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George Washingtonhero of the French and Indian War commander in chief of the Continental Army and first president of the United Statesdied on December 14 1799 But what do we really know about Washington as an upperclass man

Washington is frequently portrayed by his biographers as America at its unflinching best tall shrewd determined resilient stalwart and tremendously effective in action But this aggressive and muscular version of Washington is largely a creation of the nineteenth century Eighteenthcentury ideals of upperclass masculinity would have preferred a man with refined aesthetic tastes graceful and elegant movements and the ability and willingness to clearly articulate his emotions In First Among Men Valsania considers Washingtons complexity and apparent contradictions in three main areas his physical life often bloody cold injured muddy or otherwise unpleasant his emotional world sentimental loving and affectionate and his social persona carefully constructed and maintained

Aided by new research documents and objects that have only recently come to light First Among Men tells the fascinating story of a living and breathing person who loved suffered moved gestured dressed ate drank and had sex in ways that may be surprising to many Americans