Much has been written in the past two centuries about George
Washington the statesman and "father of his country." Less often
discussed is Washington's military career, including his exploits
as a young officer and his performance as the Revolutionary War
commander in chief. Now, in a revealing work of historical
biography, Edward Lengel has written the definitive account of
George Washington the soldier.
Based largely on Washington's personal papers, this engrossing book
paints a vivid, factual portrait of a man to whom lore and legend
so tenaciously cling. To Lengel, Washington was the imperfect
commander. Washington possessed no great tactical ingenuity, and
his acknowledged "brilliance in retreat" only demonstrates the role
luck plays in the fortunes of all great men. He was not an enlisted
man's leader; he made a point of never mingling with his troops. He
was not an especially creative military thinker; he fought largely
by the book.
He was not a professional, but a citizen soldier, who, at a time
when warfare demanded that armies maneuver efficiently in precise
formation, had little practical training handling men in combat.
Yet despite his flaws, Washington was a remarkable figure, a true
man of the moment, a leader who possessed a clear strategic,
national, and continental vision, and who inspired complete loyalty
from his fellow revolutionaries, officers, and enlisted men.
America could never have won freedom without him.
A trained surveyor, Washington mastered topography and used his
superior knowledge of battlegrounds to maximum effect. He
appreciated the importance of good allies in times of crisis, and
understood well the benefits of coordination of ground andnaval
forces. Like the American nation itself, he was a whole that was
greater than the sum of its parts-a remarkable everyman whose acts
determined the course of history. Lengel argues that Washington's
excellence was in his completeness, in how he united the military,
political, and personal skills necessary to lead a nation in war
and peace.
At once informative and engaging, and filled with some eye-opening
revelations about Washington, the war for American independence,
and the very nature of military command, General George Washington
is a book that reintroduces readers to a figure many think they
already know.
General
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