THE BULLETPROOF GEORGE WASHINGTON

Our rifles were leveled—rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation.

These were the words of an old Indian chief concerning George Washington as they reminisced about a battle, 15 years before, when they had been on opposite sides and the chief and his warriors had tried their best to bring down Washington.

Washington and a friend, Dr. James Craik, who was also his personal physician, providentially met this chief in 1770 while exploring a region of the Ohio River Valley. Washington and the old chief had a cordial visit in the presence of Craik and a number of native people. They reminisced about the Battle of Duquesne, fifteen years earlier, when they had fought on opposite sides during the French and Indian wars. 

Washington, who was in his twenties at that time, was serving as a guide for General Braddock who was leading a regiment of British troops to confront the French and their Indian allies. Braddock ignored Washington's advice for relating to the native people and led his troops into a deadly ambush where a furious battle ensued.

Having been trained to fight an enemy army on an open field, they were confused as  bullets whizzed around them coming from natives behind trees and rocks. Not trained to fight in the American wilderness, the British soldiers began dropping on every side. When Braddock was wounded and the British troops began to panic, the young Washington took charge.  He placed Braddock in a wagon and then mounted his horse and began riding about shouting orders and encouragement and was able to lead an orderly retreat out of danger.

During this time Washington had two horses shot out from under him and his clothes were shredded with bullets. The Indian chief, Red Hawk, claimed to have shot Washington eleven times, but could not bring him down. Washington emerged unscathed and gave glory to God, saying, “I was saved by the miraculous care of providence that saved me beyond all human probability or expectation.”

Now, fifteen years later, as they reminisced about this battle, the old chief suddenly pointed to Washington and spoke these amazing words. According to Dr. Craik, he said,

I am chief and ruler over all my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the Great Lakes, and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, 'Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the redcoat tribe—he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—himself alone is exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.' Our rifles were leveled—rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation.

Five years later, when war broke out with England, Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial army. He led his outnumbered, outgunned troops to an amazing victory over the British through numerous unusual incidents that he attributed to the providential intervention of God. He then presided over the Constitutional Convention (1787) and was later unanimously elected the first President of the United States of America. He is the only president to have received 100% of the electoral votes—not once, but twice.

I am inclined to think that Washington's encounter with this chief had a bearing on the wording of the Northwest Ordinance, formulated in 1787 while Washington was presiding as president of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. This document laid out a plan for settling the Northwest Territory, which included the very area where Washington met this native chief. Concerning the native people in this territory, the Founders wrote,

The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.

 This article is derived from Eddie Hyatt's latest book, America's Reawakening, scheduled for publication by March 15. It will be available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. Also, the title for this article was borrowed from David Barton's excellent book, The Bulletproof George Washington.