I am George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, I was a British Army officer, politician and peer who served as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1775 to 1782. Serving in the North ministry during the American War of Independence, I received significant blame for Britain's defeat in the conflict; Sackville's issuance of confusing instructions to British commanders in North America coupled with my failure to understand either the geography of Britain's American colonies or the determination of the rebels' resolve have led historians to support such arguments. I served in the British army in the War of the Austrian Succession and in Seven Years' War, including at the decisive Battle of Minden, after which I was court-martialled. My political career ended with the fall of the North ministry in March 1782.