After two years of defeats and reverses; 1778 had been a year of success for George Washington and the Continental Army. France had entered the war as the ally of the United States; the British had evacuated Philadelphia; and the redcoats had been fought to a standstill at the Battle of Monmouth. While the combined French-American effort to capture Newport was unsuccessful; it lead to intelligence from British-held New York that indicated a massive troop movement was imminent. British officers were selling their horses and laying in supplies for their men. Scores of empty naval transports were arriving in the city. British commissioners from London were offering peace; granting a redress of every grievance expressed in 1775. Spies repeatedly reported conversations of officers talking of leaving. To George Washington; and many others; it appeared the British would evacuate New York City; and the Revolutionary War might be nearing a successful conclusion. Then; on September 23; 1778; six thousand British troops erupted into neighboring Bergen County; New Jersey; followed the next day by three thousand others surging northward into Westchester County; New York. Washington now faced a British Army stronger than Burgoyne’s at Saratoga the previous year. What; in the face of all intelligence to the contrary; had changed with the British? Through period letters; reports; newspapers; journals; pension applications; and other manuscripts from archives in the United States; Canada; United Kingdom; and Germany; the complete picture of Britain’s last great push around New York City can now be told. The strategic situation of Britain’s tenuous hold in America is intermixed with the tactical views of the soldiers in the field and the local inhabitants; who only saw events through their narrow vantage points. This is the first publication to properly narrate the events of this period as one campaign. Grand Forage 1778: The Battleground Around New York City by historian Todd W. Braisted explores the battles; skirmishes; and maneuvers that left George Washington and Sir Henry Clinton playing a deadly game of chess in the lower Hudson Valley as a prelude to the British invasion of the Southern colonies.
#542921 in Books 2006-12-28 2006-12-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.90 x 1.20 x 5.40l; .96 #File Name: 1592402704448 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The title says it best.By ironman96There was almost too much in this book for me to soak up. Part of me wonders whether I should have read the author's "Losing the Race" first. Regardless; this was a very informative and well thought out book. The author argues his main thesis very well--that a cultural shift (or the meme) in the black community is more significant in explaining the black community's ills rather than factors such as racism; segregation; tall public housing; flight of the black middle class; etc. This cultural shift occurred in the 1960s where it became possible and socially acceptable to live perpetually on welfare and at the same time to raise your fist against the system and "the Man." This is in contrast to previous black generations that worked to better themselves with the system and were relatively successful despite actual racism; segregation; etc.The only warning is to be prepared to reach for your Webster's Dictionary. There are plenty of big words--but you can expect that from a linguist professor and an academic.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. great readBy SakamokoMcWhorter did a fantastic job. He is a scholar and intellectual black man who says the things many people dare not. He is brilliant and his work is great. It shows the incredible amount of self sabotage that is rampant in the black community.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Ideas worth understanding and sharing; buried in prose that's a chore to readBy Ellen V.John McWhorter has an interesting and refreshing take on race in America. His perspective is very much worth absorbing. However; the book would have profited greatly from robust editing to achieve a clearer exposition of his ideas. Whorter's prose is sadly redundant and larded with tired clichés; that makes it a chore to read. It's a shame; because this is relevant; important stuff!
