Random Small But Poignant Facts We Just Learned About George Washington (13 items)

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  (#10) A Bout With Smallpox Left Him Permanently Scarred

  One of the most feared diseases of the 18th century was smallpox, which could have been fatal or disfigured survivors.

  George Washington came down with smallpox in 1751 when he was in Barbados. Though he survived - after weeks of suffering the intense symptoms - the disease permanently touched him: The pox left scars on his face. Washington was lucky, however, since his scarring was relatively mild.
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  (#8) He Loved Dancing For Hours On End

  Though George Washington is best remembered for his skill on the battlefield, he was also well known for his skill on the dance floor.

  Like many gentlemen of his class, Washington had studied dance as a young man and could demonstate his refinement through dancing. Though tall, he was famously graceful. 

  The American Revolution didn't even stop Washington from dancing. After attending a ball in March 1779, General Nathanael Greene recalled, "His Excellency [General Washington] and Mrs. Greene danced upwards of three hours without once sitting down."
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  (#4) He Had Been Unlucky In Love Before He Met His Future Wife

  A 26-year-old George Washington married 27-year-old Martha Custis, a wealthy widow, in 1759. But though their marriage was happy and loving, Custis wasn't his only love.

  Washington proposed to Custis after no less than three other women - Frances Alexander, Betsy Fauntleroy, and Mary Eliza Philipse - had rejected his proposals of marriage.

  Before he became attached to Custis, Washington's greatest love was Sally Fairfax. Though he found happiness with his wife, Washington could never shake what he had felt for Fairfax in his youth. In 1798, he wrote her a letter claiming he could never "eradicate from my mind the recollection of those happy moments, the happiest in my life, which I have enjoyed in your company."
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  (#2) He Was A Devoted Father To His Stepchildren, Grandchildren, And Wards

  George Washington never fathered his own children. Martha Custis had children from her first marriage, and it is likely that Washington was rendered sterile from sickness. 

  Washington raised and loved his wife's surviving children - John and Patsy - as if they were his biological children. He also helped raise his stepgrandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

  Though he was a disciplinarian, Washington tried to guide his young charges on matters of the heart as well.  
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  (#5) Soldiers Performed His Favorite Play At Valley Forge

  One of George Washington's favorite pastimes was going to the theater. As biographer Ron Chernow recounts, Washington once "attended the theater five nights" during a single week in June 1770.

  In fact, he loved the theater so much that he even had soldiers perform a play at Valley Forge, since he thought it would be good for morale. They performed Cato, which happened to be Washington's favorite play.
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  (#1) He Loved Dogs So Much That He Once Called For A Ceasefire To Return His Enemy's Terrier

  George Washington delighted in dogs. As a hunter, he kept a well-stocked kennel of hounds at Mount Vernon, and he's often credited with helping develop the American foxhound breed. Like many dog owners, Washington gave his dogs unique names like Tipsy and Truelove.

  Washington's love of dogs even guided his conduct on the battlefield. While leading troops at the Battle of Germantown in 1777, some soldiers picked up a lost terrier. Its collar indicated it belonged to General William Howe, head of British troops. Washington groomed the dog, called for a suspension of hostilities, and returned the terrier with a note to Howe:

  General Washington's compliments to General Howe. General Washington does himself the pleasure to return to him a dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and, by the inscription on the collar, appears to belong to General Howe.

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