 Now 44 years old, had been the commander in chief of the Continental Army for a year and a half. And that means he was the leader of the American Revolution. On his shoulders rested the fate of his country and, as he said, and I quote, the fate of unborn millions. And that fate was looking as bleak as ever. Less than two months after the Americans declared independence, the British had responded with a massive invasion, a huge show of force in New York City,