George Washington's Military Genius

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Overview

George Washington: Genius or Goat?

Many military historians dismiss George Washington as merely lucky: he won the Revolutionary War by sheer dogged persistence against a half-hearted British enemy that decided the prize wasn’t worth the cost. But this, says Lieutenant General Dave R. Palmer—a combat veteran, former superintendent of West Point, and expert military historian—is simply wrong. Washington’s strategy was suited to his aim and changed with the circumstances of the ...

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George Washington's Military Genius

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Overview

George Washington: Genius or Goat?

Many military historians dismiss George Washington as merely lucky: he won the Revolutionary War by sheer dogged persistence against a half-hearted British enemy that decided the prize wasn’t worth the cost. But this, says Lieutenant General Dave R. Palmer—a combat veteran, former superintendent of West Point, and expert military historian—is simply wrong. Washington’s strategy was suited to his aim and changed with the circumstances of the war—but through it all he practiced the way of the fox. In George Washington’s Military Genius, Lieutenant General Palmer reveals:

  • What guided Washington’s boldness in the first year of the war
  • How Washington held his army together and built it up—with little or no money and, in the beginning, no allies
  • How Washington used European professionals to train his soldiers—and capitalized on the results
  • Washington’s keen appreciation for French naval power
  • The secret of Washington’s unparalleled moral leadership, without which the war might not have been won

A stirring and provocative military history of the war and George Washington’s leading place in it, George Washington’s Military Genius is sure to enlighten and entertain any reader with an interest in America’s War for Independence.
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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Palmer, historian and former superintendent of West Point (George Washington: First in War), makes a convincing case that America is free, united, and governed by civilians because of Washington’s strategic foresight and tactical brilliance. No subsequent revolution in a dozen other nations ended so happily. Palmer pooh-poohs historians who describe Washington as a commander of limited ability who won by not losing, i.e., avoiding battles until the British grew tired of the struggle. Reviewing his generalship, Palmer maintains that Washington was aggressive and imaginative, willing to take risks but always aware of his ultimate goal. Palmer reminds readers that the Continental Congress launched the revolution beautifully but managed it dreadfully, growing increasingly faction ridden and ineffectual as the economy slid toward ruin. Washington remained loyal—perhaps his most impressive accomplishment—by keeping a restive army under control and quashing a rebellion among officers. This is a relentlessly admiring portrait, but Palmer has a critical historian’s eye for 18th-century war and politics, avoids uncritical worship of our founding fathers, and enjoys the advantage of a subject who was genuinely admirable. Maps. (May)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781596987913
  • Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Inc., An Eagle Publishing Company
  • Publication date: 5/28/2012
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 288,897
  • Product dimensions: 6.10 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Dave R. Palmer is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army, two-tour veteran of Vietnam, former superintendent of West Point, and accomplished military historian specializing in the campaigns of George Washington and the eighteenth-century American army. He often appears as a commentator in television documentaries on the Revolutionary War period and its generals and is the author of many books, including George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots, Summons of the Trumpet: U.S.- Vietnam in Perspective, and George Washington: First in War. A graduate of West Point and Duke University, he lives with his wife in Belton, Texas.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 8, 2012

    Terrific synopsis of a great leader.

    Terrific synopsis of a great leader.

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