Alexander Hamilton's intellect and ambition propelled him from the obscure beginnings of an illegitimate birth on an island in the West Indies to a place among George Washington's trusted associates. Recognized for his competence as an artillery officer, fluency in French, and way with words, Hamilton came into Washington's military family as an aide-de-camp in 1777. Hamilton excelled in that role until frustration with its limitations and a spat with Washington led to the young officer's departure in early 1781. Hamilton achieved his yearning for military glory after receiving a command in the light infantry and leading a successful assault on a key redoubt prior to the British surrender at Yorktown. With the war winding down, Hamilton turned his sights to politics and raising a family with his wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of Philip Schuyler, a prominent New Yorker as well as one of Washington's confidants. Hamilton's close relationship with Washington, along with their shared ideas regarding the need for a strong central government, promised significant future contributions to the growth of the United States.