I was curious to see how the often PC History Channel would present the life of our first President and one of the dynamic forces in the founding of the United States. While understanding that no 6-hour series can properly cover the life of Washington, there were too many gaps and misinformation in the actual history. Some of the commentary implied that Washington singlehandedly defeated the British Empire during the War. Glossed over were events such as the Battle at Freeman's Farm (Saratoga), in which Washington had no role. The defeat of the British army here created the impetus for the French to join the cause. No mention was made of Baron Von Steuben's work at Valley Forge in shaping and discipling the Continental Army into a world-class fighting force able to stand toe-to-toe with the British army. Washington had little to do with this, although the implication was that he was the reason for this transformation. The "historians" also claimed that Washington lived with the average soldier during that winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. Yes, Washington was there, but his quarters were in a mansion located on the site, complete with servants and all of the amenities. Anyone who has ever visited Valley Forge can see this for themselves. As for the talking heads doing the commentary, most were taking advantage of their 15 minutes of fame. Especially of note was the Yale historian (Joanne Freeman) who appeared as though she was auditioning for her High School senior play. The arm waving and emoting was rather annoying. In all, this miniseries was a "Face Plant", which would teach the average viewer very little of the depth of George Washington's character. But, in an age of truncated verbiage and superficiality, this thin presentation would be considered as epic. LOL!
Review of Washington
