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The Bat Bomb Invention and Other Odd Facts from History and War

Khalid Elhassan May 10, 2020 33 min

6. George Washington, the Comedian?

Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutze. Pennsylvania Historical Society

George Washington was known for his adherence to formality and strict etiquette. Describing him as an upright and uptight prig would not be far off the mark. Little known, though, is that at one of the most dramatic and tense moments of his career, Washington took a stab at being a comic, and pulled it off.

Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, is one of the most iconic images of the American Revolution. It depicts George Washington and a flotilla of Patriots in boats crossing the Delaware River on the night of December 25 – 26, 1776, for a surprise attack against enemy forces. The event was dramatic and worthy of commemoration. As 1776 drew to a close, things were going poorly for Washington and his men. They had been outgeneralled, outfought, and badly beaten. Most notably in New York City, where they had only avoided annihilation via a near miraculous escape.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.