[BLANK-1] was an American Revolutionary War general and hero…
was an American Revolutionary War general and hero. He was a rival of George Washington’s and had attempted to have him replaced as commander of the Continental Army at certain points during the war; however, he was very popular and could have had a promising political career. He was likely the person chiefly responsible for the Newburgh Conspiracy, a planned coup d’état in 1783. He encouraged the army (which would soon be disbanded) to march on the capital, Philadelphia, and force congress to pay all soldiers five years of full pension funds immediately rather than a lifetime pension of half pay. Had such a coup attempt been carried out, it may have ended American Democracy. In a surprise move, George Washington showed up to the meeting called by this man and delivered a speech encouraging soldiers to avoid marching on congress and forcing them to make laws at the point of guns. Washington’s speech worked, this man’s legacy was ruined, and America henceforth established a longstanding pattern of military subordination to civilian authority.