The Nine Lives of George Washington
by
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That George Washington lived a charmed life nobody can argue. That he enjoyed in his lifetime a great many escapes from the hand of death there can be no question. That he escaped death on each of these many occasions (except of course the last) is the record of the birth of a nation.
That many of these escapes bordered on the miraculous is also very plain. What is not so clear is just how it all happened. How do you explain miracles? There is no use in ascribing Washington’s escapes to his extraordinary physical skills or to his amazing capacity to endure hardship and pain. There is no use in doing that. One cannot dodge bullets. Not even George Washington can dodge bullets. No, there remain only two possible explanations for these miracles.
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About the Book
How George Washington survived so many close encounters with the Grim Reaper – in the wilderness frontier, on the battlefield, from serious illness, and in terrifying accidents – can be read only in the story of a steady succession of miracles. For the incredible fact that he survived all of these encounters (except of course the last) to live sixty-seven years is a consummation for which untold millions can be eternally grateful. For it was Washington who with the success of the Revolution and the leadership provided through two terms as President brought forth upon this continent an entirely new way of life. This society, governed as it now was by a spirited reverence for freedom and guaranteed by documents revolutionary in their principles, must have startled the Old World.
About the Author
William (Bill) Betts is Professor Emeritus of English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of fourteen books, including Lincoln and the Poets, The Evergreen Farm, and The Hatchet and the Plow. The Nine Lives of George Washington is his fourth book on the American Revolution. Betts is at home with his wife Jane in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Boynton Beach, Florida.