 His military exploits, although they included some notable failures, made his military reputation in the colonies such that he became a natural selection as the commander in chief of the Continental Army following the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775.His successes in military and political spheres during that conflict led to his election as the first President of the United States of America.Born into a well-to-do Virginia family in Bridges Creek near Fredericksburg in , Washington was schooled locally until the age of 15.