Patriot George Washington Chapter Summaries

The book starts out with an account of the British troops leaving Boston Harbor in March of 1776. The people of America were celebrating George Washington and what they thought was the end of the war. Washington wasn’t so convinced. He alludes to many difficulties that he “was obliged to conceal then from my friends, indeed from my own Army.” We are then given an account of Washington as a boy and young man growing up in Virginia. There he grew up amongst gentlemen that held a code of honor and courage. Washington is also told to be a man of great strength and stamina. He lived amongst these gentlemen and learned and abided by the ideal that a hierarchy existed amongst men and when dealing with inferiors to “keep them at a distance”
while still treating them civilly. Washington had trouble adapting to the style of those outside of his circle in Virginia. The differences between his style and that of the militias in New England are brought up multiple times. Washington understood though that most of his Army was going to come from New England and so begrudgingly accepted and compromised with them. The story then delves into the diversity of the units that made up the American rebel army. Descriptions of the various units show that there was a broad expanse of peoples that weren’t all fighting for the same type of liberty that the others were, but were willing to fight none the less. Next, the British return in late June to America after recharging and reloading. They sail into harbor of New York and prepare to come ashore. The British unload nearly 25,000 troops and such over the next several weeks. 2/3 of the Royal Navy are patrolling the coasts as well in a display of a large majority of the British military in the colonies.
The book continues by talking about the British Army and its size, strength, and innovations during this time period. Light infantry and cavalry were being revolutionized by Generals Gage and Howe. The various troop types, their strengths and battle tested soldiers give a grim outlook for the ragtag soldiers of the Colonial Army that were spoken of earlier.
Hessian soldiers, mercenaries from the German states, were hired by the British to help fight the war in America. Hiring mercenaries was a typical practice and the Hessian soldiers were considered the best in the world. There are accounts and short bios of each of the Hessian officers given as well as a telling of how the Jaegers become the Green Berets. It continues by delving into the Howe brothers of England and their role in Revolution. The two brothers, Admiral Lord Richard Howe and General William Howe, were military reformers and innovators. They were sympathetic to the Americans and the ideology of liberty but they were always loyal to their King. Both brothers made attempts to negotiate between the Americans and Parliament as both brothers held seats in Parliament.
The Howe’s open a discussion on the strategy of how to fight war against the rebels and the Howe’s listen to and take what they consider the best parts of the strategy to form their plans. The American strategy was constantly failing as intelligence of the enemy’s movements and inner workings was very hard to come by for General Washington. This resulted in the British easily taking Long Island, New York City and Manhattan. But American troops were good at escaping with only minimal losses.
It was difficult for the British and Hessians to see the Americans as anything more than farmers and tradesmen carrying guns. They were incompetent amateurs in the eyes of the professional soldiers of Europe. The British and the Hessians were not taking prisoners and were commended by some of their officers, but the Howes wanted minimal casualties on both sides and so ordered this practice to cease.
Cornwallis, who some thought was the most brilliant mind in the British army, leads the Royal Army into New Jersey. They chase down the Americans on many occasions but despite the Hessians wanting to charge down the Americans and end the war quickly, Cornwallis sticks to his orders and doesn’t openly engage the rebel troops. The Americans are allowed to retreat with the British Army following them along and controlling the abandoned territory.
As December sets in the American resolve begins to fracture, but Washington won’t be swayed. The Americans are pushed back across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Washington has his troops gather up every boat along the Delaware for 40 miles in an attempt to keep the British and Hessians from crossing the river. The European army controls New Jersey, and through a swift action they also take control of Rhode Island.
The American Army continues to shrink and Thomas Paine, who wasn’t just fighting for his own rights but those of every man, writes American Crisis. The American rebels were the most literate Army perhaps in the world at this time and this pamphlet circulates quickly and immediately raises morale and gets men to enlist for the cause. General Washington is also granted new powers, as Congress realizes that their leadership is ineffectual when it comes to dealing with the troops. The resurgence begins.
Horatio Gates and Charles Lee were brigadiers in the American forces and hardly agreed with Washington and his tactics. Between the three American Generals they controlled a force larger than the British and Hessian Army, but they were scattered across the expanse of America. Gates and Lee tended to ignore the wishes of their superior Washington and so the war dragged on.
After American Crisis, Congress sanctions America’s “New Army” and calls for 88 infantry battalions. Men from across the country were signing up to fight for their freedom. One of the things that Washington comes to realize is that gentlemen are not the only leaders of men. A new system of promotion comes into effect allowing “rapid promotion of officers of middle rank.” Henry Knox is an artillery commander under Washington and helps to in innovating not only new types of artillery but new methods as well.
In the winter of 1776-77 there wasn’t a shortage of munitions. Powder, musket and cannon balls, guns and cannon were all available. It was clothes, blankets, shoes and stockings that were really hard to come by.
The Royal Navy was blockading the American ports. American Privateers and other merchants were doing their best to break the blockade and get much needed supplies to the soldiers fighting for liberty. Many were successful and with the capture of the Lexington and all its necessary supplies there was an influx at exactly the right time to the American troops.
General Howe thought that the war was virtually over after the Americans had been split up in New Jersey. He and his brother Richard enacted a policy that came under scrutiny from those in England and those fighting on the side of England. They allowed all those that wanted to return to the Crown and declare their loyalty to have amnesty. The Howes figured that this would not only help to further divide the Americans but it would also provide them with needed intelligence by turning the Loyalists completely to their side.
There were many accounts of people that either supported or resisted the occupation of New Jersey. Philip Van Horne and his family did both. They made friends with officers, loyalists, Whigs and did favors for both sides. There are also accounts of Stacy Potts and Abraham Hunt, two others that seemed to be able to ride the fence.
The policy of amnesty became abused. The British army enacted a policy of “foraging” and were using the Tories in the area to help keep up stores of food for troops and animals. The troops were supposed to pay for or leave note with the loyalists that were supplying them. But only in a few instances did this seem to happen. Most items were just taken from farmers and such. This plundering began to cause rifts amongst loyalists and against the British and Hessian armies. The Hessians were taking anything that wasn’t nailed down and loading it on wagons. This was their long standing policy. The British took it way further than that and were not only plundering for food and goods, but were raping any woman of any age that they could find. This incensed the Americans, especially as reports came out that British officers were involved as often as not.
American citizens began to take up arms in a most unusual fashion against the British and Hessian soldiers. They would covertly hide weapons, wait for small groups or individuals to be within distance, and pull out their guns and kill them. This guerilla style warfare was unheard of and immediately condemned by General Howe. Howe declared these types of killings as punishable by death.
The book brings up the difficulty of communication for the British and their allies in fight against the rebels. The British, Irish and Scots tended to speak only English and dialects thereof, whilst the Hessians spoke mostly German and some French. It was difficult for the two to communicate their ideas and plans back and forth to each other as both sides typically spoke only broken versions of the other’s language.
General Howe has the armies span out across New Jersey to try to cover as many bases as possible. It quickly becomes difficult as the amount of troops compared to the size of the area that they are trying to cover is very vast and unfamiliar to them. A large contingent of British and Hessians move into Trenton and try to figure out their next step against the Americans. The Hessian commanders quarrel about what to do and Colonel Rall refuses to fortify the town as it is too open and cannot be done efficiently.
General Washington has his troops camped on the other side of the Delaware River from Trenton. He begins to gather as much information and intelligence as possible. After doing so Washington decides that he needs to bring the whole of his army together in Pennsylvania. Many militias were forming in New Jersey at this time as well because disdain for the British and Hessian treatment of the people was angering. There were many distraught Americans, Tories and Whigs alike, that took up arms to help Washington and the revolution.
The British and the Hessians didn’t like each other very much either. The British were trying to keep from killing every American so that when they won the war it would be easier for things to get back to normal and for Americans to begin paying taxes and purchasing goods again. The Hessians found this to be silly and wanted to get the war over with and would kill anything that stood in their way. This difference in values caused much infighting and disdain for each other. A splintering happened between these two during the occupation of New Jersey and gave the Americans a fighting chance against this technologically and tactically superior force.
Washington’s troops were downtrodden and freezing. Many had died, not of battle, but of exposure, fever and distemper. Even so when their marching orders came on Christmas day their spirits were raised. Washington and his lieutenants had spent a good many hours planning this raid, but despite all of the planning things quickly went awry. Troops were late to their river crossing assignments. Horatio Gates, instead of joining Washington, took his army and went to Baltimore again choosing to disobey his orders. Gates wanted to address Congress and try to overrule Washington with hopes of replacing him. The current of the Delaware River was stronger than usual and a horrible nor’easter was blowing hard on the troops. Ice flows that jammed up the banks made crossing the river into New Jersey almost impossible. This didn’t stop the Americans from working until they found a way. Most of the men got across the river and began their march towards Trenton.
The Americans attack in the early morning and gain the element of surprise. Colonel Rall is killed and eventually the Hessians are run out of Trenton. Nearly 500 Hessians escape but almost 1000 are killed. Only 2 or 3 Americans died during the battle, but many more died from exposure, sickness and malnutrition.
The colonial armies must decide what to do next.
Do they fight on, fortify or retreat back across the river? They chose to retreat and await the oncoming British army that would soon come to attack Trenton.
The spirits of the American people were again lifted as the news of victory at Trenton spread. They waning spirits were given a shot in the arm at the thought of defeating the invading army and winning their liberty. Army enlistment numbers begin to grow again.
After the defeat at Trenton a growing sense of blame started to make its way through the ranks of the British government and army. Everyone was looking to blame someone else for the turning of the tide towards the Americans. Many blamed the Hessians and an international debate about the use of mercenary soldiers was begun.
Cadwalader was an officer of the American forces that controlled some 1,800 troops. His troops had failed to get across the river in time to attack Trenton but after they had made it they began to run the Hessians back across the state of New Jersey. Cadwalader sent a letter to Washington stating his intentions. Washington saw this as an opportunity and after consulting his war council decided that the Colonial Army would march on New Jersey
again.
The second crossing of the Delaware River was even more difficult than the first and the army was further slowed by shortages of food. It had been difficult to muster the amount of rations needed for the men during this time of year. This was taking its toll on the troops and many were ready to go home.
Most of the troops were due to go home as of New Year’s Eve in 1776 and they were ready to do so. But this was a pivotal point in the war and Washington couldn’t allow that to happen. The troops were paid $10 each to stay an extra six weeks and continue fighting. Most took the payment and stayed.
Washington decides that the army will stay in Trenton and await the oncoming British and Hessian troops. He again calls for all of his troops to come Trenton and prepare for a large scale battle.
General Cornwallis of the British is to lead the troops against the Americans. He insists that a quick, strong strike up the middle of the American ranks is the best tactic. But the Americans split up and set an ambush on the road to try and prevent Cornwallis from reaching Trenton at full strength. The Americans are successful at gaining the drop on the British and Hessian forces, but don’t have enough fire power to keep them from getting to Trenton.
Washington’s plan was to abandon Trenton and move across the Assunpink Bridge to a very defensible position just on the other side of the creek. The British and the Hessians come charging through and are routed. The American artillery units are the biggest heroes of this battle. Heavy losses of British and Hessian soldiers force a retreat and a reevaluation of British tactics. The book gives many horrific descriptions of injuries and deaths on both sides.
Each leader is then painted against each other in the following passages of the book. Cornwallis is seen as the leader supreme of the British soldiery. His subordinates refer to him as “Lord” and his decisions are final. He does not ask opinions of his underlings, simply tells them the plan and how to execute it. Washington on the other hand is seen as a leader that relies heavily on including his Lieutenants and others in the decision making process. Washington doesn’t always use their ideas but is apt to listen and make them feel included. These differences affected both sides as British morale was failing under this oppressive style, while the Americans were flourishing by being treated as a part of a community. Cornwallis’ soldiers obeyed out of fear and duty, while Washington’s soldiers obeyed out of respect and strong tie to a man that was fighting alongside them.
Cornwallis saw a chink in the defense of the Americans that were holed up across the bridge. He planned to attack them on the flank after marching upstream to cross out of sight of the Americans. But Washington was ahead of him and decided to cause a diversion and sneak away with his troops in the dead of night to circle around behind the British and attack Princeton.
Washington and the rebels are successful in their attack on Princeton. The defeat of the British/Hessian army there causes another rift amongst the Empire’s controlling parties. Finger pointing begins again as the Americans had given the British another defeat on the field. Hessian and British morale sinks even lower and cracks in the British armor were becoming clearer.
While the British army refused to adapt and change their ways, the Americans were quick to try and figure out a new way to do things. Washington was down to about 2,500 soldiers after the taking of Princeton and many of his soldiers ending their enlistment. But the Jersey militia had been working in small “hunting” parties, if you will, and this was working well against the Royals. Picking off small groups and individuals was not only lessening the numbers of British and Hessian soldiers it was also deflating the British morale even more.
The leaders of the British army in New York, the Howes and others, were so out of touch with what was really happening on the fronts that they were throwing extravagant parties while their soldiers were starving in the field with little more than salted pork to eat. Cornwallis had to use his own monies to acquire food and clothing for the soldiery.
Americans became so effective at these guerilla style tactics the British could hardly forage for their own animals, much less themselves. The British eventually tried to bait the Americans into attacking their foraging parties, but were defeated by smaller numbers of Americans than they had ever lost to before.
Howe had been asking for as many as 20,000 soldiers to bolster his ranks in the Colonies. He had been rebuked several times and eventually was promised less than 8,000 men. This lack of support from the Mother Country was one of many factors that spelled defeat for the British in America.
Eventually Washington and the Colonial Army defeated Cornwallis and the Royals and peace was made at Yorktown. Cornwallis conceded and complimented George Washington during a dinner they had together which was a feat unto itself.

I must say that the portraits and other illustrations in this book increased my level of personal attachment to the story. Seeing the faces of nearly every person that was being spoken of, as they were being spoken of, was a fantastic touch. I know that you asked for a summary and the quotations but this was a point that I felt I couldn’t leave out.

Quote 1: “His brother officer John Armstrong wrote that he “maintains full possession of himself, is indefatigable by day and night.”
Indefatigable is not a word commonly used today. And the picture that is painted of Washington in this book is exactly that. He was unceasing in his efforts, never demanded anything out of his men that he would not do himself, and would always give every effort to maintain and win the liberty that he and his army were fighting for. There are many references to his strength and courage throughout this book, from riding beside his soldiers into battle, on horseback at the side of Assunpink Bridge ordering his soldiers on, tossing a metal rod further than any other man, and pulling his horse from a certain death by its mane after crossing the Delaware in a nor’easter. But the first part of the statement is the one that we see often, yet alters somewhat. Washington prided himself on being a stoic man, yet we read about him breaking down in tears at one point. This was very moving for those around him as they knew Washington to be a passionate man but always in control of his self. I think that despite the idea put forth in this quotation that the man himself was just that, a man. Better than most, but still a man. David Hackett Fisher does a superb job of showing us that through the progression of this story.
Quote #2: “The development of mobile artillery on a large scale was a shock to the Americans, and had a major impact on the campaigns that followed.” While it is true that the Americans were fresh faced and amateur soldiers that had taken up arms to fight for their “country”, I find that this statement it somewhat misleading, although still accurate. Let me explain. In the beginning of the fighting when the British landed on Long Island and sent barrage after barrage of cannon fire from their ships in the harbor and their cannon on the ground, the American troops had never been privy to such carnage and mass destruction.
There was a description of a six-pounder taking out several dozen men with one shot, although I don’t remember if that happened during this war or was just an aside to the amount of damage that one of these large guns could do, but I think it was the latter. Men ran and hid for their lives without firing a shot after being laid upon by the British
artillery. Where this statement is misleading is that in the end it was the British and Hessian cannons and their mobility that inspired Henry Knox. He not only innovated in his own tactics and designs but after the Hessian Army was run out of Trenton it was Knox and his troops that used Hessian and British cannons that were captured by the Americans to rout the overwhelming forces that were bearing down on them. The artillery did have a major impact on the campaigns that followed and Fischer ambiguously lets us think that it is the British that are going to make the most of the artillery. But in the end we find that it is the Americans that use the cannons to establish themselves and eventually defeat the invaders.
Quote #3: “the rebels get on apace, and knowing their advantages, in having the whole country, as it were, at their disposal, they will not readily be brought into a situation where the King’s troops can meet them upon equal terms.”
This is from a letter that General William Howe sent to London in the spring of 1776. His insight was very astute. This quote is in response to one of his commander’s strategies in fighting the war against the rebel army. Seeing as Howe was a brilliant tactician and an elected politician you would think that he would have had the forethought to see that the Americans were going to adapt to their situations and take full advantage of any situation that gave them the upper hand. But what we find instead is that despite thinking that the Americans would do their best to keep from letting the British use their superior numbers and technology against them on an even battlefield, Howe refused to alter his plan of keeping casualties to a minimum and allowing the Americans to retreat time and again. The foot soldiers all knew that letting them live to fight another day was only going to lead more people to their cause and lengthen the war. And by lengthening the war the British were giving the Americans more opportunity to win. And as we both know, the Americans were victorious.
Quote #4: “This was a literate army, and the American privates read Thomas Paine.”
It is one thing for someone to tell you a story or to read you a document. It is completely another thing for you to hold a document in your hand, read it to yourself, analyze it, read it again, etc. The ability for the American soldier, and citizen for that matter, to be able to read was an integral factor in the war. It allowed for this uplifting message to spread to the troops and the public very quickly, but it also meant that these men were educated, at least up to a point and an educated man can usually grasp difficult concepts and strategies better than an illiterate, uneducated one. Now I am sure that some of the men in the American Army were of this sort, but the majority had some, if not a lot, of education. If the mass of the Colonials had been uneducated they probably would not have been as apt to care about their own liberty. I myself have worked with some individuals that were not well educated and the overwhelming majority of them cared for very little outside of eating and watching TV. This might be a stretch of a comparison, but the point is that without being educated I don’t believe that Washington’s soldiery would have been as effective.
Quote #5: “But if every army plundered in New Jersey, they did not do so in the same way.”
As I brought up in my summary there were three different types of plundering going on by the three different armies. The Americans were stealing some food on a personal level. The Hessians would come into your house and take everything but the shirt off your back. Oh wait, they actually did that too. And the British were taking their plunder in the form of sexual assault on women of all ages. The reason that I chose this quote is that in the broader scope of things it was a factor that created a lot of disdain towards the invaders, especially the British. There were many Tories and Loyalists that tore up their amnesty agreements once they found out that the Redcoats were committing such heinous acts. The stories about this spread quickly and Jerseymen began to come out and ambush British soldiers in revenge. What for some was seen as a liberating and civilized force turned into a vicious and cruel attacker and added to the incentive to turn to the American side. These bands of Jerseymen would eventually inspire Washington to change his tactics and use the same style guerilla warfare that the Jerseymen had been so effective using. This was a large factor in Washington taking back New Jersey and turning the tide of the war.
Quote #6: “His garrisons were hard pressed to control a corridor of about 300 square miles. That area was less than 5% of New Jersey and a tiny fraction of the continent, and yet it stretched the resources of the British Army to the limit.” Mostly this quote says it all, but let me add some to it. The British had approximately 2/3 of its fighting force here in the United States. Not all of these soldiers were in New Jersey at this time, but a vast majority of them were. The whole of the colonies spanned from the tip of Florida all the way to Canada. The Royal Navy had a hard enough time keeping privateers and merchant ships out of New England, let alone covering the thousands of miles of coastland that are the East Coast. If England had won this war, I cannot foresee their rule lasting long at all because there was no way that they were going to be able to muster the forces necessary to have kept the American people down, twice. It would have been similar to the Union soldiers after the American Civil War that were garrisoned in the South to make sure that the new laws were upheld and so forth. There were some 30,000 troops to cover the whole of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Florida. Tennessee alone is over 42,000 square miles. It is asinine to think that so few could be responsible for so many and for the British to think that they would have been able to hold on to something so vast with such a small group was ridiculous. To use Dr. Daley’s favorite quote, it is easy to play Monday morning quarterback but I think that this quote is very telling.
Quote #7: “Some of the American infantry were so aggressive that they waded into the freezing creek ‘about mid-thigh’ to attack the Hessians.” Despite being hungry, wet, cold, bleeding, sick, and exhausted the resolute American soldiers were willing to keep pressing on no matter what barrier stood in front of them. This is a great example of what is known as the “American Spirit.” Fighting through overwhelming odds, tooth and nail, through any obstacle to get the job done, this was the spirit of the men that enlisted and fought for liberty. The American soldier was willing to put it all on the line to defeat their enemies and through doing so they broke the will of their opponents and gave to us all the freedoms that we have today.
Quote #8- “Since we had thus far underestimated our enemy, from this unhappy day onward we saw everything through a magnifying glass.” This is a quote from Hessian Captain Ewald sums up nicely the switch in attitude that happened after Washington took Trenton. No longer would the Hessians and British believe that these “rank amateurs” were going to roll over like dogs and beg for mercy. The Americans had accomplished what the professional soldiers had though impossible for a bunch of farmers, doctors and huntsmen; they had become a cohesive fighting unit that were as determined, or even more determined, to win as the European troops had been just a few days before. The Royal Army had been sure of their strength and ability to defeat the untrained soldiery, but their morale had been crushed by their defeat at Trenton and it was them that was ready to run home and lick their wounds.
Quote #9: “when I saw him brave all the dangers of the field and his important life hanging as it were by a single hair with a thousand deaths flying around him.” This is a quotation from a young Philadelphian soldier who witnessed Washington lead his men into battle during the assault on Princeton. Once again we get a personal example of Washington being right in the thick of things. In the beginning of this book we are told that Washington was a man that held those of lower rank at a distance and only treated them cordially and with condescension. What I take out of this is that we get to again see how Washington has grown as a man and a leader of men. There are other examples of this that I alluded to in my summary, about how he would let those around him participate in strategy sessions and he would let all who had ideas speak them and take them under consideration before coming up with the plan. But this is a great example of his continuing ability to show his men that he was not willing to ask of them anything that he would not do himself. He had truly evolved into a great leader of men. Someone that could and would be respected the world over. He had earned the name “Excellency.”
Quote#10: “the winter war was ‘an excellent school for a young soldier’.” With the “foraging wars” coming up in the late winter and spring of 1777 it was essential that these “amateur soldiers” had become battle hardened and were no longer frightened at the sound of cannons and gunshots. These men had seen enough carnage and been shot at many times and so now were unconcerned with the fear that came along with the unsettling sights and sounds of battle. This plus the waning morale of the British who were now suffering from the woes of hunger, cold, having rags for clothes, no stockings or shoes during winter, malnutrition, sickness (many of the same ills that had befallen the Americans only a short time before) quickly hardened and improved the American soldiers and gave them confidence were little was before. This confidence was a large factor in the Americans continuing the fight and eventually defeating the British.