 Either way, we get a glimpse of a young George Washington, and he had a bit of swagger. You might even call him cocky. Now, Washington may have found his first combat experience exhilarating, but the incident had consequences he probably never expected. See, at the time, he was a junior colonial officer serving the British crown, and his reckless actions provoked the French to retaliate. After all, his party basically killed a French diplomat. And this sparked controversy.