July 26, 2025 • 10 mins
Dive into the inspiring life story of George Washington, a man whose personal journey is intricately linked with the history of the nation he helped shape. This book offers not just a look into the American Revolutionary History but also an intimate portrayal of the Father of his Country. Carefully crafted to engage young readers, the book seeks to offer a clear and compelling picture of Washingtons exceptional character and invaluable contributions to the nation. Discover how he became an enduring symbol of American values and leadership in a story that unfolds within a childs comprehension.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter six, The Life of George Washington in Words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of one syllable by
(00:20):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter six, Colonel of Virginia Troops. The troops
in Virginia were left without a head. There was no
one to lead them out to war, and if this
fact came to the ears of the French, they would
be more bold. Washington's friends urged him to ask for
the place, but this would not do. His brother wrote him, thus,
(00:42):
our hopes rest on you, dear George. You are the
man for the place. All are loud in your praise.
But Washington was firm. He wrote back and told in
plain words all that he had borne and how he
had been served for the past two years. I love
my land, he said, and shall be glad to serve it,
but not on the same terms that I have done. So.
(01:04):
His mother begged him not to risk his life in
these wars. He wrote her that he should do all
that he could to keep out of harm's way. But
if he should have a call to drive the foes
from the land of his birth, he would have to go,
And this, he was sure, would give her much more
pride than if he were to stay at home. On
the same day, August thirteenth, that this note was sent,
(01:27):
word came to Washington that he had been made chief
of all troops in Virginia, and the next month he
went to Winchester to stay here. He found much to do.
There was need of more troops, and it was hard
work to get them. Forts had to be built, and
he drew up a plan of his own, and set
his men to work it out, and went out from
(01:48):
time to time to see how they got on with it.
He wrote off thus at the risk of his life,
for red men lay in wait for scalps and were
fierce to do deeds of blood. The stir of war
put new life into the veins of old Lord Fairfax.
He got up a troop of horse and put them
through a drill on the lawn at Greenway Court. He
was fond of the chase and knew how to run
(02:09):
the sly fox to the ground. The Red Men was
a sort of fox, and Fairfax was keen for the chase,
and now and then would mount his steed and call
on George Washington, who was glad to have his kind
friend so near. In a short time, he had need
of his aid, for word came from the fort at
Wills Creek that a band of Red men were on
the war path with firebrands and knives, and were then
(02:32):
on their way to Winchester. A man on a fleet
horse was sent post haste to Washington, who had been
called to Williamsburg, the chief town. In the meantime, Lord
Fairfax sent word to all the troops near his home
to arm and haste to the aid of Winchester. Those
on farms flocked to the towns where they thought they
(02:52):
would be safe, and the town folk fled to the
west side of the Blue Ridge. In the height of
this stir Washington rode into town, and the sight of
him did much to quell their fears. He thought that
there were but a few Redskins who had caused this
great scare, and it was his wish to take the
field at once and go out and put them to flight.
But he could get but a few men to go
(03:14):
with him. The rest of the town's troops would not stir.
All the old firearms that were in the place were
brought out, and smiths set to work to scour off
the rust and make them fit for use. Caps such
as are now used on guns were not known in
those days. Flint stones took their place. One of these
was put into the lock, so that when it struck
(03:34):
a piece of steel, it would flash fire, and the
spark would set off the gun. These were called flintlock guns.
Such a thing as a match had not been thought of,
and flint stones were made use of to light all fires.
Carts were sent off for balls and flints, and for
food with which to feed all those who had flocked
(03:54):
to Winchester. The tribes of red Men that had once
served with Washington were now on good terms with the French.
One of their chiefs, named Jacob, laughed at forts that
were built of wood, and made his boast that no
fort was safe from him if it would catch fire.
The town where these Red Men dwelt was two score
miles from Fort Duquesne, and a band of brave white men,
(04:17):
with George Armstrong and Hugh Mercer at their head, set
out from Winchester to put them to route. At the
end of a long march, they came at night on
the red Men's stronghold and took them off their guard.
The Red Men, led by the fierce chief Jacob, who
chose to die ere he would yield, made a strong fight,
(04:37):
but in the end most of them were killed, their
huts were set on fire, and the Brave stronghold was
a stronghold no more. In the meantime, Washington had left
Winchester and gone to Fort Cumberland on Wills Creek. Here
he kept his men at work on the new roads
and old ones. Some were sent out as scouts. Brigadier
General Forbes, who was in charge of the whole force,
(04:59):
was on his head way from Philadelphia, but his march
was a slow one as he was not in good health.
The plan was when he came to move on the
French fort, the work that was to have been done
north of the fort by Lord Loudun hung fire. It
was felt that he was not the right man for
the place, and so his lordship was sent back to England.
Major General Abercrombie then took charge of the King's troops
(05:22):
at the north. These were to charge on Crown point.
Major General Amherst, with a large force of men, was
with the fleet of Admiral Boscawen that set sail from
Halifax the last of May. These were to lay siege
to Lewisbourg and the isle of Cape Breton, which is
at the mouth of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence Forbes
was to move on fort to Caine, and was much
(05:44):
too slow to suit Washington, who was in haste to start.
His men had worn out their old clothes and were
in great need of new ones, which they could not
get for some time. He liked to dress the Red
men wore. It was light and cool, and what had
to be thought of most, it was cheap. Washington had
some of his men put on this dress, and it
(06:06):
took well and has since been worn by those who
roam the woods and plains of our great land. I
will not tell you of all that took place near
the Great Lakes at this time, as I wished to
keep your mind on George Washington. The schemes laid out
by General Forbes did not please Washington, who urged a
prompt march on the fort while the roads were good.
(06:26):
He wrote to Major Halkett, who had been with Braddock,
and was now on Forbes's staff. I find him fixed
to lead a new way to the Ohio, through a road,
each inch of which must be cut, where we have
scarce time left to tread the old track, which is
known by all to be the best path through the hills.
He made it plain that if they went that new way,
(06:48):
all would be lost, and they would be waylaid by
the redskins and meet with all sorts of ills. But
no heed was paid to his words, and the warm
days came to an end. Six weeks were spent in
hard work on the new road, with a gain of
less than three score miles, when the whole force might
have been in front of the French fort had they
(07:09):
marched by the old road as Washington had urged. At
a place known as loyal Hennon, the troops were brought
to a halt. As Forbes thought this was a good
place to build a fort. Some men in charge of
Major Grant went forth as scouts. At dusk, they drew
near a fort and set fire to a log house
near its walls. This was a rash thing to do,
(07:31):
as it let the French know just where they were.
But not a gun was fired from the fort. This
the King's troops took for a sign of fear, and
were bold and proud, and quite sure that they would
win the day. So Braddock had thought, and we know
his fate. At length, when Forbes and his men were
off their guard, the French made a dash from the
fort and poured their fire on the King's troops. On
(07:53):
their right and left flanks fell a storm of shot
from the Redskins, who had hid back of trees and shrubs.
The King's troops were then brought up in line, and
for a while stood firm and fought for their lives,
but they were no match for the Redskins, whose fierce
yells made the blood run chill. Major Lewis fought hand
(08:13):
to hand with a brave whom he lay dead at
his feet. Redskins came up at once to take the
white man's scalp, and there was but one way in
which he could save his life. This was to give
himself up to the French, which both he and Major
Grant were forced to do, as their troops had been
put to rout with a great loss. Wash ing Ton
(08:34):
won much praise for the way in which the Virginia
troops had fought, and he was once put in charge
of a large force who were to leave the van,
serve as scouts and do their best to drive back
the Redskins, work that called for the best skill and nerve.
It was late in the fall of the year when
the King's troops all met loyal Henn, and so much
(08:55):
had to be done to clear the roads that snow
would be on the ground ere they could reach the fort.
But from those of the French they had seized in
the late fight, they found out that they were but
a few troops in the fort, that food was scarce,
and the Redskins false to their trust. This led hope
to the King's troops, who made up their minds to
push on. They took up their march at once, with
(09:17):
no tents or stores, and but few large guns. Washington
rode at the head. It was a sad march, for
the ground was strewn with the bones of those who
had fought with Grant and with Braddock, and had been
slain by the foe or died of their wounds. At length,
the troops drew near the fort and made their way
up to it with great care, for they thought the
(09:38):
French would be in wait for them, and that there
would be a fierce fight. But the French had had
such bad luck in Canada that they had lost heart,
and those in the fort were left to take care
of themselves. So when the English were one day's march
from the fort, the French stole out at night, got
into boats, set the fort on fire, and went down
(09:59):
the Ohio by the life the flames. So the fort,
which had been the cause of so much bloodshed, fell
at last without a blow, And on November twenty fifth,
seventeen fifty eight, Washington, with his vanguard, marched in and
placed the British flag on the wreck of the once
proud stronghold, the name of which was changed to Fort Pitt.
(10:19):
The French gave up all claim to the Ohio. From
that time, the Redskins were quick to make friends with
those who held sway, and there was peace with all
but the tribes TwixT the Ohio and the Lakes. Washington
had made up his mind to leave the field when
this war came to an end, and in December of
that same year he bade his troops good bye. He
(10:40):
had been with them for five years in a hard school,
and the strain on his mind had been so great
that he lost his health and felt that he could
war no more. End of Chapter six
Chapter six, The Life of George Washington in Words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of one syllable by
(00:20):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter six, Colonel of Virginia Troops. The troops
in Virginia were left without a head. There was no
one to lead them out to war, and if this
fact came to the ears of the French, they would
be more bold. Washington's friends urged him to ask for
the place, but this would not do. His brother wrote him, thus,
(00:42):
our hopes rest on you, dear George. You are the
man for the place. All are loud in your praise.
But Washington was firm. He wrote back and told in
plain words all that he had borne and how he
had been served for the past two years. I love
my land, he said, and shall be glad to serve it,
but not on the same terms that I have done. So.
(01:04):
His mother begged him not to risk his life in
these wars. He wrote her that he should do all
that he could to keep out of harm's way. But
if he should have a call to drive the foes
from the land of his birth, he would have to go,
And this, he was sure, would give her much more
pride than if he were to stay at home. On
the same day, August thirteenth, that this note was sent,
(01:27):
word came to Washington that he had been made chief
of all troops in Virginia, and the next month he
went to Winchester to stay here. He found much to do.
There was need of more troops, and it was hard
work to get them. Forts had to be built, and
he drew up a plan of his own, and set
his men to work it out, and went out from
(01:48):
time to time to see how they got on with it.
He wrote off thus at the risk of his life,
for red men lay in wait for scalps and were
fierce to do deeds of blood. The stir of war
put new life into the veins of old Lord Fairfax.
He got up a troop of horse and put them
through a drill on the lawn at Greenway Court. He
was fond of the chase and knew how to run
(02:09):
the sly fox to the ground. The Red Men was
a sort of fox, and Fairfax was keen for the chase,
and now and then would mount his steed and call
on George Washington, who was glad to have his kind
friend so near. In a short time, he had need
of his aid, for word came from the fort at
Wills Creek that a band of Red men were on
the war path with firebrands and knives, and were then
(02:32):
on their way to Winchester. A man on a fleet
horse was sent post haste to Washington, who had been
called to Williamsburg, the chief town. In the meantime, Lord
Fairfax sent word to all the troops near his home
to arm and haste to the aid of Winchester. Those
on farms flocked to the towns where they thought they
(02:52):
would be safe, and the town folk fled to the
west side of the Blue Ridge. In the height of
this stir Washington rode into town, and the sight of
him did much to quell their fears. He thought that
there were but a few Redskins who had caused this
great scare, and it was his wish to take the
field at once and go out and put them to flight.
But he could get but a few men to go
(03:14):
with him. The rest of the town's troops would not stir.
All the old firearms that were in the place were
brought out, and smiths set to work to scour off
the rust and make them fit for use. Caps such
as are now used on guns were not known in
those days. Flint stones took their place. One of these
was put into the lock, so that when it struck
(03:34):
a piece of steel, it would flash fire, and the
spark would set off the gun. These were called flintlock guns.
Such a thing as a match had not been thought of,
and flint stones were made use of to light all fires.
Carts were sent off for balls and flints, and for
food with which to feed all those who had flocked
(03:54):
to Winchester. The tribes of red Men that had once
served with Washington were now on good terms with the French.
One of their chiefs, named Jacob, laughed at forts that
were built of wood, and made his boast that no
fort was safe from him if it would catch fire.
The town where these Red Men dwelt was two score
miles from Fort Duquesne, and a band of brave white men,
(04:17):
with George Armstrong and Hugh Mercer at their head, set
out from Winchester to put them to route. At the
end of a long march, they came at night on
the red Men's stronghold and took them off their guard.
The Red Men, led by the fierce chief Jacob, who
chose to die ere he would yield, made a strong fight,
(04:37):
but in the end most of them were killed, their
huts were set on fire, and the Brave stronghold was
a stronghold no more. In the meantime, Washington had left
Winchester and gone to Fort Cumberland on Wills Creek. Here
he kept his men at work on the new roads
and old ones. Some were sent out as scouts. Brigadier
General Forbes, who was in charge of the whole force,
(04:59):
was on his head way from Philadelphia, but his march
was a slow one as he was not in good health.
The plan was when he came to move on the
French fort, the work that was to have been done
north of the fort by Lord Loudun hung fire. It
was felt that he was not the right man for
the place, and so his lordship was sent back to England.
Major General Abercrombie then took charge of the King's troops
(05:22):
at the north. These were to charge on Crown point.
Major General Amherst, with a large force of men, was
with the fleet of Admiral Boscawen that set sail from
Halifax the last of May. These were to lay siege
to Lewisbourg and the isle of Cape Breton, which is
at the mouth of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence Forbes
was to move on fort to Caine, and was much
(05:44):
too slow to suit Washington, who was in haste to start.
His men had worn out their old clothes and were
in great need of new ones, which they could not
get for some time. He liked to dress the Red
men wore. It was light and cool, and what had
to be thought of most, it was cheap. Washington had
some of his men put on this dress, and it
(06:06):
took well and has since been worn by those who
roam the woods and plains of our great land. I
will not tell you of all that took place near
the Great Lakes at this time, as I wished to
keep your mind on George Washington. The schemes laid out
by General Forbes did not please Washington, who urged a
prompt march on the fort while the roads were good.
(06:26):
He wrote to Major Halkett, who had been with Braddock,
and was now on Forbes's staff. I find him fixed
to lead a new way to the Ohio, through a road,
each inch of which must be cut, where we have
scarce time left to tread the old track, which is
known by all to be the best path through the hills.
He made it plain that if they went that new way,
(06:48):
all would be lost, and they would be waylaid by
the redskins and meet with all sorts of ills. But
no heed was paid to his words, and the warm
days came to an end. Six weeks were spent in
hard work on the new road, with a gain of
less than three score miles, when the whole force might
have been in front of the French fort had they
(07:09):
marched by the old road as Washington had urged. At
a place known as loyal Hennon, the troops were brought
to a halt. As Forbes thought this was a good
place to build a fort. Some men in charge of
Major Grant went forth as scouts. At dusk, they drew
near a fort and set fire to a log house
near its walls. This was a rash thing to do,
(07:31):
as it let the French know just where they were.
But not a gun was fired from the fort. This
the King's troops took for a sign of fear, and
were bold and proud, and quite sure that they would
win the day. So Braddock had thought, and we know
his fate. At length, when Forbes and his men were
off their guard, the French made a dash from the
fort and poured their fire on the King's troops. On
(07:53):
their right and left flanks fell a storm of shot
from the Redskins, who had hid back of trees and shrubs.
The King's troops were then brought up in line, and
for a while stood firm and fought for their lives,
but they were no match for the Redskins, whose fierce
yells made the blood run chill. Major Lewis fought hand
(08:13):
to hand with a brave whom he lay dead at
his feet. Redskins came up at once to take the
white man's scalp, and there was but one way in
which he could save his life. This was to give
himself up to the French, which both he and Major
Grant were forced to do, as their troops had been
put to rout with a great loss. Wash ing Ton
(08:34):
won much praise for the way in which the Virginia
troops had fought, and he was once put in charge
of a large force who were to leave the van,
serve as scouts and do their best to drive back
the Redskins, work that called for the best skill and nerve.
It was late in the fall of the year when
the King's troops all met loyal Henn, and so much
(08:55):
had to be done to clear the roads that snow
would be on the ground ere they could reach the fort.
But from those of the French they had seized in
the late fight, they found out that they were but
a few troops in the fort, that food was scarce,
and the Redskins false to their trust. This led hope
to the King's troops, who made up their minds to
push on. They took up their march at once, with
(09:17):
no tents or stores, and but few large guns. Washington
rode at the head. It was a sad march, for
the ground was strewn with the bones of those who
had fought with Grant and with Braddock, and had been
slain by the foe or died of their wounds. At length,
the troops drew near the fort and made their way
up to it with great care, for they thought the
(09:38):
French would be in wait for them, and that there
would be a fierce fight. But the French had had
such bad luck in Canada that they had lost heart,
and those in the fort were left to take care
of themselves. So when the English were one day's march
from the fort, the French stole out at night, got
into boats, set the fort on fire, and went down
(09:59):
the Ohio by the life the flames. So the fort,
which had been the cause of so much bloodshed, fell
at last without a blow, And on November twenty fifth,
seventeen fifty eight, Washington, with his vanguard, marched in and
placed the British flag on the wreck of the once
proud stronghold, the name of which was changed to Fort Pitt.
(10:19):
The French gave up all claim to the Ohio. From
that time, the Redskins were quick to make friends with
those who held sway, and there was peace with all
but the tribes TwixT the Ohio and the Lakes. Washington
had made up his mind to leave the field when
this war came to an end, and in December of
that same year he bade his troops good bye. He
(10:40):
had been with them for five years in a hard school,
and the strain on his mind had been so great
that he lost his health and felt that he could
war no more. End of Chapter six
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