Horatio Gates stands firm by life's ups and downs.

It is thought that the continual exposure to the harsh northern winds made Vikings hardy. Comparably, Horatio Gates' brilliance is best seen in the light of two catastrophic incidents in his life that he overcame and moved on from.

Firstly, Gates discovered that his only son, Robert, had perished in battle in October 1780, barely five months after his unfortunate defeat at Camden. Gates later lost his wife, Elizabeth, only three years later, in 1783. He did, however, manage to get over his loss and return to public duty after retiring the next year.

Horatio Gates was chosen to lead the Virginia chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati, an association of former Continental Army commanders, after returning to his plantation in Virginia, today known as Traveler's Rest Historical Site.

Then, three years after his wife passed away, Gates wed Mary Valens, but regrettably, the two of them were already too elderly to have children. Despite their elderly age, the pair participated in politics and society until Gates' death in 1806.