Washington's Crossing

The book makes a convincing case that the battles of Trenton and Princeton were the tipping point in the American Revolution. The Redcoats had swept into New York and routed the Americans, so the world, and all of the colonies, were surprised when Washington led his troops on a snowy Christmas Day and overwhelmed the Hessians at Trenton. I had long heard the Hessians were unprepared, but in fact they were fully ready and on high alert after days of American pressure--they simply didn't have enough troops to absorb the American assault. Washington comes off as a fine military leader. Apparently he made decisions with a group of advisors, while the British leaders made their own decisions and handed them down from on high. After the surprise at Trenton Washington precisely anticipated the British response-to march strait away from Princeton to Trenton where they met the entrenched Americans who could not be dislodged. And then Washington had them steal away at night to Princeton. Just great military leadership.

And while the British often slaughtered surrendering troops and maltreated prisoners, Washington gave explicit orders to treat prisoners well--he said they would go back (to England or Germany) and tell everyone back home about this new way of running a country. Just a great book, especially for a Jersey boy like myself who knows all the places they fought in New Jersey.

David Hackett Fischer has done an excellent job of supporting his thesis - that Washington's bold maneuvers on Christmas Day of 1776 and the next days and weeks were absolutely vital to changing the momentum of the Revolutionary and preventing an early termination to the fight for independence by the continental forces. His book is well written throughout and it is hard to pick out highlights, but the following are some of the elements of the book that I consider memorable.

The painting by Emmanuel Leutze is praised for dramatically symbolizing how the Battle of Trenton and the Revolutionary War were "a collision between two discoveries about the human condition that were made in the early modern era." One discovery was that a society based on liberty could actually work and the other was that soldiers (and other citizens) could function effectively, responsibly, and creatively if they were trained not as servants or robots, but as willing participants.

Mr. Fischer devotes several chapters to the British forces, including the Hessians. He points out that the British army was experienced, disciplined, and put together to be successful. The fifteen British generals on Staten Island were "on the average forty-eight years old in 1776, with thirty years of military service. By comparison, the twenty-one American generals who opposed them in New York were forty-three years old, with two years of military service." Its primary leaders, Cornwallis and the Howe brothers were sympathetic to the American cause, but were still committed to terminating the revolution as efficiently and quickly as possible.

The raw numbers that summarize the three battles might not have been dramatic, but the effect on the momentum and attitudes were monumental. At Trenton on December 26, 1776, the Americans won a decisive victory. Twenty two Hessians were killed and 896 captured. Washington's initial guess was that Americans had "two officers and one or two privates wounded," but Fischer points out that many more died of exhaustion, exposure and illness. Total losses at the second battle of Trenton, initiated by General Cornwallis one week later, were 100 Americans, 140 Hessians, and 225 British troops. Then at Princeton, British casualties (killed, wounded, and captured) were 450 as compared to American casualties of 70. Then the forage wars of the winter of 1777 were also significant, but probably would have been less effective if not for the impact on morale of the Trenton and Princeton victories.

The difference between Washington and Cornwallis was meaningful. Cornwallis tended to dictate strategy to his officers, while Washington listened to his officers and requested suggestions. It seems that Washington's style was successful in building consensus while still resulting in great respect from the soldiers.

Besides George Washington, there were many other American officers whose roles were important. Three that stood out were:
* Colonel John Cadwalader (1742 - 1786) was commander of all of the Philadelphia Associators (militia), who was to cross the Delaware several miles south of Trenton, but was unable to get his artillery across because of the heavy ice. He did, however, play a significant role in the second battle of Trenton and the battle of Princeton.
* Colonel John Trumbull (1756 - 1843) was 20 years old in 1776 and fought at Trenton and Princeton and, after the war, did wonderful paintings of Washington and the New Jersey battles.
* Captain Charles Willson Peale (1741 - 1827) commanded a company of Philadelphia Associators in the second battle of Trenton and the battle of Princeton and, also after the war did wonderful paintings of Washington and the New Jersey battles.

Mr. Fischer concludes his book with some excellent appendices, including a wonderful Historiography that discusses the literature, paintings and sculpture that have been inspired by the events in the book. Of course, the paintings of Trumbull and Peale are an important part of the Historiography.

The only issue that I have with Mr. Fischer is his statement on page 367, “Americans … were deeply suspicious of power and hated to pay taxes, a major weakness in the War of Independence. Then, as now, sleazy politicians pandered to that prejudice.” Americans were motivated to fight for independence because they had seen power and taxes misused. That motivation helped soldiers and others overcome substantial hardships to be successful in their revolution. And, after the war, their experience with misused power and taxes gave them a vision to set up a revolutionary government with limited powers and a system of checks and balances. So, even though Mr. Fischer criticizes this “prejudice,” some prejudices – such as a prejudice against injustice, a prejudice against tyranny, and a prejudice against irresponsible government – are admirable qualities.
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A thrilling story of one of the most amazing campaigns of the war. Full detailed, with a little introduction of all the main characters (and pictures), it also has maps of the battles and troops movements.

We all have viewed the image of Washington crossing the Delaware but, likely, have never studied it. The introduction of this book does a fine job of providing the art history behind the painting. Although the painting is not historically accurate, it provides a likely explanation as to why The Crossing (and it's numerous skirmishes) were successful and how it became a psychological turning point in the Revolutionary War.

I truly appreciated the ease in reading this along with the complete research and clarity provided by David Hackett Fischer. Washington’s Crossing turns the common and extraordinary people on both sides into real human beings. If nothing more, this should remind the reader of the price paid to create our nation. The author states: “They set a high example, and we have much to learn from them. Much recent historical writing has served us ill in that respect. In the late twentieth century, too many scholars tried to make the American past into a record of crime and folly. Too many writers have told us we are captives of our darker selves and helpless victims of our history. It isn’t so, and never was."

83 out of 100.

This book has been on my Planned Reading List for a couple of years now. Finally, this year is the year. I'm glad I didn't just take it off the list. The book begins near the actual crossing but doesn't stop with the battle for Trenton. There are other engagements dwelt upon both before and after. And (horrors!) my second-grade teacher lied to me. The Germans were not asleep after a night of hard partying for Christmas. That's a myth. They were exhausted. They were sleeping in their clothes so they would be ready to fight or to march at a moments notice. Washington and his troops got there later than they expected to because of the difficulty of the crossing so the German soldiers weren't an easy take.
The book explores how the legends are different than the written sources from that time. Soldier's journals and letters after the battles as well as other accounts were used. The book is heavily researched and well written.
I'm not the family history buff (my husband is the one with the history degree) but I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the Revolutionary War.

I just finished reading Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer. This book was definitely worthwhile. I am giving it "Five Stars." I confess to reading it fast, slower than a skim but much faster than I usually read a book. The reason is that much of the material concerning the famous crossing of the Delaware that stormy Christmas night and the surprise attack on the British and the Hessians at Trentown (now Trenton, New Jersey) was described in detail in Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow and 1776 by David McCullough, which I previously read.

A major distinction is that Chernow and McCullough are primarily writers, whereas Fischer is primarily a professor.

Fischer posits convincingly that the revival of the Revolution, almost sundered in the loss of New York City during the summer and fall of 1776 started before the Crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton, and that revival made those victories possible. A brief excerpt from what I think was the most stirring chapter, "The Great Revival":

There is an old American folk tale about George Washington and the Crossing of the Delaware. It tells us that the new American republics nearly failed in the winter of 1776, that George Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas night, and that his victory at 1renton revived the Revolution. All of this story is true, but it is not the whole truth. There was more to it. The great revival did not follow the battles of Trenton and Princeton, important as they were. It preceded them, and made those events possible (though not inevitable).
*****
This great revival grew from defeat, not from victory. The awakening was a response to a disaster. Doctor Benjamin Rush, who had a major role in the event, believed that this was the way a free republic would always work, and the American republic in particular. He thought it was a national habit of the American people (maybe all free people) not to deal with a difficult problem until it was nearly impossible.

That view of the best of America being brought forth by crisis is true to this day.

Another focus of Washington's Crossing is in part on the uniquely American system that Washington and Continental Congress helped pioneer of placing elected representatives in overall charge, but delegating to experts a major amount of discretion in how they discharge their duties. Washington was given overall charge of the conduct of the Revolutionary War, for example. Fischer takes this analogy further, to having boards of directors of corporation selecting operating officers, and Boards of Education selecting superintendents operating independently but under supervision.

He also retells the thrilling stories of Washington's flexible and then-unique war strategy of avoiding pitched battles, but making the British and Hessians die the proverbial "death of a thousand cuts" though he does not use that phrase.

One quibble; I was constantly looking up words. One was "celerity" which turns out to mean "rapidity of motion." Another was "anabasis" which means "a military advance." And another jarring reference was his reference to "the Jamestown and Sagadahoc Colonies of 1607." The latter was a short-lived colony in Maine. This book may be more for history buffs, but it makes great reading.

As usual, Fischer takes a familiar story from American history and shows that the truth backs up and is even more compelling than the myth. He begins with a brief account of the siege of Boston and the campaigns around New York, and the narrative settles in after the fall of Fort Washington in November 1776. He goes into great detail telling of the British and Hessian conquest of New Jersey and the establishment of a long chain of garrisons. Meanwhile, the American cause reaches it’s nadir, but is roused intellectually by Paine’s American Crisis, and militarily by the “Jersey Risings,” individual Patriots and small bands of militia resisting the occupation and attacking the overstretched British and Hessians. Fischer argues that Washington’s decision to counterattack the Hessians at Trenton was in response to the rallying of American morale, and not the cause of it. He demonstrates that the Hessians were not drunk and unprepared in Trenton, rather that they had been on high alert for days and offered fierce resistance. Most fascinating, “Washington’s crossing” was not a single event, as the Delaware was crossed probably twenty times over the course of the campaign by American detachments of various sizes, including smaller raiding parties. But Washington’s decision to cross with his main force during the worst weather of the year was a bold one. Really, a desperate decision, made by a commander who was trying to use his forces at hand before their enlistments expired at the New Year. But the decision paid off, and what was even more fascinating, Washington decided to do it again! He held the British at Assunpink Bridge and then outflanked them at Princeton in the early days of January 1777. Using daring, surprise, concentration of force, and no small amount of good fortune, Washington managed with an ever-shrinking force to roll up the British and Hessian forces in New Jersey and then wage a petit guerre against their remaining embattled garrisons.

Fischer allows Washington to shine with well-deserved praise for the battles of Trenton and Princeton, while also not concealing his blunders during the New York campaign. He also presents his British and Hessian opponents in a fair light, not as sneering, lisping fops but as men often with sympathies for the American cause, though honor bound to wage war on them as rebels. Fischer is fair and reasonable in his judgements all throughout. He gives too much credence to American reports of British and Hessian rape and robbery, some of which clearly bear the stamp of exaggeration in the telling. But undoubtedly the Revolutionary War in New Jersey was a civil war and a brutal one at that.

If you had one book to read about Trenton and Princeton, this would be it. This book actually makes me proud to be an American. Highly recommended.

Background:

It is the second week of March 1776. General George Washington has recorded a decisive victory, just four months before the Declaration of Independence is going to be signed.

Washington has obligated the British to evacuate the city of Boston --- the same Boston where the spark of the American Revolution had been struck.

He possesses all the heavy duty cannons that Colonel Henry Knox and his men had heroically brought from Fort Ticonderoga and placed into position on Dorchester Heights. Washinton has fortified the two uppermost hills, Bunker and Breed’s hills, and bombards Boston and Boston Harbor with deadly shellfire daily.

The constant American bombardment has convinced General Lord William Howe, commander of the British army in Boston, that only an evacuation of the city would save his troops from a total military catastrophe.

In the following days Howe loads 9,000 soldiers and their supplies on nearly 100 ships and sails away, apparently headed for Halifax.

The remaining Boston residents wildly hail the American victory.

Surprisingly though, Washington does not partake in the revelry. Instead he stares out to sea. He eagerly wonders about the real destination of Lord Howe and the Royal Navy.

Washington had guessed accurate. His hunch proved to be precise.

Late in June 1776 the mislaid British fleet appear.

Lord Howe has more than 100 ships loaded with thousands of British and Hessian troops for an attack on New York City.

And so this tome commences. . . .

The following 19 chapters constitutes the book:

1. The Rebels
2. The Regulars
3. The Hessians
4. The Plan of the Campaign
5. The Fall of New York
6. The Retreat
7. The Crisis
8. The Occupation
9. The Opportunity
10.tThe River
11.tThe March
12.tThe Surprise
13.tHard Choices
14.tGood Ground
15.tThe Bridge
16.tTwo Councils
17.tThe Battle at Princeton
18.tAftermath
19.tConclusion

This radiantly researched account of George Washington's Delaware River crossing in 1776, the author discusses the planned, operative, and strategic factors involved.

Consider the setting yet again:

Until this point in the American Revolution, the patriots had been roundly defeated in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

With many enlistments expiring and a lack of discipline in the troops, observers on both sides felt the rebellion had been broken.

But in crossing the Delaware and at Trenton and Princeton, Washington and his generals, the men he himself had picked and relied on, showed the perseverance, inventiveness, and improvisation that would win the war.

In this book, readers see the birth of the characteristically American form of war, in which civil and military leaders find themselves answerable to the people through their congressional representatives.

All said and done, I am unable to afford a five-star. The one star is shed by me due to the following reasons:

1) The book glorifies the American cause above all else. In the book’s conclusion, the author maintains that out of these events and the culture clash between the less open British system and the more open American system came much of what is good in American history: civilian control of the military, a practical way of war, and a humanitarian emphasis on preserving life, including that of the (presumably white) enemy. This is moderately correct, not wholly.

2) The book regularly softens and modulates anything that makes the American cause look less than noble or uncompromising, such as slavery.

3) Absent from the narrative are aspects of the war emphasized by other scholars in recent years such as the pillage of Native American villages, ordered and carried out by the some of the same generals overestimated in the pages of this tome.

To Conclude:

Despite its errors, this book deserves an extensive audience. The language is intriguing and cinematic. Recommended.