This Glorious Struggle: George Washington's Revolutionary War Letters
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
George Washington wrote an astonishing number of letters, both personal and professional. The majority—about 140,000 documents—are from his years as commander in chief during the Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783. This Glorious Struggle presents a selection of Washington's most important and interesting letters from that time, including many that have never been published.
Washington's lively and often surprisingly candid notes to his wife and family, friends, Congress, fellow soldiers—and even the enemy—chronicle his most critical tactical and strategic decisions, while offering a rare glimpse of the extremes of depression and exultation into which he was cast by the fortunes of war. The letters are arranged chronologically and give a dramatic sense of the major phases of the war, from Boston, Trenton, and Valley Forge, to Monmouth and Yorktown.
The more personal missives show us a Washington who worried about his wife's well-being and who appreciated a good joke and a well-laid table, not to mention the company of the ladies.
This Glorious Struggle brings Washington to vivid life, offering a fresh and intimate sense of this most towering American figure and the critical role he played in the creation of our country.
Edward G. Lengel
Edward G. Lengel is an associate professor of history at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several books on military history, including General George Washington: A Military Life. A recipient, with the Papers of George Washington documentary editing project, of the National Humanities Medal, he has made frequent appearances on television documentaries and was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize.
Read more from Edward G. Lengel
To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 The Epic Battle That Ended the First World War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inventing George Washington: America's Founder, in Myth & Memory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Glorious Struggle: George Washington's Revolutionary War Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to This Glorious Struggle
Related ebooks
The Sword of Lincoln: The Army of the Potomac Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe War Before Independence: 1775-1776 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shiloh, 1862 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War (Civil War Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"A Few Bloody Noses": The Realities and Mythologies of the American Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Army Doctor's American Revolution Journal, 1775–1783 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wisconsin at Antietam: The Badger State’s Sacrifice on America’s Bloodiest Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJohn Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road to Valley Forge: How Washington Built the Army that Won the Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51781: The Decisive Year of the Revolutionary War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Philadelphia Campaign: Brandywine and the Fall of Philadelphia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gettysburg Rebels: Five Native Sons Who Came Home to Fight as Confederate Soldiers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Rode with Stonewall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle of Hubbardton: The Rear Guard Action that Saved America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Destructive War: The British Campaign in the Carolinas, 1780-1782 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5River of Death--The Chickamauga Campaign: Volume 1: The Fall of Chattanooga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Failure Of British Strategy During The Southern Campaign Of The American Revolutionary War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of Bennington: Soldiers & Civilians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShips of Oak, Guns of Iron: The War of 1812 and the Forging of the American Navy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrue for the Cause of Liberty: The Second Spartan Regiment in the American Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsService With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers: Four Years with the Iron Brigade Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Beginning of the American Revolution April 19, 1775 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe First Battle for Petersburg: The Attack and Defense of the Cockade City, June 9, 1864 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nathanael Greene: A Biography of the American Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mosby's Rangers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Campaigning with Uncle Billy: The Civil War Memoirs of Sgt. Lyman S. Widney, 34Th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPursuit:: The Chase, Capture, Persecution & Surprising Release of Jefferson Davis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States History For You
A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51776 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Library Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the Guys Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln: A Nutty Story About Edwin Booth and Boston Corbett Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twelve Years a Slave (Illustrated) (Two Pence books) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifties Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The White Album: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for This Glorious Struggle
5 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One of the best ways to see the character of a person is to read their letters. I enjoyed reading this selection of George Washington's letters written from June 1775 to December 1783. Each letter, or sometimes groups of letters, are prefaced with a note from the editor to give the letter context within the events of the Revolutionary War and/or Washington's personal views. I was very grateful to these notes, as the writing style of the 18th Century is not always easily understood by modern audiences. (I am sad to include myself in that number.) Tone, especially that of flirtation or sarcasm, and sometimes even anger, are hard to pick out, as everything was written in a much more formal manner. However, I was able to see that Washington, while not being the greatest of military minds, had a keen sense of duty to his soldiers, a sense of responsibility that kept him moving forward through all opposition, which is pretty impressive, considering the odds stacked against him and the fact that he never wanted the position in the first place. He is also very careful with his speech and sensitive to the feelings and situations of others, and this was I think was was responsible for him keeping the rag-tag American Army together throughout the war. I'm glad I got the chance to have this inside look at a very modest, diligent, and remarkable man.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A collection of letters (not all, mind you) written by General George Washington during the Revolutionary years (1775-1783).There are only two letters to his wife Martha, both written in 1775 when Washington accepted the post of General. The rest were burned by Martha when Washington died in 1799. The rest are letters composed to members of congress (usually the President of the Continental Congress), friends, various family members, his generals and to a few citizens.Even included is a letter that may have not been written by Washington at all, but might be a forgery. Also included are his farewell to his army when they disbanded after news of the Treaty of Paris reached the Americans at the end of October 1783. The final letter included in this collection is Washington's resignation, read aloud to congress two days before Christmas 1783.Particularly interesting are Washington's views of what the American Revolution will mean to future generations and also his views of the future of this new country.Good read. Took a while to get through, not for lack of interest, but because reading letter after letter can get tedious after a while. Worth it in the end.