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In a scene from 'The Real George Washington,' |
By CLINT SCHEMMER
National Geographic is about to take the wraps off a George Washington you've never seen before.
In a new TV documentary airing this week, viewers will see Washington as a lover, a spymaster, a bungling militia leader, an ambitious ladder-climber and a casualty of 18th-century medical practices.
They'll also glimpse the future president as a boy on the Colonial frontier who suffered some hard knocks. That should resonate with residents of the Fredericksburg area, where Washington grew up on a farm beside the Rappahannock River.
The George Washington Foundation's archaeological discoveries at Ferry Farm are what instigated the TV documentary, which took six months to produce, beginning in September 2007, filmmaker Tucker Bowen said in an interview Friday.
"Because National Geographic partly funded the dig, there was some interest in expanding on that and looking at George Washington as a whole," Bowen said, "exploring the man behind the myth and uncovering some of the more obscure and lesser-known facts behind the public persona."
The National Geographic Channel's premiere of "The Real George Washington" will be broadcast at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
It is one of nine films airing over seven nights starting tonight. The segment is part of the cable channel's first annual Expedition Week, a collection of documentaries devoted to sleuths, scientists, historians, archaeologists and treasure-seekers.
The nation's first commander in chief shares exposure with Captain Kidd, the Great Pyramid, King Herod's tomb, the lost cities of the Amazon, a lunar mission and other intriguing tales.
Bowen, who wrote, directed and produced "The Real George," shot footage at Ferry Farm, Mount Vernon, Valley Forge and Berkeley Plantation on the James River near Richmond.
He takes viewers behind the scenes of the excavations in Stafford County as archaeologists David Muraca and Phil Levy reveal the remains of the Washington family's home.
The documentary casts fresh light on Washington the man, taking the stuffy marble figure that most Americans think they know and knocking him off his pedestal.
For one thing, it gives the cherry-tree story a good whack. That "Pappa, I cannot tell a lie" tale, set at Ferry Farm, is probably the most famous bit of Washington lore.
Yet historian Thomas Fleming, author of "Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge," declares in the film: "During the Revolutionary War, he was the most consummate liar we've ever had. We call this intelligence."
Indeed, Washington excelled at espionage, explains Alexander Rose, author of "Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring."
The Continental Army commander delighted in tradecraft such as invisible ink and cyphers, and in creating elaborate ruses that misled British commanders about his forces' strength and intentions.
Calling him a "natural spymaster," Rose details how--in a time when gentlemen didn't spy--Washington built an intelligence network that discovered the enemy's plans and outfoxed the redcoats.
But while this daring and courageous military leader won the war, he wasn't the most adept officer in combat, historians interviewed in the film conclude.
For instance, when he was a Virginia militia leader during the French and Indian War, his youthful inexperience nearly cost him his life--a scene that "The Real George" vividly re-creates.
Even George's dentures get their due. Turns out there's a surprising twist to his false teeth, now displayed in a special exhibit at Mount Vernon. The documentary shows how forensic scientists reconstructed Washington's appearance as a young man, wartime leader and president. It describes how he died due to a wintertime infection--and physicians' bloodletting.
Washington's personal life and considerable ambition also come in for scrutiny. The film notes that when, at 26, he married Martha Custis--one of the wealthiest widows in Virginia--Washington was secretly infatuated with his best friend's wife, Sally Fairfax.
"It's a delicate balance. We didn't want to besmirch him. He was a great president," said Bowen. "But he's been mythologized to such a degree, he's kind of boring to school kids these days. I wanted to find some stories that would make him feel more human."
Clint Schemmer: 540/368-5029
Email: cschemmer@freelancestar.com
