William Ferraro, a senior associate editor with the University of Virginia’s Washington Papers project said the fake letters were not particularly unusual for their time. Many politicians and writers schemed against each other, and pamphlets were a common format to use when making attacks on opponents. Rumors and innuendo ran rampant. What’s more, the unity and idealism of the revolution, the spirit of 1776, had gradually dissipated over the years. By the time Washington was preparing to leave office in 1797, political parties and extreme partisanship had begun. "It got Washington incredibly u...