Liberty's Fallen Generals: Leadership and Sacrifice in the American War of Independence

by Steven E. Siry

Overview

From June 1775 to February 1781 during the American War of Independence, ten patriot generals died as a result of combat wounds. Their service and deaths spanned most of the war’s duration and geographical expanse. The generals were a diverse group, with six born in America and four in Europe, three coming from professional military backgrounds, and the rest citizen-soldiers, mostly with limited military experience. As the colonists won their independence, the fallen generals became martyrs for the revolutionary ideals that would inspire later generations throughout the world. Liberty’s Fallen Generals is the first book to analyze these key military leaders’ service and the quality of their leadership in light of recent scholarship on the Revolutionary War. Each general’s profile provides background on military and political events leading to his emergence, assesses the general as a military leader in the war, and examines the campaign that culminated in his battle-related death. A compelling study in leadership and sacrifice, Liberty’s Fallen Generals is essential reading for those interested in learning more about America’s earliest heroes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597977920
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Series:	Military Profiles
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Steven E. Siry is a professor at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He has also taught at Central Michigan University and the University of Cincinnati. He is the author of De Witt Clinton and the American Political Economy: Sectionalism, Politics, and Republican Ideology, 1787–1828. He lives in Strongsville, Ohio.

Table of Contents

List of Maps ix

Preface xi

Chronology xiii

Prologue: From Resistance to War (October 1763-April 1775) xvii

Chapter 1 Joseph Warren (April-June 1775) 1

Chapter 2 Richard Montgomery (June-December 1775) 13

Chapter 3 Nathaniel Woodhull (January-September 1776) 25

Chapter 4 High Mercer (September 1776-January 1777) 37

Chapter 5 David Wooster (January-May 1777) 49

Chapter 6 Nicholas Herkimer (May-August 1777) 59

Chapter 7 Francis Nash (August-October 1777) 69

Chapter 8 Casimir Pulaski (October 1777-October 1779) 81

Chapter 9 Johann de Kalb (October 1779-August 1780) 93

Chapter 10 William Lee Davidson (August 1780-February 1781) 107

Epilogue: The Final Campaigns (February 1781-September 1783) 121

Notes 125

Selected Bibliography 137

Index 143

About the Author 147

Editorial Reviews

“Steven Siry’s exploration of the lives, thoughts, and deaths of the ten rebel generals killed as a result of combat during the American Revolution is innovative military history. While the ten generals were a diverse lot, Siry’s skillful analysis demonstrates that they were united by impressive physical courage and an abiding commitment to creating a free republican nation. Liberty’s Fallen Generals is a most welcome addition to the expanding literature on the nature and meaning of the American Revolution.”—John K. Alexander, author of Samuel Adams: The Life of an American Revolutionary

John K. Alexander

“Liberty’s Fallen Generals is a riveting book about the lives—and deaths—of ten generals during the Revolutionary War. Some of these officers were citizen-soldiers who took up arms in the struggle to win American independence, and some are no longer well known. Steven Siry has crafted a fine book that will fascinate and enlighten all who are interested in the War of Independence.”—John Ferling, author of Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence and Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free

John Ferling

“With the rank-and-file soldier taking center stage in the New Military History for the past forty years, Steven Siry’s Liberty’s Fallen Generals is a refreshing reminder that top military commanders also made the ultimate sacrifice in winning America’s independence. In a fast-paced, action-packed narrative that puts the reader in the thick of the most important battles of the American Revolution, Siry shows that the military generals of the age, far from being rear-echelon commanders like their modern-day counterparts, courageously fought and died alongside the troops they led into battle. The general reader will find Liberty’s Fallen Generals both entertaining and inspiring, while historians who teach the War of Independence will find it an ideal addition to their student’s required reading list.”—Keith Krawczynski, professor of history, Auburn University at Montgomery; author of William Henry Drayton: South Carolina Revolutionary Patriot; and editor of History in Dispute

Keith Krawczynski

Steven Siry’s exploration of the lives, thoughts, and deaths of the ten rebel generals killed as a result of combat during the American Revolution is innovative military history. While the ten generals were a diverse lot, Siry’s skillful analysis demonstrates that they were united by impressive physical courage and an abiding commitment to creating a free republican nation. Liberty’s Fallen Generals is a most welcome addition to the expanding literature on the nature and meaning of the American Revolution.”—John K. Alexander, author of Samuel Adams: The Life of an American Revolutionary

“Liberty’s Fallen Generals is a riveting book about the lives—and deaths—of ten generals during the Revolutionary War. Some of these officers were citizen-soldiers who took up arms in the struggle to win American independence, and some are no longer well known. Steven Siry has crafted a fine book that will fascinate and enlighten all who are interested in the War of Independence.”—John Ferling, author of Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence and Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free

“With the rank-and-file soldier taking center stage in the New Military History for the past forty years, Steven Siry’s Liberty’s Fallen Generals is a refreshing reminder that top military commanders also made the ultimate sacrifice in winning America’s independence. In a fast-paced, action-packed narrative that puts the reader in the thick of the most important battles of the American Revolution, Siry shows that the military generals of the age, far from being rear-echelon commanders like their modern-day counterparts, courageously fought and died alongside the troops they led into battle. The general reader will find Liberty’s Fallen Generals both entertaining and inspiring, while historians who teach the War of Independence will find it an ideal addition to their student’s required reading list.”—Keith Krawczynski, professor of history, Auburn University at Montgomery; author of William Henry Drayton: South Carolina Revolutionary Patriot; and editor of History in Dispute

From the Publisher