A truly extraordinary book. Maximum stars. One of the best books I have ever read.

The author combines impressive scholarship with an engaging and compelling writing style--a rare feat. His careful research, and careful reading of the sources, explodes some longstanding myths and compels a deep appreciation of the amazing events of late 1776 and early 1777 and the people who made them happen. He addresses not only the history, but the historiography. This is history at its best.

Of course, the book won the Pulitzer Prize so it's not as if I have discovered some hidden gem. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading it.

Every part of this book is tremendous, but the final chapter and the 27 page essay on historiography are particularly great and merit multiple readings.

"The battles at Trenton and Princeton and the Forage War were not small symbolic victories, as many historians have regarded them. The winter campaign inflicted severe damage on British and Hessian forces... In the New Jersey campaign, American troops repeatedly defeated larger and better trained regular forces in many different types of warfare: special operations, a night river crossing, a bold assault on an urban garrison, a fighting retreat, a defensive battle in fixed positions, a night march into the enemy's rear, a meeting engagement, and a prolonged petite guerre. Professional observers judged that entire performance to be one of the most brilliant in military history."

Simply browsing the title, table of contents, and some reviews potential readers may fall into the trap of thinking that this book is too similar to David McCullough’s 1776 to justify reading it. However, this assumption isn’t correct. While both stories follow Washington’s army through the fall of New York and conclude with the battles of Trenton and Princeton, Fischer’s focus is different than McCullough’s. McCullough’s main focus was on Washington’s army throughout the entire year of 1776 starting with a detailed description of the Boston siege. Fischer only in minor detail discusses the very end of the siege of Boston in setting the stage for the showdown in New York. Fischer focuses more on the dark days of November/December 1776 precluding Trenton/Princeton and what Washington did to revitalize his fleeting army and keep the American cause alive. Following through on this focus, Fischer can be guilty at times of hero worship regarding Washington. It almost seems that Fischer chooses to throw more light on the flaws of the British to smooth out Washington's wrinkles.
Fischer begins with a somewhat thorough overview of the key characters who would play major parts in the campaign of 1776: the Americans, the British, and the Hessians. Fischer is less descriptive of the Battle for New York than McCullough. The heart of the story lies in the account of the activities that took place in New Jersey immediately preceding Washington’s Christmas Day attack and its aftermath. Instead of focusing solely on Washington and his army, Fischer chooses to focus more on British loss of control of New Jersey as the true reason for Washington’s triumph. Fischer focuses on the rupture, insubordination, and sheer misjudgment of the British and Hessian chains of command and how events ruined William Howe’s plans for the pacification of New Jersey. Howe’s plans for peace instead ended in violence.
In the aftermath of his fumbling loss of New York, Washington quickly learned from his mistakes was able to utilize intelligence to his advantage, monitoring the enemy while buying time, strengthening, reforming his army, and consolidating his command. When he saw opportunities present themselves he acted by first doing what he could to disrupt the enemy and put them on edge before his official attack. While recounting the facts of Washington’s crossing and the events that followed, Fischer (in his unique way) is quick to debunk many myths and legends that surround the events. For instance, factual accounts prove that the Hessians were not drunk and engaged in their holiday festivities that night but had actually been quite alert all day and engaged in their regular guard duties. However, these soldiers were completely fatigued, warn out from the raids and uprisings that had kept them vigilant night and day for several weeks in December. The reason they were surprised is because of their own misjudgment had let their guard down thinking it impossible that the Americans would attack in a blinding snow storm.

The book can be a bit of a slog at times. Fischer wrote this book as part of an Oxford Press series that he coedited with James McPherson entitled Pivotal Moments in American History. Maybe being part of a series that seems to have been written more for those less familiar with history might explain why this books seemed to me as quite pedestrian. It seems as though that was Fischer's goal. This clearly isn't his best work, but I would still recommend giving it a look. There is some good information especially on the events that occurred in New Jersey during the British occupation of the colony such as the New Jersey risings which I have not read about elsewhere. For that I give it three stars.

David Hackett Fischer is just so good as a story teller. I'll probably get through most of his catalog before long.

This book does such a good job of providing color commentary to a historical event that I didn't know much about aside from the iconic picture. The most obvious point was a realistic portrayal of Washington as a leader who was far from perfect. You can sense Washington's anxiety around many of the big decisions he had to make. One of my favorite anecdotes from the book is the ironic story of Charles Lee, one of Washington's primary rivals. Lee was a huge pain in the ass for Washington, whom Lee didn't respect and openly believed he should've been in charge of the Continental Army. Washington was fighting for his life retreating after the nightmare in the New York campaign and desperately needed Lee's troops. Instead of hurrying to Washington's aid, he went to the bar where he was promptly arrested by British troops supposedly in his pajamas. This fortunate event allowed Washington to consolidate his position as de facto commander in chief and rally the troops.

The crossing of the Delaware is a bit of an afterthought nowadays but this book really puts into perspective how amazing it actually was. The army was almost decimated, they had no food, and all of the troops were about to go home. The actual crossing was insanely difficult. It was a snowstorm outside, the river was full of ice, nobody had any shoes, and they had to walk nine miles to even get to the battle.

It's a long read, but I flew through it. Fischer is a super easy read.

The author's summary at the very end of the book is worth reading through the whole book as he details out the people, the events, the conditions, the thinking and the ultimate conclusions that can be made coming out of Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the subsequent victories at Trenton and Princeton. In today's world where so many debunk and water down and try to change the history of our great nation, Fischer does an excellent job laying out the circumstances and the research that supports why he thinks the war of Independence turned in the "rebels" favor and against the English. If you are a student of American history and a patriot this is a must read. The maps are a little hard to read but you do get the jest of the various battles and strategies employed and more importantly the thinking behind the leaders and military generals at that time.

I read Washington's Crossing as a required reading for a class assignment. I was surprised by how much I did not know after reading this book. I realize I have slept since elementary school, but I lost a lot of detail over the years.

The best part of this book was learning how strong mentally our forefathers and foremothers were and how determined they were to be free. I have a new leaned respect for the freedoms they gave us and I will do my best to keep these freedoms alive and well.

Washington's command of American forces in the American Revolution, specifically the crossing of the Delaware to fight in the battles at Trenton and Princeton, was pivotal to the victory of Independence. Historian David Hackett Fischer thoroughly analyzes the crossing and subsequent battles, situating them as the Revolution's cathartic moments. Fischer dispels the many myths surrounding the events of December 1776 through the spring of 1777 and scrutinizes conflicting resources and interpretations. Fischer is very methodical and organized in his narrative while using engaging prose to pull the reader into the world of the Revolution.

I appreciated the structure of the book. After his introduction, Fischer clearly describes the men who participated in these battles: the Rebels, the Regulars, and the Hessians. The author then details the plan of the campaign, followed by the details of the fall of New York, which led to the crossing of the Delaware and the battles at Trenton and Princeton. Fischer evaluates the role of the American forces and the British and Hessian regiments and how each battle affected the overall outcome of the war. The author utilized extensive primary resources, including letters from battle commanders, diary entries, and archival sources not previously used by historians in printed works.

Fischer's writing is enjoyable and humanizes these historical, larger-than-life figures. I felt like I understood the kind of man and commander Washington was, and I could understand why he was so well-regarded by fellow Americans. Washington proved to be a true leader.

David Hackett Fischer's "Washington's Crossing" is a beautiful homily to the darkest hour of American history, as George Washington and a wearied band of soldiers limped back across the Delaware River, less in seeking any revenge and more eking out a grim survival of their own lives as well as the cause they were fighting for. Fischer recounts the battles in enormously rich detail, tracing Washington's bold move in organizing the battle across the Delaware and continuing on the offensive into Princeton. Trenton became the ultimate testament to the leadership of Washington: a bold gambit that played for both military victory and popular opinion.

Fischer sketches out a dichotomy between the American and British war efforts that has largely gone unnoticed. The American army evolved from an egalitarian society, and reflected the need for consensus that underpinned colonial politics and culture. The British, meanwhile, even under the able leadership of Lord Cornwallis, hewed to a traditionally hierarchal system, with commanders from the aristocracy (who purchased their commissions) dictating orders to subordinates without consensus and often without sound on-the-ground intelligence.

Illustrating the bleak details of the American war, Fischer does more to elevate the reputation of Washington than any statue, painting, or homily. How many men of the age would have taken that gamble across the Delaware, and how many would have slinked off the scene, seeking reproachment and the easy pleasures of peace to the hard, continuing struggle of war? The answer to that question speaks to the greatness of Washington and the men he led in 1776.

Some books you read and you say... That was a good and enjoyable. Now "Washington's Crossing" is very different, it changed my way of thinking about who we are, where we came from and about our hopes and dreams. This is a powerful book about some of our darkest days and we've had a few since. This is more than a history book it can be a teaching book also... If you want it to be! Enjoy...

One of the many American icons of cultural memory is that of “Washington crossing the Delaware”. Most are at least vaguely aware of it, but few know much, if anything about it. David Hackett Fischer has undertaken the task of telling the history of the event. In December 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington was nearing a total collapse. The British military had inflicted crushing defeats on them in battles around New York City, pushing them out of New York and sending them hastily retreating across New Jersey toward the American capital at Philadelphia. Thousands of soldiers were leaving for home, their enlistment periods expiring daily. Left with a small group of veterans, Washington faced the daunting task of trying to stop the seemingly inevitable victory march of the British military to end the American Revolution. On a cold, stormy Christmas night, Washington led his ragged soldiers in crossing the Delaware River back into New Jersey to face the British juggernaut. The resulting victories at Trenton and Princeton came at a fortuitous moment to breathe new life into “the Cause” of American liberty and independence that had seemed nearly dead at the time.

Fischer is an excellent historian that has conducted tremendous research in retelling this famous chapter of American history. He is balanced, refraining from championing one side over the other. He helps dispel some myths that have arisen, particularly that of the Hessian soldiers in Trenton being hungover from drunken partying on Christmas. This helps establish the truly impressive results of Washington’s plan to take the offensive and snatch initiative from the seemingly invincible hands of the British military under the command of the Howe brothers. Well written and meticulously researched. Any fan of early American or military history will find it fascinating, while those who are not well versed in history can also enjoy reading and learning about an amazing story of courage.

What a great book! I don’t think I’ve read a better written or more worthwhile history book than this! And the last paragraph was fantastic. This is history at its finest.

Part of the Oxford Pivotal Moments in American History series, Fischer's work is a cultural history surrounding the events that Washington's Revolutionary Army participated in from March of 1776 to March of 1777, with the middle of the book focusing on the pivotal turning point of the unlikely capture of the Hessian garrison in Trenton, New Jersey on Christmas of 1776, made famous by the painting featured on the cover of the book.

Fischer's book was published at nearly the same time as McCullough's 1776, which covers nearly the indentical time period, yet unlike McCullough's focus on the narratives and characters of the of the dark days of the American cause in 1776, Fischer's work is a close examination of cultural trends and mores that developed and moved the American Army, unlike no other movement in the world at the time. In short, McCullough's book would be best enjoyed by those looking for a tree-top level of the events of the day. It is an excellent book that will be read for years, and Fischer is complementary of it, but Washington's Crossing is an in-depth look at why the American cause took the course it did and what precisely that means for us today. It is most certainly not history-as-pageant-on-parade. Most importantly, Washington's Crossing does a wonderful job of de-mythologizing the American cause to American readers, while reintroducing the concepts of rare and unique combinations of leadership and service that actors such as Washington, Knox, Monroe and down to the yeoman citizen-militia were in world history. Something new was happening along the banks of the Delaware that December, when it was most unlikely to.

This is a fabulous book! This Pulitzer Prize winner is a compelling book in that you will learn things about the condition and spirit of the people who lived through this trying era. Many times through the book I had the sense of being there as the events unfolded. The most remarkable thing for me was chronicling the growth of George Washington as a leader. As a battle commander he was defeated time & time again and was run out of NY by the British. After arriving in New Jersey he began to get better intelligence. His style of leadership took a different turn and he began to have some success and emboldened by the people around him, he saw the opportunity to save the army & the war. The Battle of Trenton came within hours of losing his army because their enlistments were about to expire. This was truly an extraordinary time in the American saga.
This book is meticulously documented. The appendices are fascinating by themselves. This is a fast read. The battles of Trenton & Princeton were turning points in the American struggle for independence. I have even greater respect for the men & women of that time period--even more so George Washington. This book is worthy of your time spent with it.