A well-executed failure
Subtitle: the Sullivan campaign against the Iroquois, July-September 1779
By: Joseph R. Fischer.
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Columbia, South Carolina
Language: eng
Number of pages: 265
Subjects: Sullivan, John, 1740-1795.; Sullivan's Indian Campaign, 1779.; New York (State) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.
Description: Offering a fresh perspective on the first of the "Indian Wars," Joseph R. Fischer reassesses the historical value of a campaign generally regarded as one of the Continental army's strategic fiascoes. The expedition led by Major General John Sullivan sought to punish the Iroquois Confederacy for a series of devastating raids in western New York and Pennsylvania.

Sullivan and his four brigades of Continental regulars torched forty Iroquois settlements and destroyed 160,000 acres of corn but ultimately failed in removing the Iroquois from the conflict. Instead, the crusade increased the dependency of the Iroquois remnant on its British supporters and galvanized raiding activities. Fischer suggests that the historical focus on the campaign's failure has overshadowed its importance as a vehicle for understanding the Continental army at a turning point in the war.

He demonstrates that this representative slice of the Continental army provides exceptional insight into the growing professionalism of George Washington's military.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 244-255) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The frontier in flames : 1778; title: Strategy and operations; title: Tactics; title: Logistics; title: Leadership; title: Civil-military relations; title: Conclusions.