ebooks George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots by Dave Richard Palmer in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. HBO Had a Big Hit in the "John Adams" Adaptation! They Would Score Big With This One Too--If Not Bigger!By WJKI first saw Dave Palmer on the AE Biography special covering the life of Benedict Arnold. He came off very well spoken; very professional; very knowledgable; and had a strong military resume under his belt. I wondered if that could have been the same Dave Palmer who authored this book and to my great surprise it was! Of all the men interviewed on that program; it's almost no surprise that he was the only one of them to write a book on the man--or men as the books title obviously states. He not only gets to cover the most notorious traitor in our country's history but also the most celebrated man of that time and perhaps all of American history; George Washington. Not only does it feel like you're getting two biography books for the price of one; but it feels like a bonus that someone with the resume of Dave Palmer would be the one to write this: retired lieutenant general; the previous overseer at West Pointe itself; history graduate from Duke University; and multiple author!Now that Palmer's resume has been taken care of; what does he provide here? He provides a full history; with seemingly all available records on these men's environments; history; childhood; trends; exploits; and directions. His reputation as a historian is well founded here as he provides almost all available records about the events of that time as well as lay a path in uncovering the historical trails these two men left behind so many years ago. As he says himself; because of Arnold's notoriety; not many people are interested in studying the man and it's perhaps the reason that no one; including myself when I was growing up; ever really learned the whys; the motivations; and even the details behind Arnold's betrayal. Now that I myself do; I can't help but picture a little to a lot of Benedict Arnold in so many of the other traitors or even good guys gone bad in so many TV shows and movies that I have watched! His covering of Arnold's years as a traitor and his attempts to hand over West Pointe; referred to as the key to winning the Revolutionary War; are so intrinsic and suspenseful that it would make for great viewing in my honest opinion.George Washington on the other hand; deserves all the accolades he's gotten in life for all he's done and overcome; and while Palmer doesn't paint as big a picture of him as many other works have; he nevertheless succeeds at his intended point in covering the major events of both his early life and contributions in the Revolutionary War to paint a dual picture of these two men.Palmer's overall point is obviously an attempt to pinpoint exactly how these two patriots could've gone down such strikingly similar paths yet end up with such different reputations left behind. After he's laid out as much history as could possibly be given; he gives a fairly good yet somewhat woefully short analysis on the character of each man. Whereas many chapters covered many; many pages; this chapter (titled "Character" of course) comes off somewhat under expectations. What contributions to certain peoples actions are complex and their real-world applications are even more difficult to determine yet Palmer; in this reviewer's honest opinion; does a great job with what is available. He lays out the building blocks and overall traits of what makes up good character and applies them to whichever one of these two men carried them. This book is great reading for all history (and even psychology) buffs from big to small and would make a great series if done justice!P.S. On a rather personal note; it's a shame that one of the other men interviewed on that program named William "Bill" Stanley; arguably Benedict Arnold's official biographer and most ardent defender; did not himself write a book on the man; even more so since Stanley has passed away recently. Although Palmer is willing to uncover Arnold's motivations and obviously refers to him as a patriot in the title; it's clear in much of his writing during Arnold's time as a traitor in the later chapters; that he shows an undisguised disdain for Arnold's actions while someone like Stanley would've been a bit more understanding from what I've learned about the man--perhaps because of Palmer's own background as a dedicated Lt. General. While Stanley has always said that he doesn't deny or even approve of Arnold's treason; he still viewed Arnold as one of the biggest heroes of the Revolution thanks to the courage of his earlier actions and his own personal points would've really been interesting to read in my opinion.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What a book! This is; by far; the best book on the soldiers - both Washington and Arnold - that I have ever read.By JimmyWhat a book! This is; by far; the best book on the soldiers - both Washington and Arnold - that I have ever read. Just in case you readers do not know; Lieutenant General Dave Palmer was once the Superintendent of the U S Military Academy at West Point. And as such he brings the understanding; knowledge; and deep insights of a military leader to this undertaking. The Revolutionary war is covered in this book but only to the extent that these two men - both heroic - but only one with the moral integrity and the other treasonous; so much so that many have forgotten him. Except that we all know what one means when he/she is pronounced a "Benedict Arnold". A Real page turner.SGM; Jimmy R. D. USA RET.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An interesting perspective of these two people - the many ...By Keilani LudlowAn interesting perspective of these two people - the many parallels in their lives and yet the different choices they made leading to such dramatic differences in the end.