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 | | Washington's Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History) by David Hackett Fischer ISBN-10: 9780195181593 ISBN-10: 0-19-518159-X ISBN-13: 9780195181593 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-518159-3 Paperback 2006-01-18 Oxford University Press, USA Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Six months after the Declaration of 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. Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he 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 within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined. Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning. | ||
Reviews | ||
Very Good I would recommend this book to anyone who had interest in the New Jersey Campaign. It gives a good background view on the disaterous New York Campaign and the retreat across New Jersey. Sometimes the book seems to drag a little bit, but that is only becuase of the great detail in the book. | ||
A Rewarding Work This is a masterful account of one of the most trying times in the nascent American revolution and Washington's miraculous campaigns at Trenton and Princeton (1776-77). It's a book I still appreciate four years after first reading it. The text is lucid and the volume (hardcover) lavishly illustrated. Washington, given a questionable legacy in the Colonial War - the peacetime death of Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville and over ten others (28 May 1754), the surrender of Fort Necessity (3 July 1754 to Jumonville's elder brother Louis Coulon de VIlliers), and his role in Braddock's defeat at Monongahela (9 Jul 1755), his elder brother Lawrence and Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie's role in the Ohio Company - wasn't worthy of banking odds (this is not part of the text - read Fred Anderson's `Crucible of War' et al). Washington proved audacious and unrelenting in his winter campaigns against his mother country. Despite all odds (and not without cost) he defeated them at Trenton (26 Dec 1776 and 2 Jan 1777) and at Princeton (3 Jan 1777). That is the tale of this volume. Without those victories, the United States wouldn't exist. This work is as enjoyable as the author's `Paul Revere's Ride' (1994). Well worth reading and highly recommended. | ||
Captures the Humanity of Washington and the New Nation This is a truly great piece of historical writing. Over the past several years, there have been three outstanding books about Washington and 1776: McCullough's "1776", Ellis' biography of Washington, and this book by Fischer. Fischer's is by far the best and deserved the Pulitizer Prize. Modern Americans have always been able to identify more with Lincoln than with Washington, the latter being more aristocratic and less modern in outlook (not to mention being a slaveowner) and seemingly austere and rigid. What Fischer is able to do is to capture the enormous problem Washington faced in trying to manage a completely unmanageable army and politics, plagued by geographical and cultural differences as well as by the lack of central political authority. Once one fully appreciates the daunting challenge faced by Washington -- as daunting as that which faced Lincoln in 1861 -- one can fully appreciate Washington's success in managing it. Fischer spares no punches in showing Washington's tactical failure in New York and his frustration with being unable to make a rag-tag army of mostly New Englanders function like a "real" European army. But he gives credit where credit is due in showing how Washington was able to create a different kind of army -- an American army functioning in a uniquely American kind of polity. Washington is not the rigid aristocrat we imagine. He is able to appreciate the democratic nature and impulses of his army, and he leads by consensus. He takes pains to build consensus among his subordinates and to involve and respect ordinary citizens in building better intelligence gathering. Added to this is Washington's larger-than-life charisma. He is physically imposing, a brilliant horseman, and a man of great physical courage. This earns him the respect necessary to lead the army -- and the ability to build consensus without looking weak. The completely desperate circumstances of the New Jersey campaign in 1776 are vividly portrayed and add to the drama of the story -- as well as add to Washington's luster in handling it so well. Tactically, Washington is brilliant in how he managed the campaign, and Fischer destroys the myth that all Washington did was to surprise a bunch of drunk Hessians sleeping off a Christmas binge. Fischer's concluding chapter summarizes his work and does so in a moving way that points Americans, in the present dark times, toward recapturing the better angels of our nature -- the American insistence on placing a high value on life, treating even enemies with humanity, and building national strength through consensus. This is historical writing at its best -- as a form of literature. | ||
Fantastic! This was an absolute joy to read. The book is not only about the crossing, but gives a good background of the events, politics and emotions that surrounded the American Revolution. Then it gives eyewitness accounts, from diaries, about the actual events that happened. It also gives details on aspects of the army, culture, political background and important figures that fill in the gaps and make the whole story read like a motion picture or documentary. The book tells how all the parts fit together. Truly a great book. | ||
A great read This was a very well written book, it was easy to follow and it's maps were of great help in following the battles events. I'm a new reader to the revolutionary war and since I was able to follow this book, I would definately recommend this work to others who are new to this subject. From start to finish this book kept my interest every word of the way! | ||