 That gives you just a glimpse of the impact Washington had on his soldiers. And this is where I believe that the dollar bill portrait truly fails to capture the man. You almost never hear about this version of George Washington. This isn't the boring man who was just our first president. Now, the intense fighting erupted, and the battlefield was soon stained by the blood of both British and American men. But the Americans had the initiative, and they pounded the Red Coast. The British broke ranks and began to flee.