Six months after the Declaration of Independence,
the American Revolution was 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 in
this riveting history, George Washington-and many other
Americans-refused to let the Revolution die. 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. A second
battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans
held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best
troops, then were almost trapped by the British force.
Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind 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 was broken, and their
strategy was ruined. Fischer's richly textured narrative
reveals the crucial 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. While British and German
forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans
evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental
to their success. The startling success of Washington
and his compatriots not only saved the faltering
American Revolution, but helped to give it new
meaning.
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