George Washington, the Bulletproof President

 

Introduction

George Washington is remembered as the first President of the United States and the “Father of the Nation.” But long before he took the oath in 1789, a rumor was already circulating: he was immortal, a warrior untouchable, a chosen man whom bullets could not strike. This myth was born in the fire of the Battle of Monongahela (1755) and fueled by letters, journals, colonial chronicles, and later retellings. Let’s trace the facts and how they became legend.

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The Battle of Monongahela: The Day the Legend Began

On July 9, 1755, young Colonel George Washington accompanied General Edward Braddock during a campaign against the French and their Indigenous allies. The British column was ambushed and crushed.

In the chaos, Washington rode to carry orders. His coat was pierced by four bullets and two horses were shot under him, yet he escaped unharmed.

In a letter to his brother, dated July 18, 1755, Washington wrote:

“I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt.”

This direct testimony is the hard kernel of the myth.

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Chronicles and Witnesses of the Disaster

Robert Orme, Braddock’s aide-de-camp, kept a detailed journal of the campaign, preserved in The History of an Expedition Against Fort Du Quesne in 1755. He described the panic of the British troops and Washington’s astonishing composure, as if protected by an unseen force.

That same summer, The Gentleman’s Magazine in London published accounts of the defeat, spreading the news internationally. Washington’s image began to grow.

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The Native Prophecy

Decades later, biographies circulated the story of an Indigenous chief who allegedly declared that his sharpshooters had fired at Washington without success, concluding that “The Great Spirit protects him” and predicting he would lead a great nation.

Though widely repeated, historians confirm no direct Indigenous account survives from 1755. The tale was passed down through Washington’s contemporaries and then amplified in the 19th century as a providential legend.

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Washington in the Revolution: The Commander Exposed

During the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Washington again rode into fire. At Trenton and Princeton, his soldiers saw him remain unharmed under heavy fire. Charles Willson Peale’s George Washington at Princeton (1779) cemented his image as the serene, fearless commander.

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Freemasonry and Destiny

Initiated into Freemasonry in 1752, Washington’s survival narrative fit perfectly into the symbolic framework of virtue, destiny, and divine mission. By the 19th century, monuments and rituals reinforced the myth of Washington the “untouchable,” blending civic and Masonic mystique.

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Timeline of the Legend

• 1755 – Monongahela: Washington escapes unharmed despite bullets and dead horses.

• 1755 – Letters to family: Describes the miracle of survival.

• 1755 – Robert Orme’s Journal: Witness account of the chaos and Washington’s role.

• Later decades – Native prophecy spreads: Retold as divine protection.

• 1777 – Trenton & Princeton: Again exposed, again unharmed.

• 19th century – Masonry and memory: Myth of “the immortal” is cemented.

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Key Primary Quotes

📜 George Washington to John Augustine Washington (July 18, 1755):
“I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt.”

📜 George Washington to Mary Ball Washington (July 18, 1755):
“By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation.”

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Final Reflection

Washington was not literally bulletproof. Yet, the extraordinary events of 1755, combined with his fearlessness and the nation’s hunger for founding myths, transformed him into something larger than life: the leader protected by Providence, the man whom bullets could not touch.