Washington’s Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History)

Amazon.com Price: $16.26 (as of 11/11/2019 00:12 PST- Details)

SKU: 9780195181593 Categories: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution used to be 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 on this riveting history, George Washington–and plenty of other Americans–refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor’easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men around 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 highest troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington’s men stole in the back of 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 used to be broken, and their strategy used to be ruined.

Fischer’s richly textured narrative reveals the a very powerful 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. Whilst British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that used to be fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to provide it new that means.

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Americas » United States » Revolution and Founding » Washington’s Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History)

Recent Products