It's a common debating tactic to admit to a shortcoming and pass it off as a sacrifice in order to evoke sympathy and increase your ethos. The people at the time probably rolled their eyes when they heard him say that out loud.
Given everything that Washington did both before and after the American Revolution... nah, I'm gonna give this one to him. He earned it, and probably shamed more than a few people with that statement.
It's a common debating tactic to admit to a shortcoming and pass it off as a sacrifice in order to evoke sympathy and increase your ethos. The people at the time probably rolled their eyes when they heard him say that out loud.
Given everything that Washington did both before and after the American Revolution... nah, I'm gonna give this one to him. He earned it, and probably shamed more than a few people with that statement.
It really was a different time.
It really was a different time, in that most of them studied rhetoric at the time. It was a pastime activity for the educated elite.
Maybe so but for some reason I’ve always liked the quote
They were mutineers/veterans that had served with him the entire war, were trying to get him to join, and had no idea he needed glasses.