To Try Men's Souls: A Novel of George Washington and the Fight for American Freedom

TO TRY MEN'S SOULS is well written and insightful. The American soldiers fighting in the Revolutionary War were farmers, merchants, clerks, very young men and school boys. They were up against some of the finest professional solders from Europe. The well disciplined British troops were confident and had the best equipment. The hired Hessian soldiers were brutal warriors who took no prisoners alive. Most American men had no military experience and had used rifles for hunting purposes only. This important and timely book gives us a part of the Revolutionary War when the American army was at a low and desperate period. The Americans were demoralized after they had made a embarrassing retreat from New York. The winter of 1776 was very cold and many enlistments were up. Even George Washington could not convince thousands of men to stay and continue fighting. Our soldiers were demoralized. Their clothing was ragged, many had no shoes and their feet were frost bitted. They had not been paid for a long time and Congress had fled from the capital of Philadelphia. It seemed to many that the fight for independence was over. This story is told through the voices of George Washington, Thomas Paine, and a young soldier. It shows that even in the worst of times and in situations that seem impossible, perseverance, strength, honor and courage can, indeed, win in the end. The three voices gave a well rounded look at that desperate point during the American Revolution and gave me a better understanding of the situation. Thomas Paine's, thoughts called THE AMERICAN CRISIS was also included in the book. His words are still inspirational today. This is a book every American needs to read. I'm glad that I did. God Bless America!

'To Try Men's Souls' is a poignant and timely reminder of the challenges faced by those brave persons of the Revolutionary War 233 years ago. Imagine no adequate roads, no motorized vehicles or watercraft, rifles that had to be reloaded after each shot, and travel on a stormy night. Actually, stormy doesn't accurately describe the weather conditions that December 25th - 26th...sleet, freezing rain, bone chilling wind, snow...a night that we would have a hard time venturing out in, even with all our modern contrivances. Now add men...men who knew naught but defeat, men with mud-caked clothing little better than rags, often barefoot, suffering from a wide range of diseases caused by hunger, exposure, and substandard food and water. Men, who willingly chose to serve their young country a month longer than they were required. Add one ice choked river (crossed twice in 24 hours), a nighttime march to a daytime battle, two flooded ravines, heavy artillery, and nine miles of icy hills and fields (one way)...and waiting for you at the end, the finest fighting force of their time - the Hessians. The Battle of Trenton was so much more than just one battle in a war long ago; it was the proving point for our young nation - it was the point where our patriotic forefathers threw everything they had left at an enemy that represented the oppressive evil of bondage - be it outright slavery or fealty to a king. What drove these brave men on this cold, miserable night in December 1776? One word - FREEDOM. The barely glowing ember of freedom was on the verge of going out as Congress had all but abandoned Philadelphia. But on that night, and with their backs against the wall, with a watchword of "Victory or Death", freedom burned fiercely in the hearts of those brave men marching on Trenton. A new country was forged on that cold December day; a day when we shifted from the united States to the United States. Through their fictional family of Jonathan van Dorn, Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen, and Albert Hanser allow us to witness the very real struggle that pitted brother against brother - a struggle that was real in the Civil War as well. Even today, we often find it is easier to find a true brother in those people who share our ideology...and perhaps this is part of what it is to be an American. We are capable of looking beyond our doorstep and forging alliances born of shared struggle...bonds that are often more enduring than blood. Woven in with the van Dorn's are General George Washington and Thomas Paine. 'To Try Men's Souls' follows their challenges and heartaches as they sought to make good on the promise of freedom and liberty set forth in the Declaration of Independence. I doubt there could have been a better commander of our Revolutionary forces than Geo. Washington - defeats, blunders, and all - for he set many precedents in war and in his presidency 20 years later that are followed to this day. I enjoyed reading the novel, and

To Try Men's Souls follows one day in the life of George Washington's army, in an educational yet entertaining blend of story and history. At times it felt no different than reading a history book, which was not unwelcome for someone like me who would have been just as happy had it been completely nonfiction, but the fiction helped me care about this familiar story in a way I never had before, both from General Washington's point of view, and that of one of his lowliest soldiers. The book also follows Thomas Paine as he writes The American Crisis. Indeed, the whole book seems designed to allow the reader to understand The American Crisis with all the context and emotional investment of one living during those times. As I read the copy included at the end, I could easily feel how it would have inspired those fighting for our independence. We live in a time when patriotism is unpopular. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to reconnect with the patriotism of our founders.

It's ironic that someone as politically polarizing as former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich could co-author such a straightforward, inspirational novel as "To Try Men's Souls." As someone who has never aligned with Gingrich's politics, I had to force myself not to turn away from this novel. Fortunately, my interest in colonial history prompted me to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did. This dyed-in-the-wool Democrat loved this novel by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen. Focused specifically, and with extraordinary detail, on the late December 1776 crossing of the Delaware and the battle of Trenton, New Jersey, the novel unequally divides the action and perspective between General Washington, Tom Paine, and a sickly private from New Jersey. The story is Wasington's, as it really should be, and he dominates the narrative. The private appears occasionally to provide the every-man, dedicated patriot perspective and also to offer insight into the brother-against-brother conflict that arose during the Revolutionary War. Paine's words, specifically "The American Crisis I," form the emotional core and bridge all three narratives together. Paine himself appears in a handful of brief episodic flashbacks; his writing is the real star, not the man. I was moved by the story, enchanted by the attention to detail, and pleased by all of the little flourishes right down to the novel's typeface reflecting the colonial time period. This is truly a book for all Americans regardless of your political affiliations. I encourage everyone to look beyond the politics of the authors, if that is even an issue for you, and enjoy this well-written tribute to this country's patriot heroes. Highly recommended.

The idea of Newt Gingrich as a novelist seemed absurd; just another overreaching politician with an overdeveloped sense of his ability, I scoffed. Then I read Pearl Harbor, Days of Infamy and 1945. I was astonished by Pearl Harbor and thoroughly delighted with the other two, and I look forward to reading his novels set in the Civil War. I do not mean to labor the point, but these are good books: well-written, and terrifically entertaining. Now Gingrich (and William R. Fortschen, who also co-wrote Pearl Harbor, Days of Infamy and 1945) has approached the Revolutionary War, its early days shortly after George Washington's retreat from New York City: the Battle of Trenton, Christmas, 1776, a fight against Hessians--German soldiers that had defeated Washington's Army at Brooklyn a few months earlier, bayoneting wounded and surrendering Marylanders even as they cried for mercy, having sacrificed themselves as a rearguard so that the Army could escape. True to the sturcture of his other novels, To Try Men's Souls tells the story from the highest levels--General Washington--to most most humble as Thomas Paine, known throughout the Army and the country for his writing, finds insipiration from two fellow foot soldiers, brothers, one who has had enough and goes home and the younger who stays in the face of a brutal witner. Thus inspired, Paine inspired the country and, more importantly, Washington's utterly defeated and humiliated army. The story of these three men frames this story of Christmas 1776 and, in the few weeks preceding it, the defeats and retreats from Brooklyn to Manhattan, to Fort Lee, to the Raritan River and across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania, leaving what was left of the Army to a desparate attack back across the Delaware against Hessians at Trenton. The patriot soldiers endured terrible conditions, made worse as the Army was threadbare relying on hope and virtue since they was no food, boots or warm clothes. A feckless Congress ran from Philadelphia to Baltimore leaving the army with nothing more than worlhless (although quite valuable in the 21st century collector market) continental dollars for subsistance. The soldiers and merchants alike used the notes for toilet paper. Although familiar to most, the story is told in rich, evocative detail. This is a good book by a fine author. You'd never know that he has a day job! Highly recommended.