The Little Washingtons' Travels

In Short

This juvenile novel follows five lively children—the Parke and Davis cousins—as they travel from their country home to New York City and Philadelphia. Obsessed with the life and exploits of George Washington, the children insist on interpreting their sightseeing tour through the lens of Revolutionary War history. By engaging in constant imaginative play, "playing war," and reenacting historic skirmishes with local children, they turn a standard educational trip into a series of comedic, high-stakes adventures. It remains a portrait of early 20th-century American childhood, defined by a specific, earnest patriotism.

The Story

The journey begins with high energy as the children board a train to New York. From the moment they arrive, their heads are filled with stories of George Washington’s military campaigns. Guided by their parents, they visit the Statue of Liberty, the Woolworth building, and various city monuments. However, the children find the standard pace of tourism insufficient; they prefer to create their own excitement. In New York, they discover a stash of uniforms and stage a mock battle on a hotel roof, which leads to a misunderstanding involving terrified hotel guests and a chaotic "rescue" mission.

Following their time in the city, the party travels to Philadelphia to stay with their cousin Jack Davis. Here, the children’s obsession with historical conflict intensifies. While their parents focus on cultural education—visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell—the children are more interested in finding adversaries. They identify a group of local youths as "Hessians" and, under the command of young George, launch a series of tactical assaults in the backyard. The "war" escalates when local children from the tenements join the fray, resulting in a mud-slinging melee that leaves the parents exasperated but amused.

Throughout these escapades, the children maintain their rigid, game-like structure, assigning one another roles of generals and opposing commanders. They are not merely playing; they are, in their own minds, living out the history they have been taught. The climax of their Philadelphia stay occurs when the children engage in a final, decisive "battle" against the neighborhood boys, which ends in a victory that they recount to their parents with intense, patriotic fervor. The trip concludes with the Parke family returning to their estate outside Washington, D.C. They are greeted by their younger sibling and the household staff, and the children immediately begin retelling the "heroic" story of their campaign against the Hessians. Though the parents attempt to steer them toward more conventional activities, the children’s natural inclination for warlike play remains undiminished. They return home not just as travelers, but as self-styled soldiers who have successfully "won" their own version of the American Revolution.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The children start their trip with a squabble over parlor chairs, showing a keen interest in the mechanics of travel. Their parents watch with nervous anticipation, already aware of the children’s penchant for getting into trouble.

A city of sights In New York, the party visits the Statue of Liberty and the Woolworth building, though the children quickly tire of passive observation. They crave action and adventure, finding the quiet, regulated nature of their tour at odds with their high spirits.

The rooftop battle After discovering old uniforms, the children stage a chaotic military engagement on the hotel roof. Their play is mistaken for a genuine crisis, drawing a crowd of alarmed hotel guests and staff to the scene.

The Philadelphia campaign Upon arriving in Philadelphia, the children shift their focus to the backyard, where they identify local boys as "Hessians." They organize their forces and launch a series of tactical strikes, culminating in a messy, mud-filled skirmish.

The journey home With the "war" won, the children return to their country estate to reunite with their younger sibling. They leave behind the grand monuments of the cities but carry their intense, imaginative commitment to their historical game back to their home life.

The People

George Parke serves as the self-appointed "commander-in-chief" of the group, driven by an insatiable need to lead and a desire to emulate the military prowess of his namesake. His cousins, Martha, Anne, and Jack, act as his loyal lieutenants and tactical partners. While they occasionally exhibit individual initiative, they are primarily bound together by their shared dedication to George’s vision of historical reenactment. They are not villains or rebels, but imaginative children who view the world as a stage for their games. Their parents and the household staff play the role of the bemused, often overwhelmed, audience, providing the infrastructure for the trip while periodically trying to enforce a sense of order. By the end of the journey, the children have not changed their fundamental nature; they remain unified, active, and deeply committed to the idea that their lives are a continuation of the history they have studied.

In Its Own Voice

"It was soon ascertained, however, that Howe had really sailed for Halifax, where he went to secure the cooperation of the forces of Canada."

This historical context is provided by the mother as the children learn about the Revolutionary War during their train ride.

"The children wandered about the grass-covered burial spot, where centuries ago funerals of great men were held, and now old stones still showed the spots where they had been laid to rest."

This passage describes the children’s visit to a historic cemetery, where their play briefly pauses for a moment of observation.

"Now, the intention of the British was to reduce both these works and capture West Point, along with Washington's division, and perhaps, that of the State of the Confederacy."

This quote illustrates the dense, didactic historical lessons that the parents insist on providing throughout the travel itinerary.

What It's Really About

The book explores the interplay between formal education and the untamed imagination of children. At its core, it is a study of how historical narrative shapes a child’s reality. By casting themselves as figures of the American Revolution, the protagonists attempt to bring the past into the present, turning dry facts about military strategy into a lived, visceral experience. It raises questions about the nature of patriotism in the early 20th century, suggesting that for a child, love of country is best expressed through mimicry, play, and a black-and-white view of morality where enemies are easily identified and vanquished.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy vintage children’s literature will find this a fascinating, if sometimes rigid, window into the past. It captures a specific era of parenting and education where children were expected to absorb historical lessons through constant, direct instruction from their elders. Readers may find the dialogue and the children’s relentless intensity for "war games" to be a significant departure from modern sensibilities. The book is written with a didactic tone, frequently pausing the plot to deliver paragraphs of military history, which may feel jarring to contemporary readers accustomed to faster-paced narratives. However, it remains a charmingly earnest portrait of a time when the "great men" of history were held up as the primary models for childhood behavior. Those who appreciate the innocence and peculiar preoccupations of early 1900s juvenile fiction will likely find the Parke and Davis children’s escapades to be a unique, if challenging, historical artifact. The book offers a glimpse into a world where the lines between play, education, and reality were intentionally blurred by a generation seeking to instill a deep, mythic sense of national identity.