The publication of this volume has been supported by a grant from
the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Volume
19 of the ""Revolutionary War Series"" documents Washington's
activities during the winter and early spring of 1779, when the
bulk of his army was encamped at Middlebrook, New Jersey,
strategically situated where the Watchung Mountains rise from the
coastal plain in the middle of the state. Washington took advantage
of the relative quiet of this period to consult with a
congressional committee of conference in Philadelphia. He returned
to Middlebrook in early February and devoted himself yet again to
reorganizing and reinvigorating the Continental Army. Recruitment
problems, disputes among officers over rank, and compensation woes
had grown old, but Washington corresponded at length with state
officials and Congress in order to keep an effective fighting force
in the field. Winter camp also allowed Washington to consider
future military operations. Emphasis fell on planning a punitive
expedition against Indians of the Six Nations and Loyalists whose
raids had terrorized settlers along the Pennsylvania - New York
frontier. Washington's most immediate challenge was simply
understanding the geography of this largely unknown region, and he
sought information from anybody who had direct experience with the
terrain and the Indian inhabitants, a group that included army
officers, prisoners, land surveyors, interpreters, traders, and
missionaries. Washington carefully sifted through these reports,
observations, and opinions. To aid analysis, he consolidated the
most pertinent materials, in his own handwriting, into a
comparative table, and appended significant related items. His
final plan called for the main force to cross the Susquehanna River
at or near Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and strike into the heart of the
border region while a supporting column advanced from near Albany,
New York. After Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates declined Washington's offer
to command this expedition, citing health reasons, it was accepted
by Maj. Gen. John Sullivan, who left his post at Providence, Rhode
Island, to begin preparations at Middlebrook. In a late-February
reply to Mount Vernon manager Lund Washington's question about
selling slaves, the general expressed his confidence in the
eventual success of the American struggle for independence as well
as his personal resolve, saying, 'if we should ultimately prove
unsuccessful (of which I am under no apprehension unless it falls
on us as a punishment for our want of public, & indeed private
virtue) it would be a matter of very little consequence to me,
whether my property is in Negroes, or loan office Certificates, as
I shall neither ask for, nor expect any favor from his most
gracious Majesty, nor any person acting under his authority'. By
every measure, Washington remained indispensable to the
Revolutionary cause.
General
| Imprint: |
University of Virginia Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
April 2010 |
| First published: |
May 2010 |
| Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 59mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Hardcover
|
| Pages: |
768 |
| Edition: |
Volume 19 ed. |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-8139-2961-3 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
| LSN: |
0-8139-2961-X |
| Barcode: |
9780813929613 |
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