Washington's (other) War

I only know a bit about George Washington's history from reading a few books, and recall hearing of his "Fort Necessity" and the Jumonville fiasco in college History.  At the time I thought the instructor was more into alternative history, and maybe a little eccentric (he once described how he dealt with a neighbor who thought she was a witch by placing a mirror on his front porch).  But it turns out, my history teacher's critical view of Washington's early military efforts may have been closer to the mark.  I suspect that Washington was lucky in that he survived his early (and later) mistakes, and learned enough from them to outlive his opponents in the end.  It is also pretty clear (from the piece linked below) that in the pre-opening days of the French and Indian War, he had the courage and ability (though maybe not the best strategic judgement at the time) to lead his command in an endeavor that was to take him far from his bases of support, being almost totally reliant on his Indian Allies (who he did not seem to have the best relations).

Although he failed on his first mission in a way that, by itself, left his mark on history, he was still brought along on the follow up expedition - which also failed, but it ended up further cementing Washington's reputation as a leader.

Below is the link to the piece, which is an interesting read (really makes me want to buy the book they are pushing).

"When Young George Washington Started a War" at Smithsonianmag.com