Washington

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• On one occasion that winter, when an officer requested permission toarrest a spy, Washington shrewdly suggested that he woo the spy with a dinmer invitation, then leave nearby, as if by sheer negligence, a sheet pegging the Continental Army's strength at a grossly exaggerated number. It was one of manyways that Washington misled the enemyto conceal his own weakness. (查看原文)

  augustus 2020-03-07 16:00:52

• Washington was an excellent host of a certain sort. He was congenial without being deeply personal, friendly without being familiar, and perfected a cool sociability that distanced him from people even as it invited them closer. He never felt the urge to impress people. As John Marshall wrote, “He had no pretensions to that vivacity which fascinates, and to that wit which dazzles.” He knew the value of silence, largely kept opinions to himself, and seldom committed a faux pas. Very concerned with winning the approval of others, Washington tended his image with extreme care, suggesting a self-conscious insecurity about how people perceived him. Peter Henriques has commented on Washington’s “intense fear of failure” and the hundreds of times the word approbation crops up in his letters. Sin... (查看原文)

  照叶 2020-06-07 20:39:16

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