WINNER; 2015; American Revolution Round Table of Richmond Book Award "Brandywine Creek calmly meanders through the Pennsylvania countryside today; but on September 11; 1777; it served as the scenic backdrop for the largest battle of the American Revolution; one that encompassed more troops over more land than any combat fought on American soil until the Civil War. Long overshadowed by the stunning American victory at Saratoga; the complex British campaign that defeated George Washington’s colonial army and led to the capture of the capital city of Philadelphia was one of the most important military events of the war. Michael C. Harris’s impressive Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America; September 11; 1777; is the first full-length study of this pivotal engagement in many years. General Sir William Howe launched his campaign in late July 1777; when he loaded his army of 16;500 British and Hessian soldiers aboard a 265-ship armada in New York and set sail. Six difficult weeks later Howe’s expedition landed near Elkton; Maryland; and moved north into Pennsylvania. Washington’s rebel army harassed Howe’s men at several locations including a minor but violent skirmish at Cooch’s Bridge in Delaware on September 3. Another week of hit-and-run tactics followed until Howe was within three miles of Chads’s Ford on Brandywine Creek; behind which Washington had posted his army in strategic blocking positions along a six-mile front. The young colonial capital of Philadelphia was just 25 miles farther east. Obscured by darkness and a heavy morning fog; General Howe initiated his plan of attack at 5:00 a.m. on September 11; pushing against the American center at Chads’s Ford with part of his army while the bulk of his command swung around Washington’s exposed right flank to deliver his coup de main; destroy the colonials; and march on Philadelphia. Warned of Howe’s flanking attack just in time; American generals turned their divisions to face the threat. The bitter fighting on Birmingham Hill drove the Americans from the field; but their heroic defensive stand saved Washington’s army from destruction and proved that the nascent Continental foot soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with their foe. Although fighting would follow; Philadelphia fell to Howe’s legions on September 26. Harris’s Brandywine is the first complete study to merge the strategic; political; and tactical history of this complex operation and important set-piece battle into a single compelling account. More than a decade in the making; his sweeping prose relies almost exclusively upon original archival research and his personal knowledge of the terrain. Enhanced with original maps; illustrations; and modern photos; and told largely through the words of those who fought there; Brandywine will take its place as one of the most important military studies of the American Revolution ever written."
#122065 in Books 2015-10-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.30 x 6.00l; 1.38 #File Name: 161017139X464 pages
Review
201 of 216 people found the following review helpful. Groundbreaking. Persuasive. Passionate. Yes; you need to buy this book! Now!By JeriAnyone who has taken a history course at a university lately can attest to the rigid; doctrinaire multiculturalism taught. Textbook after textbook downplays the achievements of the west. "How the West Won" is a brisk slap in the face to the current animus against western civilization.Take the Dark Ages; which are always portrayed as an age of utter barbarism in our textbooks; a time when society declined and all that was worthy in the ancient world vanished. Stark points out that "serious historians have known for decades that these claims are a complete fraud. Even the respectable encyclopedias...now define the Dark Ages as a myth" (p 71).He pulls out fact after fact to prove his position. Close to Stockholm; "an elaborate industrial community known as Helgo flourished from about 250 through 700." (p 82); and archaeologists have found a "'bronze Buddha figure made in India'" (p 81) in the ruins of Helgo; revealing how wide the trade was at the time.Not only did trade flourish; but "Within several centuries of the fall of Rome; Europeans have developed military technology that far surpassed not the the Romans' but that of every other society on earth" (p 84).Military might was important in the era. Islam was on the rise. In 1095 "The Byzantine emperor Alexius...appealed for Western forces to defend Constantinople from the threat of Turkish invaders" (p 102). Already; the entire of North Africa; which had once been solidly Christian; had fallen to Muslim armies.Stark asks us to "Compare Shakespeare's tragedies with those of the ancient Greeks" (p 119) For example; Oedipus is at the mercy of a blind; unfeeling fate. The ancient gods were without virtue; they were petty; vengeful; and vain.But Christianity imbued western culture with a belief in conscience. "It created a tendency for people not to be resigned to things as they are but rather to attempt to make the situation better" (119). It also meant an absolute truth existed; and could be rationally sought.Christianity pushed society to abolish slavery; that economic pillar of the ancient world. Even though the west had inherited a civilization from ancient Rome that was based on slavery; by the end of the eighth century Charlemagne opposed slavery; as did the pope. Within a century it was generally agreed upon Christian principle that slavery was against divine law.Although Max Weber claimed Protestantism invented capitalism; Stark points out that; rather; "The rise of capitalism in Europe proceeded the Reformation by centuries" (p 129).The key to western civilization was the belief in the rationality of God. During the Middle Ages; the church created universities; and paid for priests to take classes. "The first university was founded in... 1088" (p 163). "By 1200...the University of Paris...had 2;550 to 5;000 students" (p 166).One result was science - long before the Enlightenment. "Just as...eighteenth-century philosophers invented...the 'Dark Ages' to discredit Christianity; they labeled their own era the 'Enlightenment' on grounds that religious darkness had finally been dispelled by secular humanism" (p 309).I loved how Stark acidly noted how not even one of these 'Enlightened' men; such as Voltaire; had anything to do with science. No; the people who were "scientific stars were members of the clergy; nine of them Roman Catholics" (p 309).You really need this book! Stark is a marvelous writer; brisk and fun to read. But it is his ideas which are important. He argues brilliantly; and persuasively; that western civilization; so maligned in our current culture; is worthy of regard.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Stark Does it AgainBy J Mo 21Stark once again attempts to set the record straight with regard to Europe and its colonies. He jousts with multiple opposing historians per chapter and is persuasively able to sustain nearly all of his points with the relevant and often neglected evidences. Stark seems most comfortable asserting the common sense but politically incorrect idea that not all cultures and societies are equal and then explicating what were the primary difference makers instead of running to self-flagellating; xenophilic progressive tropes. Relentlessly honest and willing to dig into uncomfortable data that has been systematically ignored or edited out; How the West was Won is a must read for anyone who wants the neglected other half of first world history that isn't the common; simplistic; myopic exploitation "explanation" alone.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Must Read BookBy CustomerA must read book. Well researched and documented as well as well written. Stark takes on many 'modern myths' and 'accepted beliefs' and dashes them against facts.A very enlightening book.
