Whence I Came

To lead men into battle against the well disciplined British Army during the Revolutionary War, it was absolutely necessary to possess strong leadership qualities. It could be argued that the key leadership quality that was needed to inspire men to do brave things was integrity. Men determined if a leader had integrity based upon the choices he made, and if those choices were based upon a strong moral compass. If so, then men believed their leader to be honorable and could trust him in perilous situations to do the right thing.  As we previously reviewed, Governor Patrick Henry felt that Lieutenant White was such a leader of men when he wrote to General Washington and described White in this manner, "I have only to say that I believe him a worthy young man & a good Officer".  Henry also eluded that Lieutenant White was "just" in dueling with Lieutenant Green. In 18th century understanding, this meant that White was honorable and chose to do the right thing. But ...

According to the American Battlefield Trust , about 25,000 patriots died while either fighting in a battle, succumbing to disease, or languishing as a prisoner of war.  What this death toll doesn't tell is the story of how at least one patriot's death was the result of giving and receiving insults. How could that be? Well, as we can only imagine, the infamously miserable Valley Forge encampment was comprised of young men who were living in wretched conditions far from home and their loved ones. Under high tension, the men's morale must have been low. And it was in this environment that Valley Forge became the scene for a fatal duel between two young Virginian officers in the Continental Army; Lieutenants John Green and Elisha White.  retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/starving-soldiers-at-valley-forge Lieutenants Green and White were both young men of high standing Virginia families. Lieutenant John Green was the son of Colonel John Green of the 6th Virginia Regim...