Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War

by Michael Kranish

Book Overview

When Thomas Jefferson wrote his epitaph, he listed as his accomplishments his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia statute of religious freedom, and his founding of the University of Virginia. He did not mention his presidency or that he was second governor of the state of Virginia, in the most trying hours of the Revolution. Dumas Malone, author of the epic six-volume biography, wrote that the events of this time explain...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195374622
• ISBN13: 9780195374629
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 9.2" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Telling of Jefferson's Challenging Hour as Governor During the Crucial Time of the Revolou

For anyone interested in Jefferson, this book fills a really fascinating, and usually under appreciated time, of Jefferson's stress time as governor of Virginia when the militia in Virginia were under equipped and man power was limited while the British invade Virginia. As noted by the author, Jefferson was criticized by members of the Virginia Assembly for being ill prepared to defend the Commonwealth during the British invasion that not only took Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, and Portsmouth but also almost captured the legislature and Jefferson himself in Charlottesville and Monticello respectively. Although Jefferson took time to get his family under way, he returns to Monticello to gather papers narrowly missing the British cavalry under Tarleton. The author provides a brief early history and his association with Patrick Henry, who after the war becomes a life long nemesis. The author not only provides an excellent profile of Virginia during the war, the early heroics of Virginians chasing Lord Dunmore early on during the separation from Briton but also captures the burning of Norfolk by patriots to keep it out o British hands, detailing the weariness the wars effects had on the population, crippling the militia and supplies. In addition, of course, Benedict Arnold is a major part of the book as his greatest achievements as a British Officer is his time in VA. where he successfully travels up the James almost uncontested to Richmond opening the door for greater risk taking by the British leading to Cornwallis' arrival and command. Of note is Jefferson's fear that a governor could have too much executive power and assisted in limiting a post Britain governor's power that ironically haunts him as governor during the war. His inability to be a strong executive exercising wartime powers is fascinating due to his own self-limitations but good intentions. Troubled by militia that was disbanding in many areas, lacking weapons, attempting to provide men to the Continental Army, lacking strong navy, Indian problems with the British coming and going virtually unchallenged was beyond any governor's ability. One has to wonder if a charismatic leader such as Patrick Henry could do better in time of crisis. The other part of the controversy was Jefferson ending his term at the high point of the British invasion, distracted by family needs. This opened the challenge to his abilities as governor that never completely healed. Adding to the depth of the Virginia story is the arrival of Lafayette, who was preceded by General Von Steuben. One criticism, much is made of the once modest friendship between Jefferson and Henry that turns bitter after accusation of Jefferson's conduct during the war; yet there is little mention of Henry during Jefferson's tenure as governor. That one fascinating detail seems left out particularly since Henry had the ability to rally men to a cause; however, limited in leading it. Thus, one has to wonder why Jefferson never called o

Excellent treatment of one of the most controversial aspects of Jefferson's public career.

Today people are convinced that politicians all trail a cloud of scandal, and today people are starting to see the founding fathers that way, too, in particular Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was often beset by controversy, but the most enduring controversy in his public career during his lifetime had nothing to do with slavery or with Sally Hemings. It had to do with his service as governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, two of the most difficult years of the American Revolutionary War. As his second term was ending, the British invaded Virginia, sought to capture the state's government and its governor, and nearly succeeded. Did Jefferson show cowardice? Was he woefully inadequate to the job? Did he deserve the Virginia legislature's vote to hold an inquiry into his conduct -- or the shame-faced resolution of thanks that they later adopted instead of holding the inquiry? Michael Kranish illuminates this turbulent and painful episode in FLIGHT FROM MONTICELLO, a well-written, solidly-researched, and thoughtful assessment of Jefferson's role in the coming the Revolution, his evolving political career, his attempts to balance his duty to his country with his duty to his family (in particular, his wife Martha, whose frequent pregnancies sapped her fragile health), and hsi struggles to stand by his political principles when increasingly some of them came to conflict with strategic and tactical reality. Kranish ably reminds us just how difficult it was in the late eighteenth century to fight a war with unreliable intelligence, inadequate sources of information, and a constitution that gave the governor a great deal of responsibility with pitifully little power to carry those responsibilities out. As a veteran political journalist, Kranish has all the skills -- research, synthesis, and writing -- to produce an exemplary work of popular history that will satisfy scholars, and he has done so. In sum, Kranish acquits Jefferson of the charge of cowardice but takes him to task for his idealism (which led him ot place greater reliance on the spontaneous uprising of the militia and the Virginia citizenry than his own knowledge and experience would have warranted), his occasional hesitancy to decide, and his optimism (which regularly led him to view events as being in a better state than they actually were). Kranish notes that Jefferson was far better at dealing with the conceptual level of politics than with the challenges of administration in a time of crisis. My own study of the man -- THOMAS JEFFERSON [Oxford U. Press, 2003] -- substantiates that view as well. Jefferson was at his best when he was able to shape events; he was far less effective when he had to respond to rapidly-moving events beyond his power to control. All told, a valuable book, both entertaining and enlightening.

Very Interesting

You will find out new things about our founding Father that you didn't know. Jefferson is probably one of the most examined figures in American History but Kranish manages to cover a part of his career that is oft left dark and ignored and illuminate it with an eye toward the truth of the man. Very satisfying to both the historian and the dramatist in me. I do not believ you will regret the purchase.

Thomas Jefferson At War

"Flight from Monticello," by journalist Michael Kranish, is a narrative history of the worst year of Thomas Jefferson's life: 1781, his last year as governor of Virginia, when a British invasion forced the government of Virginia to relocate from Richmond to Charlottesville, and nearly resulted in the capture of Jefferson himself. Jefferson never lived it down, and even at the end of his life was still concerned to defend his gubernatorial conduct against charges of incompetence and even of personal cowardice. Jefferson's governorship occupies the last 200 pages of Kranish's book; the first 100 pages recount Jefferson's history from his student days in Williamsburg through the Revolution, as background to understanding the events of 1781. Kranish adopts an objective tone throughout; rather than personally assigning blame or praise, he mostly lets Jefferson and his contemporaries speak for themselves. Kranish's own opinion acknowledges Jefferson's faults as a war leader but allows for extenuating circumstances. For example, when writing about the British invasion of Richmond (pp. 256-257), Kranish says: "Jefferson, who later would be accused by enemies of cowardice during the invasion, in fact remained in Richmond even as many other government leaders refused to show up... Whether the complaint [that Jefferson was a weak governor] had merit or not, the failure in Virginia went beyond Jefferson's lack of authority; legislators, councilors, and thousands of draft resisters shared the blame." "Flight from Monticello" is more than the story of Thomas Jefferson's governorship; Kranish provides much collateral information about the Revolutionary War in Virginia, the situation of Blacks, the economics of war, and a parade of personalities that includes such notables as Benjamin Harrison, Patrick Henry, the Marquis de Lafayette, Benedict Arnold, and Lord Cornwallis. We see Lafayette gallantly refusing to allow his sharpshooters to assassinate Benedict Arnold, and the same Benedict Arnold then distinguishing himself in action as a British general. The book's thoroughness, objectivity, and insight, and the American people's lasting interest in Thomas Jefferson the man, make "Flight from Monticello" a book that every Revolutionary War buff will want to own.

A Story Worth Telling

Everybody knows how Thomas Jefferson turned out, but how did he get to be the man in the famous JFK line? At a White House dinner of Nobel Laureates, JFK stated "This is the greatest collection of intellect at the White House since Thomas Jefferson dined here alone." Everyone also knows about the Jefferson of the Declaration and the Jefferson of the White House, but what about the Jefferson of the Virginia Statehouse? This is the story that Michael Kranish tells in "Flight from Monticello," and it's a story worth telling and story worth reading. And what a story it is, told by an up-and-coming master storyteller in a fluid, focused and entertaining style. His primary-source research is evident in the details and nuances of his prose. So sit down and have a good read and discover the man you've studied your whole life. It's a great popular history that isn't too popular for the serious reader. If you liked David McCullough's 1776 or David Liss' The Whiskey Rebels: A Novel you'll love "Flight from Monticello."