Book Review: Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer

I remember learning about the Revolutionary War as a kid and thinking that all the exciting stuff happened in Massachusetts and Virginia. While New Jersey had Washington crossing the Delaware River, it sounded like (1) it was a kind of dirty sneak attack; and (2) everyone immediately went to more exciting colonies. When it came to Revolutionary history, New Jersey barely made the cut.

Boy, does this book prove that wrong!

David Hackett Fischer's Washington's Crossing makes it sound more like New Jersey was the turning point of the war. While there was still a lot of war to be fought, the crossing of the Delaware, the subsequent battles (actual battles, not sneak attacks) of Trenton and Brunswick, and the raids the rest of the winter (all the way up to Metuchen!) was basically the "The Russian is cut!" moment of the war.

One of the things Fischer starts with immediately is that the thirteen colonies were VERY separate. You had backwoodsmen of Pennsylvania (who were unlike the backwoodsmen of Virginia), the high-stockinged gentlemen of Philadelphia and Maryland, and the Boston area militia who thought they should be able to elect their officers. When handed control of the Continental army, Washington had to find a way to bring them all together - and separate them when necessary - sometimes literally, as when he had to ride his horse into the middle of a scrum between New Englanders and Virginians, then use his unusual strength to grab both ringleaders by their necks and tell them to cease fighting.

He also explains something that I hadn't fully understood until now - who were the Hessians and why they were fighting in the first place. The British were in a precarious situation in terms of world politics - at that time it was basically all of Europe on one side and Britain on the other - so they could not afford to send all of their forces to the Americas; instead, they hired mercenaries from the German region of Hessia to fill in their army. And, considering the grim and dark description of Hessia that Fischer offers, it's no wonder that many of the Hessians chose to stay in America after their term was over.

One other thing that Fischer really illuminates is why so many of Washington's battles ended in retreat. Besides Trenton and Yorktown, Washington had so many retreats that it seems as though he lost most battles. But Fischer makes it clear that that was part of the plan - keep the British on the move, get them strung out, then make a sudden attack. This not only gave the Americans more opportunities to create advantages, but also prolonged a war that the British were getting tired of even before the first year was complete.

Washington's first real battle was the Battle of New York. As Fischer makes clear, that was an abject failure. The Continental troops were trounced and driven across the Hudson to New Jersey, where they were similarly destroyed at Fort Lee. Washington made many tactical errors during this period, and there was a lot of questions (by others as well as by himself) if he was really the right man for the job.

As the campaign season ended and the Continental army retreated all the way to Philadelphia, Washington knew he needed an actual victory to keep hope alive. That is what led to the crossing of the Delaware and the battle against Hessian soldiers in Trenton. The Continental army then held Trenton but knew they could not keep it - they fought a second Battle of Trenton (this time against both Hessians and British) to cover their escape, to where they could defeat the British in the field in the Battle of Brunswick.

As a result of these New Jersey battles (and the raids on the British during the rest of the winter), the British finally understood that this was a real war that would not end quickly. Public support started drying up, and sides were drawn up in Parliament.

This book did a great job illuminating what a crucial point in American history this was. The book does go into deep detail (not only detailed depictions of the battles, but even a chapter devoted to going through each regiment of the British/Hessian forces) which can bog down the story, but the important parts do shine through. Recommended - nine out of ten hot dogs!