A lively reconstruction of the Continental Army's finest strategic
hour. Textbook accounts of Washington's Christmas crossing of the
Delaware River are fine as they go. But why did Washington brave
the ice-clogged tide in the first place, especially when he would
face a supposedly much superior force of British and Hessian troops
on the other side? Well, historian Fischer (Paul Revere's Ride,
1994, etc.) answers, the British and Hessians had been beaten up
pretty badly in New Jersey throughout the fall of 1776 by American
guerrillas, who defied military convention and fought in plain
clothes, believing "that they had a natural right to take up arms
in defense of their laws and liberties." This uprising, Fischer
continues, "created an opportunity for George Washington," who
"made the most of it, in a battle that was itself a war of
contingencies." The Hessians weren't drunk on Christmas cheer, as
the legend has it, when Washington surprised them at dawn (in
truth, well past dawn); they were exhausted, having been dogged
into near-submission by those guerrillas-women and men-and
virtually imprisoned behind the fences and stone walls of Trenton.
Washington receives due credit in Fischer's account for seizing the
initiative in the face of near-rebellion on the part of supposed
comrades such as General Horatio Gates, who declined to take part
in operations; his soldiers receive credit too, and so do the
British, and so even do the Hessians, each in their turn. Fischer's
rendering of the battle and the events leading up to and following
it is richly detailed and full of surprises. Who knew that the
roads to Trenton were full on that sleety, pitch-black night with
farmers and woodcutters, with young men out courting, with
ministers tending to their flocks? Who knew, against the legend,
that the "American attackers had twice as many guns in proportion
to infantry than did the Hessian garrison"? A superb addition to
the literature of the Revolution, by one of the best chroniclers in
the business. (Kirkus Reviews)
Six months after Independence, the American Revolution was all but
lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New
York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of
Philadelphia. George Washington lost 90 percent of his army, and
was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread
through the states. As the author recounts in this riveting
history, many Americans refused to let the Revolution die. In
mid-December, the people of occupied New Jersey began to rise
against British and German troops. They created an opportunity for
George Washington. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter
struck the Delaware Valley, Washington led his men across the river
and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or
capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton
followed a week later. The Americans repelled an attack by Lord
Cornwallis, but were nearly trapped. They escaped in the night,
marched behind the enemy, and defeated a British brigade at
Princeton. Badly shaken, the British retreated to an enclave near
the coast. For twelve weeks the Americans kept the initiative in
small attacks that took a large toll of Howe's army, and wrecked
his strategy. American spirits soared. A new three-year army was
recruited, a continental executive was organized, and the states
created permanent republican governments. European leaders were
quick to take notice. Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals
the role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign
developed in a web of hard choices by many actors on both sides.
While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical,
Americans invented an open and flexible system that was fundamental
to their success. At the same time, Washington and his army
developed an American way of war, and also a war-ethic that John
Adams called "the policy of humanity." Their conduct of the War for
Independence gave new meaning to the Revolution, in a pivotal
moment for American history.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
