09/30/2026
As we look back 250 years ago, it's hard for us to imagine that George Washington could have been emotional and fearful about what was in store for him, for the army and for the nation.
But the page, Friends of George Washington, has this interesting account:
On September 30, 1776 a deeply emotional George Washington confessed that the war was breaking him.
In a letter written to his cousin Lund, the hero of the Revolution did not feel heroic. He didn’t feel hopeful. In fact, he started the letter with a bewildered confession: “You would not believe what the last 12 months has done to me.”
He had spent a year warning Congress that short enlistments would break the army, that militia would drain resources and vanish when needed, and that the war would not be won by enthusiasm alone.
And now, with the enemy “within stone’s throw of us,” he realized he’d have to say it again, because things were not getting better. He was so downhearted and dejected that he wrote:
“If I were to wish the bitterest curse to an enemy on this side of the grave, I should put him in my stead with my feelings.”
George Washington told his cousin, “I would not wish this life on even my worst enemy,” because he knew he was trapped between two impossible truths.
On one side, he saw “the impossibility of serving with reputation,” knowing the system was broken and he would be blamed for its collapse. On the other, he was told that if he left his command, “inevitable ruin will follow.”
The saddest line in the letter? “I never was in such an unhappy, divided state since I was born.”
On September 30, 1776, Washington showed the world that he was human. History would come to honor him, and the nation would revere him for his heroism, his bravery. But on this day, he was a man feeling lost and alone.
But, he didn’t end the letter there. His character, resolve, and resilience could not be dimmed completely. “If the men will stand by me… I am resolved not to be forced from this ground while I have life.”
The man who would eventually win the War for Independence was over it all. He was tired and worn out. But he didn’t quit or walk away. He didn’t let despair make the final decision.
And that, more than any battlefield victory, is why the Revolution survived. Because the man who led it persevered. 🇺🇸