General Howe's Dog: George Washington, the Battle for Germantown, and the Dog That Crossed Enemy Lines

This is one of those books which takes a small nugget of history and attempts to make something larger of it. Apparently, during the Battle of Germantown in 1777, General William Howe lost his dog, and the animal wound up being captured by the American army. When Washington found this out, he returned the dog under a flag of truce along with a note. Author Tiger works into this narrative a variety of things. She recounts both Washington and Howe's life briefly, telling of their lives before and after the incident, spending more time on Washington apparently because Howe's papers all were destroyed in a fire in the 19th Century. Washington's character is a large part of the story, and the author goes to the extent or reprinting, in full, the maxims that George wrote down when he was a teenager, and tried to follow for the rest of his life. His devotion to hunting dogs and the sport of foxhunting is also highlighted. This is a pretty short book, rather thin on material about the battle. The author doesn't have much material upon which to build a story, and she isn't very conversant with history. For instance, she confuses Washington's biography, recounting that he led troops to victory in the French and Indian War, when in reality he was at best only partially successful. She also at one point refers to historian Gary Wills as "Gary Willis". I enjoyed this book. It's a little thin, and small, but it also recounts an interesting snippet of history. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Revolution, Washington, or of course dogs.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Revolutionary War or George Washington. It is a welcome diversion from the more weighty treatises on the topic, and is great as an evening or weekend read. Unlike most books dealing with historical topics, "General Howe's Dog" is written in a breezy, easy to digest style, but succeeds in informing the reader and not coming off as sounding trite or simplistic. In addition, "General Howe's Dog" doesn't cover the same well worn ground of many other books dealing with that period, focusing instead, among other things, on selected aspects of George Washington's character, his affinity for dogs and the role of the dog in warfare.

General Howe's Dog is a light-hearted diversion in the American Revolution non-fiction genre. General George Washington is the central figure of this book, though General Howe and his dog have their moments. However, it is not Washington's military and political achievements that are the focus, but rather his etiquette, hunting habits and dog breeding. The title is somewhat misleading with its reference to the Battle of Germantown. Caroline Tiger uses the Battle of Germantown and the incident with General Washington returning General Howe's dog as a crossover from his well-known military exploits to his more gentlemanly pursuits. Ms. Tiger takes a fitting, almost tongue-in-cheek tone at times as she weaves hunting exploits and dog breeding into the tapestry of Washington's famous life. Her light-hearted approach does not belittle the subject matter which were serious personal pursuits to gentlemen, both English and American. The book gives the reader a glimpse of a portion of Washington's life that is all but omitted from his biographies because of its more 'trivial' nature. However, these aspects are actually by no means trivial, but rather demonstrate the deep -seated principles that guided Washington's military and political decisions. General Howe's Dog is a delightful and even insightful, summertime diversion for those even remotedly interested in either early American History or in the origins of American dog breeding. Caroline Tiger's fluid writing style makes for an enjoyable read. Two additional treats are included that will appeal to the more avid historians or dog breeders: The Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation, which Washington had copied as a teenager, and Breed Standards of the Treeing Walker.