A 37-volume collection of George Washington's papers is now available online, giving unprecedented access to the Founding Father's personal documents and correspondence.

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More than 17,400 papers in John C. Fitzpatrick's "The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799" were posted on the University of Virginia's Electronic Text Center, a searchable Web-based database.

The papers describe everything from weighty political matters during the American Revolution to squabbles over the ranks Washington assigned to members of his army. They were written over a period contemporary with the French and Indian War, the Continental Congress and Washington's presidency.

"This provides a venue for a much larger audience, and the searchability provides the power of this database," said Matt Gibson, associate director of the E-Text Center.

The letters help paint a portrait of one of America's most revered leaders.

"His personality comes through, I think, on every page," said Frank Grizzard, senior associate editor with the Papers of George Washington documentary project. "Washington was a very effective communicator, a very good writer. He didn't write in sound bites, even in the sense that Jefferson and Franklin did. He doesn't have a lot of flowery quotes and quips, but is a practical writer."

Additional Info:

37 volume of George Washington's Papers
University of Virginia's George Washington Papers Project Home Page
Washington's Will
Washington's Slave List