The Road to Valley Forge: How Washington Built the Army that Won the Revolution

This is the second book I have read by author John Buchanan. I hardly expected this book to equal its companion, ROAD TO GUILFORD COURTHOUSE, but found THE ROAD TO VALLEY FORGE to be an equally compelling read. Buchanan's writing style is both fluid and succinct. When the First Continental Congress met in 1775 to choose its military leader, it wisely chose George Washington, a veteran of the French and Indian War. Then it proceeded to make Washington's life miserable by denying him the resources needed to succeed. Perhaps the members of Congress recognized that Washington had the tenacity to withstand its seeming indifference to his success. Buchanan's book covers the first eighteen months of Washington's command of the army, from the siege at Boston to the winter at Valley Forge. Some of this is quite painful to read as Buchanan has an art for depicting the misery it must of been for those involved, and for Washington himself to watch his miserable, tattered army suffer a series of defeats. Also recounted, is the betrayal of Washington by some of his closest aides, who wrote letters to Congress condemning his actions, decisions and leadership abilities. THE ROAD TO VALLEY FORGE provides details of Washington's leadership and battles with enlightening explanations of 18th-century military technology. Washington knew, winning a revolution did not necessarily require battlefield victory, it required wearing down the enemies desire for victory. He kept his army alive, never allowing General Howe the opportunity to fully extinguish the smoldering remnants of the Continental Army. In many ways, what Washington accomplished was exactly replicated 60 years later in Texas when the men at the Alamo bought enough time for Sam Houston to assemble a viable fighting force. However, Washington had no Alamo to buy him time, so he bought his own time by keeping his army just out of reach. When engagement was unavoidable, he sacrificed minimal loss while insuring the bulk of his fighting force lived to fight another day. If you've read Guilford Courthouse, you know what to expect and will not be disappointed by this book. If you haven't read Guilford Courthouse, what are you waiting for? Buchanan is a fine author and has once again, written a wonderful account of American history. Monty Rainey www.juntosociety.com

Having read "Road to Guilford Courthouse," I picked up "Road to Valley Forge" on the merits of the author alone, hoping it would be as enjoyable as the former. Buchanan again delivers a very good narrative history of the New York and Philadelphia campaigns of 1776-1777. His style reminds me of siting in a well taught college lecture, listening to an engaging teacher, without being distracting. Having read several books on the campaign and always on the alert for inacuracies, I found his work tight on details (when compared to other, more well know histories). Especially interesting is the attention paid to the actual military engagements. Many histories gloss over the martial aspects focusing more on the political/leadership, but Buchanan delivers both. An interesting read for those interested in the tactics of the campaign without being weighed down by too much "this unit went here, this one was behing this fence, etc." In my humble opinion, not as good as "Road to Guilford Courthouse," but a good read nonetheless.

Buchanan's previous "The Road to Guilford Courthouse" was an assigned text for a course on the American Revolution. After reading "The Road to Valley Forge," the latest of Buchanan's works, I'm completely attracted to his marvelous writing style. He is a joy to read. His analysis of "The Great Virginian" (Washington) as tactician, strategist, and commander-in-chief is particularly insightful, accurate, and straight-forward... and so can be well-appreciated in these days of author opinions strewn haphazardly over landscape of history.