With Musket and Tomahawk, Volume I: The Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War of 1777

by Michael O. Logusz

Overview

"A brilliantly written, meticulously research, vivid and well balanced account highlighting the four month struggle in the pivotal year of 1777 during the American Revolutionary War." - The Citizen (Auburnpub.com)

"...a fascinating book...Logusz brings this part of the Revolutionary War to life with excellent detail... It is a story with real people as they struggle to live and win the independence of a new nation. From a historical standpoint and as one who loves history, I highly recommend this book." - IPMS

"Logusz has a flair for vivid detail, whether describing the terror Colonists felt during Indian raids on their settlements or the chaos of the battles in the unfamiliar wilderness." - Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612002248
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	03/19/2014
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael O. Logusz has served in both the Regular and Reserve branches of the U.S. Army, most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007–08. He holds a B.A. from Oswego State College and an M.A. in Russian Studies from Hunter College in New York. The author of numerous articles and a previous book on WWII, Lt. Colonel Logusz has personally examined the ground of each battle he describes. He currently lives in Florida.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Wilderness War of 1777 1

1 The Strategic Dilemma in the Northern Theater 21

2 Lord Germain's Proposal 30

3 Burgoyne's Plan to Advance on Albany 33

4 The British Army in Canada 38

5 The Northern Campaign Commences 46

6 British Moves and Patriot Uncertainty 59

7 Burgoyne Advances and Fort Ticonderoga Falls 65

8 Cries of Retreat and Forest Combats 94

9 The Battle of Hubbardton 116

10 Fighting Off Marauders and Raiders 134

11 Samuel Kirkland: Chaplain and Intelligence Agent 141

12 Burgoyne's Plan to Reach Fort Edward 144

13 Bolstering Forces on Both Sides 150

14 Burgoyne Hacks His Way South 155

15 The Tragic Case of Jane McCrea 161

16 The Battle of Bennington 176

17 Schuyler Is Relieved of Command 206

18 The Patriots Raid Fort Ticonderoga 227

19 The First Battle of Saratoga: Freeman's Farm 235

20 Troops Dig In and Patriot Generals Collide 254

21 Burgoyne's Strategy Unravels 261

22 The Second Battle of Saratoga: Bemis Heights 266

23 The British Begin to Collapse 283

24 Burgoyne Surrenders 298

Acknowledgments 310

Notes 315

Bibliography 391

Index 405

Editorial Reviews

"…brilliantly written, meticulously researched, vivid and well balanced account highlighting the four month struggle in the pivotal year of 1777 during the American Revolutionary War"

Auburn

..does an excellent job of covering the Saratoga Campaign….

The Journal of America’s Military Past

This is a very readable account of a war that took place in undeveloped countryside, with basic weapons, yet in a country that we now think of as having towns and highways and technology readily available. Only just over 200 years ago it was a very different story.

Military Modeling

A comprehensive look at the brutal wilderness war that secured America's independence

Books Monthly UK

…fast paced…overflow with details …Exciting, eminently readable and highly recommended

Toy Soldier and Model Figure

… well-researched and very thorough … It is extensively footnoted and contains an impressive bibliography… This reader is looking forward to the second volume

What Would the Founders Think

…gives an account of the campaign at strategic, tactical and a personal level from the initial planning of the campaign to the final surrender of Burgoyne’s force at Saratoga …actions are well presented and detailed…

UK WarGames Recon

... a superlative saga of this time period... research is truly superb and very much in depth...relies on correspondence and reports from both sides of the conflict to bring the story of the Wilderness Campaign to life... As is so often the case reality is much more gripping than fantasy and this book surely fits into that mold.

ModelMadness.com / S. Van Aken

This study of the Saratoga campaign, in which forces of British General Burgoyne were trailed, corralled and finally forced to surrender, demonstrated or the first time the military potential of the Revolution….scholarly research and is supported by half a dozen quite useful maps…

Military Illustrated

…a fresh approach…makes a solid contribution to understanding the campaign…

Military History of the West

… an in-depth. Military analysis of a crucial turning point in the American Revolutionary War… enthralling study that brings military history to life…

Midwest Book Review

The Wilderness War is captured here with a fresh and intimate perspective.

LONE STAR

..does an excellent job of covering the Saratoga Campaign….

Journal of America's Military Past

…a fascinating book... Logusz brings this part of the Revolutionary War to life with excellent detail. … It is a story with real people as they struggle to live and win the independence of a new nation. From a historical standpoint and as one who loves history, I highly recommend this book.

IPMS

The wilderness of northern New York and New England hosted significant actions of the American Revolution throughout 1777. Logusz (Galicia Division: The Waffen-SS 14th Grenadier Division, 1943–1945), a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, seeks to describe the encounters that formed a turning point in the Revolution. Following an introduction that establishes strategic conditions prior to 1777, he provides chronologically dated chapters recounting actions throughout the year. Logusz has a flair for vivid detail, whether describing the terror Colonists felt during Indian raids on their settlements or the chaos of battles in the unfamiliar wilderness. He mentions that it was the stories of people who experienced the war that motivated him to embark on this project. VERDICT Able storyteller though Logusz is, his book lacks analysis, and the story has been told before. Richard M. Ketchum's Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War covers largely the same events in a popular, accessible format and with appropriate analysis. Those seeking details regarding the American Revolution in 1777 may consider Logusz's work but should bear Ketchum's in mind.—Matthew J. Wayman, Penn State Lib., Schuylkill

Library Journal

"This book is what military history should be. It is factual without being too dry, and the pace goes along almost like a novel. "

A Wargamers Needful Things

"This is a very readable account of a war that took place in undeveloped countryside, with basic weapons, yet in a country that we now think of as having towns and highways and technology readily available. Only just over 200 years ago it was a very different story."

Military Modelling

"A comprehensive look at the brutal wilderness war that secured America's independence"

Books Monthly

The Wilderness War is captured here with a fresh and intimate perspective.

Lone Star Book Review

…a fascinating book... Logusz brings this part of the Revolutionary War to life with excellent detail. … It is a story with real people as they struggle to live and win the independence of a new nation. From a historical standpoint and as one who loves history, I highly recommend this book.

IPMS/USA

... a superlative saga of this time period... research is truly superb and very much in depth...relies on correspondence and reports from both sides of the conflict to bring the story of the Wilderness Campaign to life... As is so often the case reality is much more gripping than fantasy and this book surely fits into that mold.

Modeling Madness

… well-researched and very thorough … It is extensively footnoted and contains an impressive bibliography… This reader is looking forward to the second volume

What Would the Founders Think?

…fast paced…overflow with details …Exciting, eminently readable and highly recommended

Toy Solder & Model Figure

…gives an account of the campaign at strategic, tactical and a personal level from the initial planning of the campaign to the final surrender of Burgoyne’s force at Saratoga …actions are well presented and detailed…

WarGames Recon

..does an excellent job of covering the Saratoga Campaign….

The Journal of America’s Military Past

…a fresh approach…makes a solid contribution to understanding the campaign…

Military History of The West