<P> The amount of military detail handled personally by the President in wartime has varied dramatically . George Washington , the first U.S. president , firmly established military subordination under civilian authority . In 1794 , Washington used his constitutional powers to assemble 12,000 militia to quell the Whiskey Rebellion -- a conflict in western Pennsylvania involving armed farmers and distillers who refused to pay excise tax on spirits . According to historian Joseph Ellis , this was the `` first and only time a sitting American president led troops in the field '' , though James Madison briefly took control of artillery units in defense of Washington D.C. during the War of 1812 . </P>
who was the only sitting president to lead troops in the field during his term
George Washington