Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is and Lucky 666 return with an unforgettable and perhaps the most underappreciated chapter in American history--the inspiring, page-turning account of Valley Forge, the Continental Army winter camp where George Washington turned the tide of the American Revolution. On December 19, 1777, some twelve thousand members of America's nascent Continental Army staggered into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, a small encampment twenty-three miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force was reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of the King George III's army, and barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, was at the lowest ebb of his military career. With the Continental Congress in exile and its treasury depleted, the American Revolution appeared lost.
As the days and weeks passed, however, Washington embarked on a mission to transform his troops from a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force. Keeping a wary eye out for a British attack, he was aided by a trio of home-grown generals as well as a young coterie of American advisors and foreign volunteers led by Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Within six months Washington had achieved his miracle.
Valley Forge is the riveting true story of an underdog United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents--and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation--the New York Times bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin provide a breathtaking account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence.
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is return with "a thorough, nuanced, and enthralling account" (The Wall Street Journal) about one of the most inspiring--and underappreciated--chapters in American history: the Continental Army's six-month transformation in Valley Forge. In December 1777, some 12,000 members of America's Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment near British-occupied Philadelphia. Their commander in chief, George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. Yet, somehow, Washington, with a dedicated coterie of advisers, sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever.
Valley Forge is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred. Bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin show us how this miracle was accomplished despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements. At the center of it all is George Washington as he fends off pernicious political conspiracies. The Valley Forge winter is his--and the revolution's--last chance at redemption. And after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House.
Valley Forge is the riveting true story of a nascent United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents--and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation--Drury and Clavin provide a "gripping, panoramic account" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) of the definitive account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence.