately, this causes trouble later for Washington, when the Continental Congress meets in Princeton, NJ. His detractors note his miraculous good fortune, creating rumors of supernatural intervention, which Washington successfully defends against while in Rockingham, NJ.

There are many instances supporting claims of Washington’s charmed life. At 19 years old, he accompanied his brother Lawrence to Barbados and contracted smallpox, which has a 30% mortality rate.

After recovering from smallpox, Washington returned to Virginia and joined the British Army. During the French and Indian War, at the Battle of the Monongahela, he orchestrated a retreat that saved many lives and prevented the total surrender of the British forces. Officers were targeted, and Washington was shot off his horse twice and, despite no wounds, there were multiple bullet holes in his uniform and one through his hat.

During the Revolutionary War, fortune once again smiled upon George Washington.

The Battle of Brooklyn Heights, August 27, 1776, ended with a British victory. The British cornered Washington and 9,000 men, surrounding the Continental Army and backing them against the East River. This battle should have ended with Washington’s surrender, but a thick fog rolled in just as the British charged the camp, cloaking Washington’s army and allowing their escape across the East River into Manhattan.

The Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, was an important victory for the Continental Army, boosting morale and foreign support. During the battle, Washington charged in front of his men, uninjured despite riding within 30 yards of the British position.

On September 16, 1777, after being roundly defeated by British troops at the Battle of Brandywine, 80 miles west of Philadelphia, the Continental Army was vulnerable. As the superior British Army advanced towards Washington’s forces, heavy rain soaked their ammunition, turned roads into mud, and ended the engagement. Known as the Battle of the Clouds, one British officer wrote, “a most heavy rain … saved the Rebel Army from a more complete over-throw than they had met with at Brandywine.”