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The Resource Valiant ambition : George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution, Nathaniel Philbrick

Valiant ambition : George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution, Nathaniel Philbrick

Creator
Author
Summary
In the summer of 1776, Washington's army in Brooklyn and New York City faced one of the largest invading forces ever assembled by the British Empire. After suffering a series of devastating defeats, Washington's vulnerable and dejected troops were forced to evacuate the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Three weeks later, however, near the Canadian border, one of his favorite and most talented generals accomplished a tactical miracle by stalling the British advance in a viciously fought naval battle on Lake Champlain. An American defeat would have effectively ended the war, and it was Benedict Arnold who saved his young country from ruin. Moving beyond the storied victories at Trenton and Princeton and the ordeal of the Continental army at Valley Forge, Philbrick shows how the injuries Arnold suffered at the Battle of Saratoga set Washington's greatest fighting general on the road to treason. Arnold was an impulsive but sympathetic hero whose misfortunes at the hands of self-serving politicians undermined his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. By 1780, he had fled to the enemy after his failed attempt to surrender the American fortress at West Point to the British. During the same period, Washington came to embrace the full scope of leadership. The book tracks the messy collision of military and political goals and shows how the deep divisions among the American people posed a greater threat to their cause than the British army. In a new country wary of tyrants, Washington's unmatched ability to rise above the petty politics of his time enabled him to recognize the war that really mattered. In his treason, Arnold may actually have saved America. By intertwining the stories of Washington and Arnold, Philbrick reveals the dark path America traveled during its revolution. This is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xix, 427 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates
Contents
  • Preface: The fault line
  • Part I: The wilderness of untried things. Demons of fear and disorder ; The mosquito fleet ; A cabinet of fortitude ; The year of the hangman ; The dark eagle ; Saratoga
  • Part II: Secret motives and designs. The bite of a rattlesnake ; The knight of the burning mountain ; Unmerciful fangs ; The chasm ; The pangs of a dying man ; The crash ; No time for remorse
  • Epilogue: A nation of traitors
Isbn
9780525426783
Instance
Label
Valiant ambition : George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution
Title
Valiant ambition
Title remainder
George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution
Statement of responsibility
Nathaniel Philbrick
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
In the summer of 1776, Washington's army in Brooklyn and New York City faced one of the largest invading forces ever assembled by the British Empire. After suffering a series of devastating defeats, Washington's vulnerable and dejected troops were forced to evacuate the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Three weeks later, however, near the Canadian border, one of his favorite and most talented generals accomplished a tactical miracle by stalling the British advance in a viciously fought naval battle on Lake Champlain. An American defeat would have effectively ended the war, and it was Benedict Arnold who saved his young country from ruin. Moving beyond the storied victories at Trenton and Princeton and the ordeal of the Continental army at Valley Forge, Philbrick shows how the injuries Arnold suffered at the Battle of Saratoga set Washington's greatest fighting general on the road to treason. Arnold was an impulsive but sympathetic hero whose misfortunes at the hands of self-serving politicians undermined his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. By 1780, he had fled to the enemy after his failed attempt to surrender the American fortress at West Point to the British. During the same period, Washington came to embrace the full scope of leadership. The book tracks the messy collision of military and political goals and shows how the deep divisions among the American people posed a greater threat to their cause than the British army. In a new country wary of tyrants, Washington's unmatched ability to rise above the petty politics of his time enabled him to recognize the war that really mattered. In his treason, Arnold may actually have saved America. By intertwining the stories of Washington and Arnold, Philbrick reveals the dark path America traveled during its revolution. This is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation
Summary
The National Book Award-winning author of In the Heart of the Sea presents an account of the complicated middle years of the American Revolution that shares lesser-known insights into the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold
Writing style
Award
ALA Notable Book, 2017.
Biography type
collective biography
http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI
10488860
Cataloging source
AZZPT
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Philbrick, Nathaniel,
Dewey number
  • 973.3/82092
  • B
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • maps
  • portraits
  • plates
Index
index present
LC call number
  • E206
  • E312.25
LC item number
  • .P48 2016b
  • .P45 2016
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Washington, George
  • Arnold, Benedict
  • United States
  • United States
  • Generals
  • Traitors
  • Arnold, Benedict
  • Washington, George
  • United States
  • American Revolution (1775-1783)
  • Generals
  • United States
Target audience
adult
http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/titleRemainder
George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution
Label
Valiant ambition : George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution, Nathaniel Philbrick
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-403) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Preface: The fault line -- Part I: The wilderness of untried things. Demons of fear and disorder ; The mosquito fleet ; A cabinet of fortitude ; The year of the hangman ; The dark eagle ; Saratoga -- Part II: Secret motives and designs. The bite of a rattlesnake ; The knight of the burning mountain ; Unmerciful fangs ; The chasm ; The pangs of a dying man ; The crash ; No time for remorse -- Epilogue: A nation of traitors
Control code
20635099
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xix, 427 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780525426783
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
Other physical details
illustrations, maps, portraits
System control number
(OCoLC)ocn933729300
Label
Valiant ambition : George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution, Nathaniel Philbrick
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-403) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Preface: The fault line -- Part I: The wilderness of untried things. Demons of fear and disorder ; The mosquito fleet ; A cabinet of fortitude ; The year of the hangman ; The dark eagle ; Saratoga -- Part II: Secret motives and designs. The bite of a rattlesnake ; The knight of the burning mountain ; Unmerciful fangs ; The chasm ; The pangs of a dying man ; The crash ; No time for remorse -- Epilogue: A nation of traitors
Control code
20635099
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xix, 427 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780525426783
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
Other physical details
illustrations, maps, portraits
System control number
(OCoLC)ocn933729300

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Genre

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