Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence

by John Ferling

In some respects, Clinton was the most capable of Britain’s generals in America in 1776. He was industrious, meditative, and prudent, and his ability to see the big picture was unsurpassed, leading many to regard him as the best strategic planner on the British side. But he was not without limitations. He lacked self-confidence and was never popular with those he commanded. Touchy, suspicious, quarrelsome, and often acerbic, he was utterly incapable of making friendships. Today he would be called a loner—Clinton characterized himself as “a shy bitch,” his most memorable, and perplexing, stab at self-analysis—and he seemed happiest when given the solitude to study nature and play the violin. Clinton was alone and lonely when he returned to America at the outset of the war. His wife of five years had died in 1772 delivering her fifth child. It was a catastrophic blow from which he never recovered, and resulted in a grief so deep and prolonged that some of his associates thought it aberrant.17