Season 3 of This Constitution focuses on the people and events surrounding the making of the Declaration of Independence.

What if America’s Revolution had collapsed before it truly began? In this episode of This Constitution, host Savannah Eccles Johnston sits down with Dr. Kevin Weddle, retired U.S. Army colonel, military historian, and author of The Compleat Victory, to explore how George Washington survived the most dangerous year of the war.

From the daring crossing of the Delaware to the humiliating loss of Fort Ticonderoga, Washington faced both battlefield disaster and political backstabbing. Yet, in the fire of 1777, he learned to balance three roles at once: front-line commander, national commander-in-chief, and political strategist. Together, Johnston and Weddle trace how Washington’s leadership in this single year transformed him into the indispensable man of the Revolution and laid the foundation for his presidency.

In This Episode

• (00:11) Introduction and guest welcome
• (01:00) The army on the brink: Washington’s retreat through New Jersey
• (04:10) The “Ten Crucial Days”: Trenton and Princeton victories
• (08:30) Washington’s Fabian strategy and morale revival
• (11:20) Saratoga campaign and the fall of Fort Ticonderoga
• (15:00) Skyler, Gates, and a command crisis in the north
• (20:45) Washington’s reinforcements: Arnold, Lincoln, Morgan’s riflemen
• (27:30) Talent management and leadership lessons
• (31:10) The Conway Cabal and Gates’ political maneuvering
• (36:00) Washington’s confrontation with Conway and political savvy
• (39:00) How Washington neutralized rivals and preserved authority
• (40:35) Lessons of 1777 for Washington’s presidency

Notable Quotes

(05:45) “Just pulling something like that off with an army that’s falling apart—bad morale, desertions everywhere—is brilliant. It’s a tribute to Washington’s leadership.” — Kevin Weddle

(10:01) “It’s considered the ‘Ten Crucial Days’ of the American Revolution because those two victories really turned things around.” — Kevin Weddle

(28:09) “Talent management—that’s exactly what Washington was doing. He knew where the right leaders needed to be, even if it meant sending his best away.” — Kevin Weddle

(33:39) “I think this is a brilliant move on Washington’s part… he goes to Congress and says: I am commander-in-chief. Reinforce it. And they do.” — Kevin Weddle

(39:57) “By eliminating rivals and strengthening his own position, Washington emerged from 1777 not weaker, but indispensable.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston