The Blood of Tyrants: Washington's Warreveals the surprising details of our Founding Fathers' approach to war. This book delves into some of the forgotten - and often lurid - historical facts that have become most applicable to today's contentious debates. When our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, the United States had had only one Commander in Chief: General George Washington. As the country's first military leader, Washington personified the war powers our forefathers intended for the President when they proclaimed in the Constitution, "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States . . . ." This work analyzes General Washington's specific actions and beliefs as he forged the very meaning of the Constitution amid the heat of battle. America's commander was intended to fiercely defend American citizens' rights and liberties against all forms of aggression. By drawing from reams of primary source documents, this book brings to light facts that have been overlooked by history, including such forgotten materials as General Washington's letters justifying torture, a vivid, eye witness account of the military tribunal that executed a British prisoner, and evidence of a power struggle between Washington and Congress over war tactics. Using personal details to pull the reader directly into the scenes, these stories all help fill the void in our understanding of our brave, ingenious Founding Fathers' pragmatic approach to governing an America at war.