Remarks on the French and Indian War

What it is

This document contains autobiographical notes written by George Washington reflecting on his early life and military service during the French and Indian War. The notes survive as a manuscript and are published on Wikisource.

Why it matters

Washington recalls details about his family, including the death of his father when he was young and his brother's military service, as well as his own early path toward a military career. These fragments offer a rare glimpse of Washington reflecting on his own formative years in his own words, though the surviving text is fragmentary and the transcription includes some unclear or corrupted passages.

Look closer

• What does Washington choose to remember about his family and early life?
• Why might these notes be useful, even though parts of the text are damaged or unclear?
• What does this source reveal about how Washington saw his own rise to prominence?