The Papers of U.S. President George Washington (1732-1799)

FAIN: RQ-266188-19

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA 22903-4833)
Jennifer Steenshorne (Project Director: December 2018 to August 2019)
Jennifer Stertzer (Project Director: August 2019 to present)

Preparation of publication of volumes 20 and 21 of the Presidential series and volumes 28 through 33 of the Revolutionary War series of the papers of George Washington (1732-1799). (12 months)

The significance of the Washington Papers project rests initially on the profound importance of Washington's correspondence, the project's productivity record, nearness to completion, and important digital ventures (notably the Digital Edition and the Financial Papers project). These efforts, along with active engagement with scholars, teachers, and the general public, keep the Washington Papers at the forefront of both documentary editing and the digital humanities. Washington's personal letters to and from family and friends reveal his dedication to public service, but they also expose a human figure, learning from mistakes in business, war, and politics to become his country's foremost leader. These letters also document the actions and aspirations of enslaved people, free men and women, Native Americans, frontier inhabitants, farmers, scientists, and many others. The addition of the Washington Family Papers Series to the project only expands this context.

Associated Products

The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series: Volume 27, 5 July - 27 August, 1780 (Book)
Title: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series: Volume 27, 5 July - 27 August, 1780
Author: George Washington
Editor: Jennifer E. Steenshorne, Director and Editor in Chief
Editor: William M. Ferraro, Senior Associate Editor
Editor: Thomas E. Dulan, Associate Editor
Editor: Adrina Garbooshian-Huggins, Assistant Editor
Editor: Dana J. Stefanelli, Assistant Editor
Editor: Jeffrey L. Zvengrowski, Assistant Editor
Editor: Jennifer E. Stertzer, Director, Center for Digital Editing
Editor: Erica Cavanaugh, Research Editor, Center for Digital Editing
Editor: Benjamin L. Huggins, Associate Editor and Volume Editor
Abstract: Three major themes dominate George Washington’s correspondence in volume 27 of the Revolutionary War Series: the arrival of a French expeditionary army and navy, the urgent need to prepare the Continental army for a joint Franco-American offensive to take New York City, and the cultivation of Washington’s relationship with Lieutenant General Rochambeau, the commander of the French army. Urgency and vigor typified Washington’s planning throughout, as he raised new Continental troops, obtained militia reinforcements, increased stocks of ammunition, gathered wagons and horses, and recognized that he and Rochambeau possessed similar views on campaign plans and other matters—a development that would ultimately prove essential to victory at Yorktown and the successful conclusion of the war.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://www.worldcat.org/title/papers-of-george-washington-5-july-27-august-1780/oclc/1101559178&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: Worldcat listing
Secondary URL: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5272
Secondary URL Description: Publisher listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780813943039
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series: Volume 20, 1 April-21 September 1796 (Book)
Title: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series: Volume 20, 1 April-21 September 1796
Editor: David R. Hoth and William M. Ferraro
Abstract: Throughout volume 20 of the Presidential Series, George Washington looked forward to retirement from public life, preparing a farewell address to announce his intention and leave behind guiding principles for the nation. Relations with Great Britain and France dominated foreign policy, as the House of Representatives agreed to implement the provisions of the Jay Treaty and as the president responded to a looming diplomatic crisis by recalling James Monroe, U.S. minister to France. Washington also remained involved with his private affairs, taking pains to retrieve Martha Washington's runaway slave Ona (Oney) Judge, actions that did not square easily with aspirations expressed in his farewell address regarding "the happiness of the people of these States, under the auspices of liberty."
Year: 2019
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780813943046
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series: Volume 21, 22 September 1796-3 March 1797 (Book)
Title: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series: Volume 21, 22 September 1796-3 March 1797
Editor: Adrina Garbooshian-Huggins
Abstract: The concluding volume of the Presidential Series begins following the publication of Washington’s Farewell Address, which was circulated widely in newspapers and drew reactions from citizens across the nation. With his approaching retirement from the presidency, Washington tended to a number of domestic and international issues, including his final annual message to Congress, ongoing Indian affairs, the growing acrimony between the United States and France about the Jay Treaty and U.S. neutrality policy, and diplomacy with the dey of Algiers and other Barbary powers. In his personal life, Washington corresponded with his farm managers, continued his unsuccessful pursuit of runaway slave Oney Judge, mentored George Washington Parke Custis as he began his studies at the College of New Jersey, and renounced spurious letters that first appeared in print during the Revolutionary War as forgeries, requesting that his statement "be deposited in the office of the department of state, as a testimony of the truth to the present generation and to posterity."
Year: 2020
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780813943961
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series: Volume 28, 28 August–27 October 1780 (Book)
Title: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series: Volume 28, 28 August–27 October 1780
Editor: Jeffrey Zvengrowski and William M. Ferraro
Abstract: In late August 1780, Gen. George Washington was buoyed by expectations that French reinforcements would participate in an attack on New York City and that a southern army was poised to advance through South Carolina and possibly regain Charleston. News soon reached him that a key division was delayed in France and that units under Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates had been scattered near Camden, S.C. In response to these crises, Washington dismissed northern militia to conserve supplies, directed additional forces to the southern department, and selected Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene to replace Gates. In a dramatic turn of events, Washington learned of the defection of Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold—who had plotted with British adjutant general John André to betray West Point—and, acting decisively, concentrated his troops and rebuffed British appeals to spare the captured André (who was hanged as a spy), ensuring "the rescue of the Post & Garrison of West point from Arnold's villainous perfidy.
Year: 2021
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9780813944845

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