Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer

The reason, I think, is that the Revolutionary War is our creation myth. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning.ĭespite a great love of history, I’ve never been able to really connect to the American Revolution as a historical event. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.įischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force.

A second battle of Trenton followed within days. 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. Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington-and many other Americans-refused to let the Revolution die. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia.

Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost.

Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer