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  <title><![CDATA[Washington's Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History)]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[Almost everyone knows the famous painting of General Washington standing heroically in a shallow boat, surrounded by soldiers in a variety of garb including James Madison holding an American flag, crossing the ice-choked Delaware river. The painting, done by a German artist 75 years after the fact, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38405410">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Feb 18 09:11:22 -0800 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[Washington’s Crossing is one of those tomes that every American citizen should read.  It’s very well paced with an inclusive narrative that places the reader squarely in the action.  This book is so well written, I found myself under the mistaken impression that Fischer had actually interviewed ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12803593">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This non-fiction book won the Pulitzer Prize for history and I can see why.  He recounts the early days of the Revolutionary War where the Union army suffered so many defeats until Washington had led his troops back across the Delaware and began fighting the war offensively.<br/><br/>Fischer had m...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52551622">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Dec 02 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Tue Dec 02 14:42:26 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[A fantastic review of a  year in the Revolutionary War and some of the best writing on the military aspects of the battles, campaigns and strategies for both sides in the year 1776 and the war in general.<br/><br/>Like most history lovers, I think I have neglected the actual nuts and bolts of this...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38559908">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38559908]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[<p><em>Washington's Crossing</em> moves from myth to history by offering a convincing corrective to Leutze's painting. (Washington really <em>did</em> stand in the boat, since it was filled with ankle-deep water, but the crossing occurred at night. Nor were the Hessians drunk.) By framing &quot;the fog of war, the chaos...</p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45459340">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45459340]]></url>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jul 07 05:50:04 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jul 07 06:41:36 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I'm working on a branch of our family that came to Ohio around 1812 from New Jersey.  When I started to learn about New Jersey history, the first thing I ran into was the American Revolution, a subject so vast that I was afraid it would take years to sift out the information I'm interested in.  This...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62453208">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62453208]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>13084055</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Len]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.40</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia.   Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.   Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning.]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Mon Jan 21 14:23:52 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I read this book because I liked David McCullough's &quot;1776&quot; so much -- especially the fifteen pages or so when he describes the Battle of Trenton.<br/><br/>This book takes those fifteen pages and expands it to a couple hundred pages.  The level of detail is extraordinary, and Fischer does...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13084055">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13084055]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Aug 14 18:49:05 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 19 07:55:58 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book is about more than just Washington crossing the Delaware to fight the battle of Trenton.  It covers the events that lead up to this pivotal event, and effects of this important victory.  It is very readable and enjoyable, and does make a great impression of what a massive accomplishment th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4561448">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>66580702</id>
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    <id>2050903</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Paul]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 07 15:43:31 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 26 11:27:11 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I know what you're thinking.  A entire book on Washington crossing the Delaware River?  How long did that take, 30 minutes?  Well, the history of nations can change in less time than it takes an army to cross a river and, in this case, it certainly did.<br/><br/>This is a wonderful narrative by Da...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66580702">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66580702]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66580702]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>72939368</id>
    <user>
    <id>1058939</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Diane]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <date_added>Tue Sep 29 17:17:49 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 29 17:22:42 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Interesting history of the Revolutionary War period and George Washington's role.  The author shows how Washington was a true hero, being resilient in the face of disappointments.  The book also demonstrates that all of America's wars, beginning with the revolution, have begun as uphill struggles be...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72939368">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72939368]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72939368]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>76215814</id>
    <user>
    <id>2028164</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Cody]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Lubbock, TX]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 30 10:33:20 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Oct 30 10:52:13 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[If I could give this 6 STARS, I would! I know how the Revolutionary War turned out  - I mean I don't have high tea &amp; crumpets every afternoon, I don't use the term &quot;bloody&quot; as my  of swear word of choice, and I tend to think of football as the gridiron variety. But this book was a real pag...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76215814">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76215814]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76215814]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <user>
    <id>2764925</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 27 05:03:27 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 27 05:38:48 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[If you've ever ridden on Route 1 in New Jersey (known in the past as the Old Post Road), this book has interest beyond being historically fascinating. When you're reading about the Battles of Princeton and Trenton, and you read that Washington's men passed unseen and unheard within a mile of the Bri...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72635861">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72635861]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72635861]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Stephen]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia.   Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.   Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Washington's Crossing was a great book.  It read much faster than other historical books of this period due to the ease with which David Hackett Fischer weaves the events and characters into their appropriate contexts.  I appreciated the author's challenge towards the conventional understanding of t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61297489">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is possibly one of those books that ought to be required reading for high school and college students in this country. It is such a major departure from what you find written by modern historians the likes of Gore Vidal who have made a name and a career tearing down great men. <br/>It is not t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30446329">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Part of the Oxford Pivotal Moments in American History series, Fischer's work is a cultural history surrounding the events that Washington's Revolutionary Army participated in from March of 1776 to March of 1777, with the middle of the book focusing on the pivotal turning point of the unlikely captu...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/15954833">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Sep 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 06 05:06:12 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 12 01:24:18 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Probably the best history I've read on the Revolutionary War. Lots of stuff I didn't know before, especially about the make up of the armies (Colonial, British, and Hessian).  But Fisher never gets bogged down with details, and keeps the narrative flowing. I was surprised at the level of brutality i...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70233552">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70233552]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <date_added>Tue Dec 30 16:01:22 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 30 16:04:50 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a great book- it is clear why it won the Pulitzer Prize.  It is an examination of the late 1776-1777 campaign during the American Revolution.  I learned a ton of new things from this book.  The beginning of it is an in depth examination of the Continental, British, and Hessian armies and the...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41335339">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Sep 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 19 16:19:37 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 29 14:52:51 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Great book, guess what the Hessian's weren't drunk. The Trenton/Princeton campaign really was the turning point of the War. David Hackett Fischer is a historian of the first order. The reference section alone is worth reading the book. He includes causality statistics along with how the three armies...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71812656">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
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    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Sep 13 13:47:47 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Sep 26 10:33:40 -0700 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[By Christmas Day 1776, the Revolutionary War looked like it was already over. Ninety percent of the troops had gone home. The British and the Hessians had won every major battle. The way Washington turned that around saved the cause of independence. That turn around is the focus of this book. Don't ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6162239">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>69812134</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Bethany]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Washington, DC]]></location>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">1206073</id>
  <isbn>0195170342</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780195170344</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">72</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Washington's Crossing]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181859199m/1206073.jpg</image_url>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1206073.Washington_s_Crossing</link>
  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. George Washington lost ninety percent of his army and was driven across the Delaware River. Panic and despair spread through the states.  Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. Even as the British and Germans spread their troops across New Jersey, the people of the colony began to rise against them. George Washington saw his opportunity and seized it. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men.  A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night,  Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined.  Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events.  We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. At the same time, they developed an American ethic of  warfare that John Adams called &quot;the policy of humanity,&quot; and showed that moral victories could have powerful material effects. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning, in a pivotal moment for American history.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Sep 02 10:05:11 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 19 15:26:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Very detailed and compelling story of Washington crossing the Delaware in 1776.  Goes far beyond that pivotal event to discuss much about the Revolutionary war in general and the armies and individuals who participated in it.  Won the Pulitzer Prize in history.  Had a little too much about particula...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69812134">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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