On This Day: Washington’s stoic mask drops in detailed correspondence with his brother

The following is an installment of “On This Day,” a series celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by following the actions of Gen. George Washington, the Continental Congress, and the men and women whose bravery and sacrifice led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Gen. George Washington sits down at his headquarters in Cambridge to write an unusually candid, eight-page letter to John Augustine Washington, his younger brother. 

Of his nine siblings — three brothers, two sisters, three half-brothers, and one half-sister — he was closest with two: his elder half-brother, whom he idolized, Lawrence Washington, the first child of their father Augustine Washington and his first wife Jane Butler, and his younger brother, John Augustine.

John Augustine was George’s trusted confidant. He managed Mount Vernon during the French and Indian War, and he was deeply involved in Virginia’s revolutionary efforts. This led to frequent correspondence and strong affection