He was rough, not smooth. Viking, 9780525426783, 448pp. The only thing it lost for me was in the small minutia of detail and associations, I rather got "lost" in the length of the book. A letter arrived in Washington’s camp address to Reed detailing what was going on. Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution He explores the complex character of Arnold and the slights and personality that made him into the traitor we remember today. The resulting ambiguities may be best captured by the book’s sotto voce ending, with another general, Nathanael Greene, about to leave for the Southern campaign that we know will be won. I was fascinated to watch Washington learn to control his aggressive impulses on the battlefield (of course I knew he had a temper, and knew he had made many battlefield mistakes, but VALIANT AMBITION put those mistakes in a different perspective).I was even more fascinated to consider how different history might have been if Arnold had been given a naval command. The New York and Pennsylvania campaigns have been studied in depth since the smoke cleared, with superb modern accounts coming from the pens of McCullough, Fischer, Schecter, and Ferling. Excellent book about Benedict Arnold. The resulting ambiguities may be best captured … But, in order to understand why Arnold did what he did, you need to know some of his reasoning why. Philbrick portrays Washington as an inspirational leader for his troops.

However, fortunately for The reader he goes far beyond mere biography here, and tries to understand and explain(Without justifying) what would lead a man to betray his country, in Arnold's caIn Valiant Ambition, Philbrick chronicles the life and tumultuous times of Benedict Arnold, America's most infamous traitor. This book gives a clear look at how the traitorous acts of Benedict Arnold shaped the narrative of the American Revolution and brought about an identity that was truly we the people. Valiant Ambition (Hardcover) George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution (The American Revolution Series #2) By Nathaniel Philbrick. In Valiant Ambition, he looks at two men in the American Revolution that occupy the opposite ends of ends of the spectrum of heroes of the war - George Washington and Benedict Arnold.Mr. In the first half, the author sets the stage, describing militNon-fiction about two ambitious men during the American Revolution covering the period 1776 – 1780, highlighting the similarities and differences between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. As the former captain of a merchant ship, he proved equally adept on the water. Coverage of the 1777-78 campaigns again follows the separate experiences of the two commanders, with Washington trying to block the British at Philadelphia, and famously wintering at Valley Forge before achieving mixed results at Monmouth. “Arnold,” Philbrick contends,” saw nothing disloyal in doing what Americans had always done [under British mercantile restriction]: profit as best they could from whatever commercial circumstances presented themselves.” Additionally, Arnold took a soft attitude towards Philadelphia’s Tories, eventually marrying one of their own, Peggy Shippen, whom Phlbrick believes pushed Arnold over the line from disaffection to treason. That makes me want to give a cantankerous, middle-aged SQUEEEE of delight! I learned a few things about Arnold that I never knew and was reminded of several that I had forgotten. The narrator didn't manage to make the book any less boring.Through the stories of Washington and Arnold, Nathaniel Philbrick gives a condensed view of the American Revolution. Since retiring I have been able to read about this and other historical periods and events without the guilt associated with neglected professional obligations. Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Hence, the history lesson. Not a lot mind you—but nevertheless—it is still a laudable accomplishment.What research! JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION © 2018

America was forced at last to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from withinComplex, controversial, and dramatic, Valiant Ambition is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation. To me, Arnold is one of the most interesting characters in American history. In the meantime, he presented the sulking general with major general’s epaulets and a sword knot “as a testimony of my sincere regard and approbation of your conduct.”With the slowly healing leg wound keeping him from active duty, Arnold was appointed military governor of Philadelphia. It feels like Philbrick is reaching a bit (so far) to make the Washington/Arnold study compelling. History was obviously poorly taught when I was young.

Inside the revolutionary faction of that war there are self-less patriots alongside self-dealing careerists. The book does a 30,000 foot view of key events like the battle of Saratoga, the plots against Washington culminating in the Conway Cabal and then a deep dive on Benedict Arnold aroundNathaniel Philbrick delivers another thoughtful analysis on the subject on the American Revolution and the heroes and villains it carted in the form of George Washington and Benedict Arnold. HI suppose "compelling" is in the eye of the beholder. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher but I wound up borrowing and listening to the audiobook from the library. For Washington, “rules mattered”; for Arnold, “rules were made to be broken.” For Philbrick, both Arnold and his enemies offer proof that “the greatest danger to America’s future came from self-serving opportunism masquerading as patriotism.” Perhaps Arnold’s treason did help the Americans come to that realization.

doesn't hold back in his criticism of George Washington in particular, who he accuses of a "lack of generalship" and of being "not a good battlefield thinker."


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