Chapter Text
It was one of those days were Washington wished to have a shower more than anything else. Sure, he couldn't really expect much for a volunteer army which had limited supplies and a bunch of issues to attend. But, as much as he kept reminding himself that, he couldn't help but despise the smell from his own soldiers.
It was way too disgusting for him to smell their blood combined with sweat and, sometimes, even urine. There was certainly a lack of hygine in their camp, perhaps if they installed it near a river it would've been better than this.
Although, he couldn't expect much from a buncj of soldiers who were trying to defend their nation from tyranny. And he valued their effort and dedication to the cause, but sometimes their peculiar scent overcame his pride and joy.
"God damn.." He mumbled to himself, walking around the camp as he covered his nose every once in a while. "Sometimes I forget why I thought this was a good spot for a camp.
Even if he knew more than anyone else why this place had been chosen, he couldn't help but forget about "the bright side", as Alexander called it, of stuff. To be honest, he felt like he was isolated from people, like he could go crazy any moment now and no one would actually question it if they all did. The fact that he had been here for almost years now was terrifying. All the bloodshet and violence eventually took and tool on him, unlike some of his young recruits who seemed too careless to even think about the British ambushing them any moment now. He could've continued to think about it, and just get lost in all of those thoughts, but, as he was about to, a voice called out his name.
"General Washington." A man in the same uniform spoke. "Another letter arrived from Congress, sir."
"Really? What is it this time?" Washington asked, looking down at the soldier as he raised an eyebrow.
"It's confidential, sir. I was told not to read it or open it." The man replied, putting the letter on Washington's hand as he tried to keep a poker face, hidding his curiosity about the contents the letter could have.
"Hmm, strange." The general scoffed, holding the envelope in his hands, a small spark of hope running through his veinte as he looked down at it. "You may go now."
"Sir, yes, sir!" He said, saluting Washington as he quickly left him by his own.
At this point, all Washington could hope for was some news about the Congress giving them more weapons, or perhaps some medical supplies, which they lacked off. But, as much as he wanted to believe that, he knew it was probably just some dumb strategy of theirs. Those were never useful, or so he thought.
Later that day, at evening and after finish all of his duties, he decided to finally read the contents of the letter. He prayed for it to be good news, or at least not another letter preassuring him to attack the British.
And so, he entered his tent, feeling a small relief as the cold air was blocked by its fabric, and his body grew used to the warm, and somehow comforting 'safety' of his own tent, and his 'home' for years.
His hand reached out of his pocket, taking out the letter and placing it on the wooden desk in front of him. Washington couldn't held but let his thoughts go wild about this piece of paper, since the soldier called it 'confidential', which he hadn't heard from the Congress before. It could either be some secret they found from the British, or just some sort of bad joke they were pulling on him.
Either way, he went ahead and began reading the letter:
"Dear sir.
We hope this letter finds you and your troops in good health, as we might request your batallion to fight against the British army soon enough.
This might sound as some regular battle, such the many you've been a part of before. Therefore, this is nowhere near our previous strategy.
After a long discussion and a loads of stress, we've come to a decision which could help us to gain advantage over the the British troops. It might sound like we'd be getting risky, but, we require you to surrender in the next battle, or perhaps let yourself be captured by the 'redcoats'."
Washington stopped reading for a few seconds, taking in the whole thing he had just been requested. It was well known that, in the last few battles, the orders had been clear for him and his troops: avoid being captured. So, why would they ask him to do something as reckless as trying to poke a bear with a stick? This didn't make any sense.
After a few seconds, when the shock wore off, he continued reading, hoping there was a good reason for such a stupid idea;
"As careless as this might sound, after a small research of the last few letters you've sent, we've thought about a strategy: if we the British finally capture you, we have the chance of the king being sent to interrogate you. This would certainly be helpful, as he could send a small group of soldiers to find the British camp, and wait for the king's arrival to ambush him. If we root out the problem, it will be easier to exterminate the pest.
Of course, if you don't want to risk your life in such a way, we can continue with our first strategy and see how that goes.
We hope we get your response soon after the letter is delievered.
Sincerely,
The Continental Congress."
Well, that wasn't certainly what he was expecting. Nor he could tell of those were good or bad news for him and his troops.
"What if.. I don't make it?" He thought to himself, sighing heavily as the thought of dying sank in. Even worse, leaving Martha behind along with her children.
Washington had always told his troops that dying with honor was way better than living in submission. But, he couldn't help but feel a strange sensation crawling up his spine as he gave it a further thought. It was terrifying to consider this could end up catastrophically wrong. What would his troops do of he died? Would he be remembered as a failure or as a brave man who died for a rather fair cause? He couldn't seem to answer that.
A few minutes flew by, as he thought what he should do. He need to help people. Backing out wasn't an option. And so, he picked up a quill, before he began writting his response. It took a few attempts, but he finally accepted this proposal. He had to show people what a real leader was: someone willing to sacrifice their life for what they believed in, and for the sake of the people and their needs, rather than his own wishes and desires. At least, that' what he thought.