Getting Hammered® #Todayin1776: Poor Landon Carter's Mom Embarrasses Him in Front of George Washingon
Feb 20, 2026
A dive into Landon Carter's candid diary reactions to Thomas Paine's Common Sense and debates about its authorship. A funny military matchmaking attempt for Carter's grandson turns awkward when the young man's mother breaks down. Period politics, personal pride, and an embarrassing family moment in Revolutionary-era Washington social life.
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Common Sense Dominated 1776 Debate
- Thomas Paine's Common Sense dominated public conversation in early 1776 and provoked strong reactions.
- Landon Carter viewed it as full of art and contradiction and questioned its moral portrayal of humanity.
Carter's Letters Mix Family Plea And Pamphlet Critique
- Landon Carter wrote to Washington and Francis Lightfoot Lee seeking a staff post for his grandson and criticized Common Sense in those letters.
- He defended General Lee from being its author, noting Lee's other published thoughts to Burgoyne.
A Mother's Breakdown Thwarts A Military Commission
- Carter's grandson was later offered a lieutenantcy by Washington but the boy's mother broke down and refused to let him go.
- Carter withdrew his solicitation to Washington and Colonel Baylor, embarrassed by the mother's public grief.
