Washington’s Journal, 1754 When George Washington returned from his first mission to the French, he presented Governor Dinwiddie with a military intelligence report full of his own dangerous exploits: traveling in deep snow, falling off a raft into an icy river, and being shot at by a lone Indian. The printed report circulated in London, bringing Washington notice as a young man of resolute and rugged courage. This item is reproduced by permission of the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.