General George Washington: A Military Life

by Edward G. Lengel

Book Overview

Much has been written in the past two centuries about George Washington the statesman and "father of his country." Less often discussed is Washington's military career, including his exploits as a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400060818
• ISBN13: 9781400060818
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 450 Pages
• Weight: 1.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.7" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

The best work on Washington the soldier...

Edward G. Lengel's book on George Washington was one of the best I have ever read-and I have read many books on Washington. This one was my favorite, because it focuses on Washington's military career and that is the part of Washington's life I love studying most. This book was very well written and it analized Washington's military campaigns and battles like no other book I've read on him Lengel focuses clearly on Washington's early career as a soldier. He doesn't devote that much time to Washington's childhood-which I though was very well handled. Instead he brought the camera into Washington's entrance onto the military stage in 1753-1758. The years well documented, Washington was always in the forefront, and his military education was clearly explored. Great start. The author then makes reverances to Washington's years of peace from 1759-1775. It was fun to she the great man spending time building his home, spending time with his family, and being involved in the poltics of Colonial Virginia. and then are the years of 1775-1783, the defineing years of the general's career and life. The battles of New York, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Yorktown were always descriptive and fun to read. I recommend this book to anyone really intersted in Washington's career as a soldier and the first great American warrior-hero. A well writtwn biography on the greatest American who ever lived.

The generalship of George Washington

In General George Washington: A Military Life, author Edward Lengel does an admirable job of revealing through his biographical focus on Washington not just the development and achievements of Washington the general but also the wider events that affected America from the time of the French and Indian War through to the end of the eighteenth century. As a casual reader, I find this biographical approach to history much more enjoyable than detailed accounts of campaign after campaign where the individual personalities are never sufficiently developed. Lengel's General Washington is virtuous, personally brave, a tireless quartermaster, a meticulous administrator and reformer, a polished diplomat, an unerring positive example to his troops and possesses no small amount of personal charisma. What he is not, is a brilliant battlefield general. Fortunately for Washington and his nascent country, his positive qualities overcome this deficiency. He is often careless of terrain and does not perform sufficient reconnaissance. In two specific examples, at Long Island and at Brandywine, he leaves one of his flanks "in the air," and on both occasions the British General William Howe takes advantage by marching around the vulnerable end of Washington's line. Also on both occasions, Washington benefits from Howe's reluctance to vigorously pursue the withdrawing Americans. Although finding numerous faults with Washington's generalship, Lengel concludes that Washington was indeed the indispensable leader, without whom there would have been no United States of America.

General George Washington is a superb military history!

Bravo Dr. Edward Lenge! This book is a fascinating account of the military career of the Father of our Country! George Washington (1732-1799) was the first US President; a planter at Mt. Vernon and is solidly planted as the indispensable man during the American Revolution. Without Washington's grit and daring, perseverance and leadership there is a real possibility that the American experiment would have died an early death. Washington with a band of rag-tag, often hungry and ill-trained troops defeated the greatest military machine in the eighteeth century in the shape of the British regulars led by General William Howe. 1776 saw Washington victorious in Boston recapturing the city for the patriot cause. 1777 was a bitter year which began brightly with victories at Trenton and Princeton only to founder in the defeats suffered at Brandywine Creek and Germantown. The harsh winter of Valley Forge in late 1777-1778 led to a reformulation of the army which pressed ahead to victory over Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. All of the major battles led by Washington are chronicled in depth from Boston to Monmouth to final victory. Washington had great flaws as a military man; he was sometimes indecisive; overly bold; poor in topographical placing of troops and could be harsh. Nevertheless, it was because of his inimitable courage and grit which led the army to victory over loyalists, a hard to work with Congress and the mighty British army . The American Revolution was hardfought, bloody and our freedom was bathed in the blood of brave men and women. This story needs to be told. Lengel's book begins with Washington's career in the French and Indian War which culminated in Braddock's defeat; covers the years from 1759-1776 when his acquisition of land, slaves and the formation of the Virginia Regiment won him colonial fame to the culminating crown of his career; victory in the War of Independence. Washington was a great man who accomplished much with what he had to work with in men, materials and his strong willpower never allowing him to quit in tough situations. Lengel's book is well illustrated with helpful maps and an impressive bibliography of first person accounts and letters and correspondence from Washington's fertile pen. This is one of the best books I have ever read on Washington's military career. Well done!

Indispensable Biography of America's Indispensable Man

This is a masterful and engaging account of how an untrained impetuous youth turned his ambition for military glory into a life-long quest for the public good - and in the process became one of the greatest military heroes of world history. Based extensively on primary sources - especially Washington's own correspondence, two-thirds of which cover the period of the Revolutionary War - this factual and well-written book tells the dramatic story of how Washington, despite his weaknesses and mistakes and losses of battles, organized from volunteers and conscripts a professional army that wrestled victory away from the most powerful and experienced army in the world. Even the title itself is revealing - A Military Life - for both Washington and his contemporaries considered Washington primarily as a military commander, despite his political and other services to his country. Must reading not only for military enthusiasts but for anyone interested Washington or the history of America.

Excellent-- a book to buy, not just borrow

This is a wonderful book. The book starts with Washington's involvement in the French and Indian War, continues on through the American Revolution, into his Presidency and even after his "retirement." As the book title states, this book is about Washington's military life, and the book sticks to that subject. For those who have little knowledge of Washington's military life, this book would be an excellent book to read. Many people know of Yorktown, and Valley Forge, and the Battle of Trenton (the crossing of the Delaware), but may have never heard of Washington's exploits before the American Revolution in the French and Indian War when he fought for the British. This book covers that portion of his life and well as his military career after the American Revolution. There are, of course, entire books written on any single event covered in this book. For instance, one could find many full length books on just the subject of Yorktown, or Valley Forge or the Crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton or George's involvement in the French and Indian War or the Whisky Rebellion. The strength of this book is while it doesn't cover any one event in as much detail, it does covers them all. And for those who have read much on Washington's military career, this is still a good book. It puts in order all the different battles and dramas of Washington's military life to show how each affected the others. Besides, the book is simply an enjoyable book to read--it is well written and entertaining. Along the way, the author offers logical opinions of Washington's strengths and weaknesses, and while I didn't agree with all of these opinions, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book in any way. While I have read many excellent books on subjects and events covered in this one, this book was a good read to me just because it put everything in Washington's career back into chronological order--a thing than can be disrupted when reading many separate books on various parts of Washington's life. So whether one is a newcomer to the subject of Washington or well read on the subject, I don't think anyone will be disappointed to use his or her time reading this book. For a book that attempts to cover the entirety of Washington's military life, this is one of the best I have read.