Unit 1: Washington's Tent and the Revolutionary War

Aims & Objectives

The modular activities and extensions in this unit provide opportunities for students to:

• Discover the story of George Washington’s sleeping and office tent and its travels and how this tent can provide insight into Washington’s leadership style.
• Investigate the roles and experiences of the many people that accompanied George Washington and his tents during the Revolutionary War.
• Consider the importance of key moments in the Revolutionary War, including the winter encampment at Valley Forge, the siege of Yorktown, and the encampment at Verplanck’s Point.
• Explore the relationship between Washington and his enslaved valet, William Lee, and how Washington’s opinions on the institution of slavery changed over time.

Materials

• Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War
• Timeline of the American Revolution
• Virtual Tour: Museum of the American Revolution
• Virtual Tour: Washington’s Field Headquarters
• Online Exhibit: Among His Troops: Washington’s Tent in a Newly Discovered Watercolor
• Object: Washington’s War Tent (Museum of the American Revolution)
• Object: Washington’s Headquarters Flag (Museum of the American Revolution)
• Painting: George Washington and William Lee by John Trumbull, 1870 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
• Painting: In the Presence of Washington by Howard Pyle, 1897 (Biggs Museum of American Art)
• Painting: The Resignation of General Washington by John Trumbull, 1824-28 (Yale University)
• Painting: The Siege of Yorktown Attributed to Henry LeGrand, after Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder, 1850-1860 (Museum of the American Revolution)
• Painting: Panoramic View of Verplanck’s Point by Pierre Charles L’Enfant,1782 (Museum of the American Revolution, Gift of the Landenberger Family Foundation)
• Video: Tour of Washington’s War Tent Replica: Washington’s Bed Demo
• Map: The Tent’s Travels
• Worksheet: Among His Troops
• Worksheet: Commander in Chief’s Guards Needed
• Worksheet: Washington and Slavery

Activities

Engagement Activities

These activities (5-10 minutes each) can be used as hook activities, introductions to concepts, or shorter lessons.

In the Presence of Washington
Teacher Preparation: Prepare to display or project the painting, In the Presence of Washington, and read the descriptive paragraph that accompanies it.

Engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• What is happening in this image? What do you see that makes you say that?
• How does the artist portray Washington’s mood?
• What can you infer about his character from the painting?
• What does the artist want you to think about Washington?
• After examining this painting, what questions do you have about Washington’s tent and the experiences of the people who traveled with him during the Revolutionary War?

Among His Troops
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. If using, prepare copies of the Among His Troops worksheet.

Ask students where they think the Commander in Chief of an army might stay in relation to his troops. Then display the following three quotes or prepare copies of the worksheet: Among His Troops. Either read the quotes to the students or allow them time to complete the worksheet. If reading the quotes, pause to ask the students to interpret them.

Quote 1: “After I have once got into a tent I shall not soon quit it.” - General George Washington, 1776, as the siege of Boston ends and he prepares for a new campaign.

Quote 2: “His excellency our good Old General, has also spread his Tent, and lives amongst us…” - General George Weedon writing to his friend John Page, 1777.

Quote 3: “He himself will share in the hardship, and partake of every inconvenience.”- George Washington’s general orders two days before marching into Valley Forge, 1777.

Afterwards, engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• What are these quotes saying about the leadership style of George Washington during the Revolutionary War?
• Why do you think it was important for Washington to remain in the encampment alongside his troops?
• How do you think a common soldier would have felt about this decision?

Development Activities

These activities (30-45 minutes) can be used for an entire class period.

Fall in! Commander in Chief’s Guards Needed
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to access the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters and to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. Prepare copies of the Commander in Chief’s Guards Needed worksheet.

Explain to students that the President of the United States is also Commander in Chief of the Army. Engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• What type of support does the President need to be successful in a war?
• What are the jobs people are required to perform in the armed forces?
• What qualifications do you think people need to do those jobs well?

Then, have students read the Big Idea 1 section “A Military Family.” Afterwards, engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• What was the role of the Commander in Chief’s Guard?
• What work did they perform?
• How were they essential to Washington’s success?

Have students spend about 5-10 minutes exploring the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters to consider the roles and experiences of the Commander in Chief’s Guard.

Afterwards, engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• Do you think many men wanted to be part of the Commander in Chief’s Guard? Why or why not?
• What challenges do you think they had in protecting, transporting and setting up Washington’s field headquarters?

Then, distribute the worksheet Commander in Chief’s Guard Needed. After they have had time to complete the worksheet, engage them in conversation around the following questions:

• What qualifications did George Washington have for his Commander in Chief’s Guard?
• Why did he choose these requirements for the Commander in Chief’s Guard?
• Why was it necessary to have a Commander in Chief’s Guard?

Afterwards, have students, individually or in groups, create a Help Wanted advertisement or commercial recruiting for Washington’s Commander in Chief’s Guard. Alternatively, have students create an advertisement with the qualities they feel would have been the most important in a guard, agreeing or disagreeing with what Washington wanted. Have them consider if Washington was missing anything or prioritizing things that didn’t really matter.

EXTEND: Have students research what qualifications are needed to become a Secret Service Agent today and compare/contrast them with the qualifications for the Commander in Chief’s Guard.

Remembering William Lee
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to access the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters and to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. Prepare to display the painting, George Washington and William Lee.

Teacher Note: The man of African descent shown in the background of this portrait painted by Revolutionary War veteran John Trumbull in 1780 is considered by many historians to be William Lee. Trumbull knew Lee personally from his time as an aide-de-camp to General Washington, but his painting (which he created from memory while living in London) is more stereotype than reality. The man of African descent’s headwrap or “turban,” for example, reflects the concept of “exoticism,” or a fascination with styles associated with foreign cultures that was popular among European and American artists of the period. Trumbull likely included the head wrap to emphasize the man’s African ancestry, instead of showing what Washington’s enslaved servants, such as William Lee, actually wore.

Have students read the Big Idea 1 section “People of African Descent.” Then, have them spend about 10 minutes exploring the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters to consider William Lee’s daily life and duties during the war.

Afterwards, engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• What work did William Lee perform while assisting General Washington?
• Washington held many other enslaved people at Mount Vernon, his home in Virginia. How do you think William Lee’s life was similar to or different from theirs during the Revolutionary War?
• What challenges do you think William Lee had to overcome as Washington’s personal valet? What opportunities may he have had?
• How might the size of Washington’s sleeping and office marquee have contributed to these challenges and opportunities?
• We do not have any historical sources describing William Lee’s thoughts and feelings. How do you think he may have felt about his experiences during the war? About his relationship with General Washington? What makes you think that?

Then, display the painting George Washington and William Lee. Engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• Where do you see William Lee? How is the way he is painted similar to or different from how Washington is painted?
• Why do you think the artist placed and painted William Lee the way that he did?
• Have you seen other portraits that included servants or enslaved people? If so, how were they similar to or different from this one?
• What observations can you make about the way William Lee is dressed?
• Do you think this is an accurate portrayal of William Lee?
• What are some different ways this painting can be viewed today?

Assign students to create a portrait of William Lee considering what it would have looked like if he had commissioned it himself. What traits would he have wanted to see uplifted about his life? Who might be in the painting? What objects and images might he have wanted to include?

EXTEND: Have students research what happened to William Lee after the Revolutionary War. Have them create a timeline of his life.

Yorktown and the Tent
Teacher Preparation: This activity should take place after the students have learned about the siege of Yorktown. Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. Prepare to display the painting The Siege of Yorktown and map The Tent’s Travels.

After students have read Big Idea 1 and learned about the siege of Yorktown, explain to them that Washington’s tent was where many important decisions were made during the Revolutionary War, including during the siege of Yorktown. Then display or project the painting, The Siege of Yorktown.

After students have had a chance to examine the painting, engage them in conversation around the following questions:

• What is happening in the scene?
• What decisions made by Washington and Rochambeau led them to this moment?
• Why would Washington, Rochambeau, and their supporting officers want to have access to a private tent such as Washington’s?

Give students time in groups or individually to research the siege of Yorktown and write out a skit depicting one or more of the conversations, plans, and decision-making that may have taken place in Washington’s tent before the battle. Make sure that students consider all those who would have interacted with Washington in the tent when writing their skits. (Rochambeau, Hamilton, Lafayette, William Lee, the Commander in Chief’s Guard, Hannah Till, etc.)

EXTEND: Using the map of tent travels, assign students another time/location, like the Valley Forge encampment, to consider what conversations, plans, and decisions took place in Washington’s tent.

Hannah Till’s Tale
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student.

After students have read the Big Idea 1 section “A Military Family,” engage them in conversation around the following questions:

• What do you think military life was like for Hannah Till?
• What challenges do you think she faced?
• What opportunities might have come with being one of Washington’s cooks?
• How might she have felt about the creative challenge of preparing Washington’s meals with limited ingredients?

Then, explain to students that unfortunately, little is known about the life of Hannah Till during and after the Revolutionary War. A few wartime lists and receipts show what she and other headquarters staff and servants were paid during the war. During and after the war, she and her husband raised several children. After the war, she and her husband lived in Philadelphia. The Marquis de Lafayette, one of General Washington’s aides-de-camp, visited her when he returned to the United States in the 1820s. She died soon after, in 1826, and was said to be over 100 years old. Assign students a writing prompt: If you could interview Hannah Till today, what three questions would you ask her?

Culmination Activities, Research Projects, and Group Projects

Washington’s Military Family
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. Ensure students have access to the internet to explore the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters.

After students have read the Big Idea 1 section “A Military Family,” engage them in conversation around the following questions:

• What roles did people play as part of Washington’s military family?
• How did these people help Washington and the war effort?
• Do you think Washington would have been a successful Commander in Chief without the support his military family provided? What challenges might he have encountered without them?

Then, allow students time to explore the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters focusing on the roles of the different people in the encampment. Assign students to create a relationship chart for Washington that displays his connections to the many members of his military family and their contributions. Charts might look like the example in the PDF, with Washington at the center and the people who support him radiating outward. Have students include a brief sentence describing each person’s contribution to Washington’s success as leader of the Continental Army.

EXTEND: Have students decide who is in their own inner circle — people they are close to and who help them to be successful and happy — and have them create a success and happiness relationship chart.

Picturing Washington’s Army
Teacher Preparation: Explore the painting, Panoramic View of Verplanck’s Point, and prepare to project it.

Begin by asking students, “When you think of soldiers’ lives during the Revolutionary War, what comes to mind?” Discuss a few of their responses.

Next, project the painting, Panoramic View of Verplanck’s Point, and allow students time to explore the different areas of the encampment. Afterwards, engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• Where did the soldiers in the camp come from? How might this have impacted Washington’s ability to get them to work together?
• What roles in the army did you observe being fulfilled in the camp?
• What purposes did different parts of the camp serve?
• How does this image help you understand life in the Verplanck’s point encampment?
• How did your exploration of this painting change or reinforce your understanding of

Extension Activities

Washington’s Tent Desert Island
Teacher Preparation: Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with a working internet connection to access the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters and the Timeline of the American Revolution. The Timeline can also be downloaded onto computers and other personal devices and then used without an internet connection.

Begin by engaging students in conversation around the following questions:

• What objects would be helpful to an army fighting a war?
• What objects do you think were used during the Revolutionary War?

Then, allow students time to explore the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters examining the objects used by the people in the encampment and the size of the common tents and the two marquees (office and sleeping tent and dining tent).

Afterwards, tell students they are members of the Commander in Chief’s Guard in charge of what objects will accompany Washington’s tent. Using the objects on the Timeline of the American Revolution, assign students to choose a limited number of objects to bring with them. All the objects must be able to fit inside his tent and also have a justification for why they were chose

At Night: The Common Soldier and the General
Teacher Preparation: Review the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters. Ensure students have internet connection and devices to access the Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters.

Split students into two groups — the common soldier and General Washington. Allow students 10-15 minutes to explore the interactive while considering their living conditions at night. Afterwards, engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• Based on what you learned from the interactive, how comfortable do you think an evening in camp would be for Washington? For a common soldier?
• What do you think each of them thought about the other’s sleeping accommodations?
• From the perspective of a common soldier, how important do you think the size of Washington’s tent was compared to his choice to camp alongside the troops?

EXTEND: Ask students what kind of bed and mattresses might George Washington have slept on during the war? (Note: Some students will have encountered the bed during their exploration of Washington’s tent.) How does his bed compare to the sleeping accommodations of the common soldier?

Then, show them the Washington Replica Tent Tour: Washington’s Bed Demo video. Afterwards, ask students what surprised them from the video. What can Washington’s camp bed tell us about how Washington and the common soldier experienced the Revolutionary War differently?

Teacher Note: Remind students that even though he had nicer sleeping accommodations, he set up his tent among his troops and wanted to be seen as a different type of military leader, one who didn’t place himself far above the people he commanded. This is often referred to as republican leadership, which refers to a style of ruling, not a political party.

Symbols of Unity
Teacher Preparation: Review the information on the Brawl in Harvard Yard page on the Museum of the American Revolution Virtual Museum Tour. Prepare to display the page or have students view it on their devices.

Ask students what the word “unity” means? Why is it important for members of an army to be unified? What are some ways an army can display unity? Then, display the Brawl in Harvard Yard. Engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• What is going on in the scene?
• Who are the two groups of people who are fighting each other?
• Who is breaking up the fight?
• Why do you think these people are fighting?
• How was lack of unity within the Continental Army a problem for General Washington and the army? What type of solutions to this problem might he have considered?

Then, display the Washington Headquarters Flag.

Tell students that according to family tradition, this flag marked the presence of General Washington outside his tent during encampments throughout much of the Revolutionary War. Also known as a standard due to its modest size, it is believed to be the earliest surviving 13-star American flag.

Engage students in conversation around the following questions:

• Why do you think this design was chosen as Washington’s Headquarters Flag?
• Why was unity so important to Washington and the revolutionaries?

Then ask students if they feel people in their community, town, or school work together toward common goals. Have students create a flag that either symbolizes or encourages unity in their school, town, or country today.

From Revolution to a Republic
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. Review the Washington’s Leadership section of the online exhibit: Among His Troops. Prepare to project or display the Resignation of Washington painting.

Explain to students that George Washington gave up power twice: once after the Revolutionary War and once after his second term as president (there were no term limits then). Many look back on Washington’s legacy as that of a republican leader which refers to a style of ruling, not a political party.

Assign students to research to what extent Washington was a republican leader. Point them to the Online Exhibit: Among His Troops, section leadership. Have them focus on the following:

• What is a republic?
• What attributes should a republican leader have and how should they perform their job? How should a republican leader be different from other types of leaders, such as kings or queens?
• What important decisions did Washington make as the leader of both the Continental Army and as the first president?
• What precedents did he set during his time as president?

Afterwards, have them write an opinion piece on either of the following prompts:

• To what extent was George Washington a republican leader?
• Is George Washington’s style of republican leadership visible in government positions today? Should it be? Why or why not?

Washington and Slavery
Teacher Preparation: Review Big Idea 1: Washington’s Tent and the Revolutionary War. Ensure students have access to computers, tablets, or other devices with working internet connections to read Big Idea 1 or print out enough copies for each student. Prepare copies of the Washington and Slavery worksheet.

Teacher Note: At the time of his death in 1799, Washington owned 123 enslaved people and rented dozens of others. Another 153 enslaved people lived at Mount Vernon but were controlled by the estate of Martha Washington’s deceased first husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Washington’s will declared that all enslaved people he owned would be freed when Martha Washington died. Only William Lee, his long-time personal servant who traveled with him during the entirety of the Revolutionary War, would be immediately freed upon George Washington’s death. Washington did not have the legal power to free the enslaved people who were controlled by Daniel Parke Custis’ estate.

Have students create a timeline of Washington’s involvement with slavery using the primary and secondary sources on the worksheet. Afterwards, have a discussion with students around the following questions:

• Do you think Washington’s views on the institution of slavery changed over time? What evidence makes you say that?
• What role do you think Washington’s relationship with William Lee may have played in his views of slavery over time?

Alexander Hamilton Activities
Explore our Teacher Resource Guide created for the Museum of the American Revolution’s temporary exhibition, Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia, which ran from October 2018 through March 2019. Explore Alexander Hamilton’s life, revolutionary Philadelphia, and the challenges and difficult decisions involved in the creation of a new nation.