George Washington's War: The Forging of a Revolutionary Leader and the American Presidency

by Bruce Chadwick

How a young general shaped a nation ― a fascinating account of George Washington as he faced a war and came out as America's first president The American Revolution was won not on the battlefields, but through the mind of George Washington. One of America's founding fathers, Washington's story is one that influenced how our entire nation was built. A compulsively readable narrative and extensive history, George Washington's War illuminates how during the war's winter months the young general created a new model of leadership that became the model for the American presidency. Through hardships, loss, and the brutal conditions of war, Washington led his men with cunning and grace, demonstrating the strong and endearing qualities that led him to become America's most beloved patriot.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American Revolution, American History, Presidents, American Revolutionary War

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically this is a detailed biography of Washington focusing on his war years with about 20% devoted to his 8 years in the presidency.
This is a must read for all with a strong interest in U.S. history. There was a lot detailed material about his war years that I was not aware of and I have read a great deal of U.S. history
The author is a great fan of Washington and clearly makes the case he is truly the Father of Our Country. He is also therefore one of the greatest men in history because of the importance of the U.S. in the successful development of a prosperous world and the winning of two world wars which would otherwise have led to disaster. Without Washington there might well have been no U.S. to save the world twice.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. At first I thought it would be about the battles and long reviews of battle strategies. Instead it turned out to be about things that happened during the war especially in the winter camps that forged ideas about how things in government should be done. What Washington had to do in those camps - deal with Congress, governors, soldiers, communities, foreign diplomats that gave him the basis to handle those jobs as president and to create long lasting precedents that presidents still use today.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book written by a well informed historian!

[Matthew Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book describing the Revolutionary War and the battles fought; this is not it. Bruce Chadwick has written a very detailed account on the behind the scenes administration of an army that always seemed on the brink of collapse. Washington honed many skills while a general of the Continental Army that would set the precedent for the future leadership he exhibited as first President of the United States. The winters and hardships are incredibly detailed with many facts not previously known. You can follow the rise of America’s first great leader seamlessly and smoothly from the beginning to the end. A must read for historical fans of the American Revolution era. Highly recommend!

[Duane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing. It was poorly organized, boring, and breaks absolutely no new ground. The author clearly did a lot of solid original research, but the result was a book that shows minute and very, very repetitive detail about administering winter camps, but very little about the actual winning of the war. Because the text seems to follow the research, we get chapters in no clear order and no sense of what was at stake or how the war really progressed. Except that Washington was awesome!
All punctuated by his repeated praise of his subject and attribution of Washington as President and of the Presidency itself as all somehow a result of Washington's wartime experience.

There are plenty of good books to read about Washington. Don't waste your time on this one.

[Elderberrywine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book and an amazing man.

I thought I knew my Am. History 101, but this was eye-opening. I especially was interested in how his experiences as General informed his idea of what the job of a President needed to be.

So many intriguing tidbits, such as the fact that he was, at the end of the day, a farmer, which gave him the edge time and time again. He always knew when snow was coming, when the roads would ice over. Something regarding which the British generals were, of course, clueless. Worked out to his advantage time and time again.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in parallel with Ron Chernow's "Washington", which may have contributed to the lower rating. Unpolished writing, some seeming contradictions, and a general sense of being a sub-par biography.

[Heather Blair]

DNF. Started good but by 10% the constant contradictions started getting to me.

[Katie Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to educate myself about the history of America, particularly the founding fathers. I was expecting it to be a history of the Revolutionary War. I was wrong, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of recounting battles on the field, Chadwick analyzes battles off the field, especially during the hard winters of the Revolutionary War, and outlines how how Washington dealt with the challenges posed by starvation, exposure, epidemics, unfriendly civilians, and a unresponsive Congress helped shaped him into the first President of America.

I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot. The only criticisms I have are that Chadwick LOVES Washington (although it's hard not to) and therefore the book read as a bit biased, and that it is a bit repetitive as it seems he was dealing with the same issues and learning the same lessons over and over.

[Evan Sobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this was an informative book that gave a lot of insight behind a man up until this point and unfortunately did not know much about. It talked about some things about the Revolutionary War that I didn't know and I'm now looking forward to reading more about this crucial time in the history of this country.

[Brad Hart · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a pathetic book! I have read two books by Bruce Chadwick, which is enough to last a lifetime. I have no idea how this moron got published. I would NEVER reccomend any of his books to anyone. They are not even worthy of toilet paper!

[Leeann Toone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It had family history and personal information about George Washington. Instead of giving a battle by battle review of the war, Chadwick showed how specific experiences shaped George Washington as a General and our first President.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great way to learn about the fascinating skills George Washington possessed. He was a very well-rounded leader, community builder, and motivator. The book describes his campaign through the Revolutionary Way in a very interesting manner, it's fun to read.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives interesting insight into the mind, habits, stategy and work ethic of the Commander and Chief George Washington during the eight years of the revolutionary war.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better histories of Washington's role in the Revolutionary War. Convincingly argues that without Washington, we would very likely still be an English colony today. Absorbing read!

[Kannon Brockert-Kress · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite account of our nations first leader

[Lisa Collibee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, some great facts...unecessarily repetetive, however.

[Jen Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insights into leadership, democracy, and the Enlightenment