You probably know George Washington as the stoic, marble-carved figure on Mount Rushmore—a man of unwavering virtue and self-control. But what if I told you that beneath that famously rigid exterior lay a tempestuous soul, brimming with volcanic emotions that he fought to contain?
The Explosive Temper Hiding in Plain Sight
Contrary to his public image, Washington was actually renowned among his closest confidants for his “tumultuous passions” and “fierce and irritable disposition.” As one observer noted, if he had been “born in the forests, he would have been the fiercest man among the savage tribes.”
Gouverneur Morris, a member of Washington’s inner circle, described the general’s wrath as “terrible” – a force of nature that he and others had to work hard to conceal from the public eye. Even Thomas Jefferson, no fan of Washington’s Federalist policies, acknowledged the president’s “willingness to let others take the lead” was likely a result of his “capacity to hold his passions in check.”
These explosive emotions would occasionally burst through Washington’s carefully cultivated facade. Eyewitnesses recalled his face flushing red with rage as he berated subordinates like Charles Lee for retreating in battle. And during cabinet meetings, he was known to unleash furious tirades against journalists who dared to criticize him.
The Emotional Toll of Command
What drove these volcanic outbursts? For one, the immense pressures of command during the Revolutionary War took a heavy psychological toll on Washington. As he rose to become the indispensable leader of the American cause, he was forced to make gut-wrenching decisions that cost thousands of lives.
The devastating loss at Fort Washington in 1776 was a particularly low point. Washington was devastated by the defeat, but refused to scapegoat his trusted general Nathanael Greene, even as others clamored for his head. “Never did I need the consoling voice of a friend more than now,” Greene confessed in the aftermath.
Moments like these, where Washington had to swallow his pride and emotions for the greater good, helped forge his legendary self-control. But they also built up a pressure cooker of rage and anguish that would occasionally burst forth, to the shock of those around him.
The Emotional Tightrope of the Presidency
This emotional volatility only intensified when Washington assumed the presidency. Suddenly thrust into the vicious partisan battles of the new nation, he was appalled by the “wounding suspicions” and “irritable charges” being flung between his own cabinet members.
Trying to maintain unity, Washington would often retreat into stony silence, refusing to show any hint of weakness. As one observer noted, the president’s “dignified, even forbidding, demeanor” and “aloofness” only heightened the sense of power and danger that radiated from him.
Yet even this stoic facade had its limits. When devastating news of the St. Clair massacre reached him in 1791, Washington was said to have blown up in a “tremendous wrath” behind closed doors, his emotions finally boiling over after years of struggle.
Conclusion: The Man Beneath the Marble
So the next time you gaze upon that iconic Washington monument, remember that the man it immortalizes was no plaster saint. Beneath that chiseled exterior lay a tempestuous soul, racked by inner demons that he fought to master through sheer force of will.
What other hidden facets of Washington’s personality might we uncover if we dig deeper into the archives? The man was a master of self-control, but even he couldn’t always contain the fiery passions that threatened to consume him. Who knows what other surprises the historical record might hold?
