Title: General George Washington : a military life /
Authors: Lengel, Edward G.
Publisher: Random House,
Year: 2005
Subjects: Washington, George,; Washington, George, Military leadership.; United States. Biography.; Presidents United States Biography; Generals United States Biography; United States History; United States History Campaigns; United States History Campaigns
Abstract: In a revealing work of historical biography, Edward Lengel has written the definitive account of George Washington the soldier. Based largely on Washington's personal papers, this engrossing book paints a vivid, factual portrait of a man to whom lore and legend so tenaciously cling. To Lengel, Washington was the imperfect commander. Washington possessed no great tactical ingenuity, and his acknowledged brilliance in retreat only demonstrates the role luck plays in the fortunes of all great men. He was not a professional, but a citizen soldier, who, at a time when warfare demanded that armies maneuver efficiently in precise formation, had little practical training handling men in combat. Yet despite his flaws, Washington was a remarkable figure, a true man of the moment. America could never have won freedom without him. At once informative and engaging General George Washington is a book that reintroduces readers to a figure many think they already know.
Contents: Prologue -- Acknowledgments -- List of maps -- Biographies -- Chronology -- 1: Young frontiersman: May 1741-February 1753 -- 2: Ohio: October 1753-January 1754 -- 3: Fort Necessity: January-October 1754 -- 4: Braddock: January-July 1755 -- 5: Virginia regiment: July 1755-January 1759 -- 6: Call to arms: 1759-1775 -- 7: Boston: June 1755-March 1776 -- 8: New York: March-August 1776 -- 9: Retreat: September-December 1776 -- 10: Redemption: Trenton; December, 1776 -- 11: Princeton: December 1776-January 1777 -- 12: Philadelphia: December 1776-September 1777 -- 13: Germantown: September-October 1777 -- 14: Valley Forge: December 1777-May 1778 -- 15: Monmouth: May-June 1778 -- 16: Dark before the dawn: 1778-1781 -- 17: Victory: September 1780-December 1783 -- 18: Old soldier: 1784-1799 -- 19: First in war? -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.