For Nonfiction Monday -- "The Crossing: How George Washington Saved theAmerican Revolution" by Jim Murphy.
Murphy's narrative reads like
a powerful suspense story as he follows Washington from his 1775 appointment to
command the army through the Battle of Princeton in 1777. "He had never
commanded more than 5,000 men, did not know how to position artillery, or maneuver
cavalry and had no engineering skills in building defensive positions." Never-the-less,
John Adams spoke in favor of Washington and the Continental Congress voted
unanimously in Washington's favor.
Washington is portrayed not
as a larger-than-than-life hero, but rather as a man beset with self-doubt
whose early military disasters led colonists to lose confidence and almost
resulted in his being replaced. Faced with the challenge of turning farmers and
shop-keepers into a disciplined fighting force, Washington persevered, learned
from his mistakes, became such a skilled strategist that he was nicknamed the
"Old Fox" and successfully defeated the most powerful military in the
world.
Murphy's narrative utilizes
quotes and is enriched with maps and reproductions of art. He makes a point of offering
a thoughtful discussion of Leutze’s Washington
Crossing the Delaware, pointing out
for example that the painting was intended as a symbolic rather than a factual
depiction. A timeline, websites, and bibliography complete the book.
