NGA explores the cartographic legacy of president, general and surveyor George Washington through an interview with Joseph Stoltz, Ph.D., digital historian at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon.

According to Stoltz, as the third-born son, Washington knew he would need to find a practical career for himself and an encounter with the book “Art of Surveying and Measuring Land” helped solidify his future career path -- first as a surveyor, then as a military officer.