George Washington Facts

George Washington grew hemp in his garden at Mount Vernon for making rope and textiles.

George Washington's army was pinned against the East River on the night of August 29, 1776, two days after losing the Battle of Long Island. Washington ordered a silent evacuation. Colonel John Glover's Marblehead fishermen rowed 9,000 soldiers across, boat after boat. Near dawn, a thick fog hid the last crossings. Washington left on the final boat. The British woke up to empty trenches.

George Washington's cherry tree story is a myth invented after he died. But archaeologists just found real cherries hidden in his actual home. In 2024, workers at Mount Vernon uncovered 35 glass bottles buried in the cellar. Most still held whole cherries and berries, preserved for 250 years. When one bottle was opened, it still smelled like cherry blossoms.

Washington Crossing the Delaware is the 1851 painting almost every American studied in school. It shows Washington's gamble on Christmas night, 1776, crossing an icy river to attack Trenton. Every Christmas Day, hundreds of costumed reenactors gather at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania. They row replica Durham boats across the river, if conditions are safe. This December is the 74th crossing.