The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (The Revolution Trilogy Book 1)

by Rick Atkinson

rifleman captured at Quebec and shipped in chains to England had just escaped and then made his way home with documents hidden in his waistband that confirmed reports of Britain hiring thousands of German mercenaries to fight in America this summer. But all in all, Washington had reason to consider his trip to Philadelphia a success. Congress had lauded his achievement in Massachusetts and affirmed his plan for defending New York. He intended to further strengthen fortifications in Brooklyn and secure the East River while building fire rafts and row galleys to safeguard the Hudson. On the assumption that Britain would fling 10,000 men against Ticonderoga and 12,500 at New York, American commanders would be reinforced to provide a two-to-one advantage—20,000 men for the Northern Army and 25,000 for Washington’s force. The colonies were to provide another 30,000 militiamen, a third of whom would form a strategic