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(More customer reviews)I have to admit, I'm more of a fan of great writing than American history, which is what makes Nelson's book(s) so special. For the serious historian or just someone who just loves great books, George Washington's Great Gamble is a must read. Beginning and ending with the siege of Yorktown, Nelson takes the reader through the final decisive land and sea battles of the American Revolution with a meticulously researched book that indeed, reads like a great yarn. Interestingly, while the book revolves around Washington, it's the supporting characters who are the stars. From Clinton to Cornwallis, from De Grasse to Lafayette, all come to life as their decisions and actions decide the fate of the country. There is an old adage that in war, the winner writes the history books, but drawing from sources on both sides of the Atlantic, Nelson has given perspective and clarity to a moment in American history that is no doubt, one of the most accurate retellings of these crucial moments in American history. I can't recommend this book highly enough-- and I can't wait for more from this author.
Click Here to see more reviews about: George Washington's Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution
One shining yet overlooked moment that changed the course of the Revolutionary War
In the opening months of 1781, General George Washington feared his army would fail to survive another campaign season. The spring and summer only served to reinforce his despair, but in late summer the changing circumstances of war presented a once-in-a-war opportunity for a French armada to hold off the mighty British navy while his own troops with French reinforcements drove Lord Cornwallis's forces to the Chesapeake. The Battle of the Capes would prove the only time the French ever fought the Royal Navy to a draw, and for the British army it was a catastrophe. Cornwallis confidently retreated to Yorktown, expecting to be evacuated by a British fleet that never arrived. In the end he had no choice but to surrender. Although the war sputtered on another two years, its outcome was never in doubt after Yorktown.
General Washington's Great Gamble is the story of the greatest naval engagement of the American Revolution. It is also a study in leadership, good and bad, political machinations and the wild, unpredictable circumstances that led to the extraordinary confluence of military and naval resources at that time and place.
Topics include:Looking South; Sea Power for the General; Arnold; Copper Bottoms; Head of Elk; The Battle of Cape Henry; An Attempt to Conquer Virginia; Greene and Cornwallis: Looking North; The American Command; The Battle of Guilford Courthouse; Pyrrhic Victory; Reinforcing the Chesapeake; "[T]he enemy have turned so much of their attention to the Southern States..."; The Battle of Blandford; The British War at Sea; Juncture; "I am inclined to think well of York..."; The Promise of a Fleet; The Battle of Green Springs; The March on New York; An Operation to the Southward; The Arrival of De Grasse; The Battle of the Capes;Cornwallis Surrenders
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