Washington's Revolutionary War Generals ( Campaigns and Commanders #68 )
Regular price $47.95
Washington's Revolutionary War Generals (Campaigns and Commanders Series)
Hardcover – October 3, 2019
It is impossible to understand the outcome of the War for Independence without first examining America’s military leadership, author Stephen R. Taaffe contends. His description of Washington’s generals—who they were, how they received their commissions, and how they performed—goes a long way toward explaining how these American officers, who were short on experience and military genius, prevailed over their professional British counterparts. Following these men through the war’s most important battles and campaigns as well as its biggest controversies, such as the Conway Cabal and the Newburgh Conspiracy, Taaffe weaves a narrative in the grand tradition of military history. Against this backdrop, his depiction of the complexities and particulars of character and politics of military command provides a new understanding of George Washington, the War for Independence, and the U.S. military’s earliest beginnings.
A unique combination of biography and institutional history shot through with political analysis, this book is a thoughtful, deeply researched, and an eminently readable contribution to the literature of the Revolution.
Review
“Stephen Taaffe has given us an overview of the Revolution’s generals as comprehensive as it is unsparing. He convincingly explains why so many of them were mediocre commanders at best—and how patriots ultimately produced enough capable generals to win their independence. Washington’s Revolutionary War Generals is a welcome contribution to our understanding of the Continental military.”—Mark Edward Lender, coauthor of Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle
“Stephen Taaffe’s meticulous research and splendid writing illuminates an understudied aspect of the Continental Army’s organization and leadership. This book is an important contribution to the field.”—Joseph F. Stoltz III, author of A Bloodless Victory: The Battle of New Orleans in History and Memory
About the Author