Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence

Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence. Joseph J. Ellis. New York: Vintage Books, 2013. 265 pages. $15.95 (paperback).Revolutionary Summer presents us with the crescendo moment of American history: the months of May through October 1776 in all their confusion, uncertainty, defeat, and courage. A more conventional treatment of 1776 would include the stirring climax of the battles of Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey. Instead, this book chooses to focus on the problems surmounted and lessons learned that would eventually lead to the outcome that now seems preordained, but was far from certain at the time. In some ways, it's like a book about the Pacific War before the battle of Midway, focusing on the lessons of the holding actions and defeats rather than on the eventual glorious comeback.This book often focuses on the actions and interactions of two of the prime movers of the time: statesman and polemicist John Adams, and General George Washington. Each in his own way and in his own arena was arguably the central figure of the drama. Independence probably would have occurred without them, but at a far different pace and possibly in an altered form.The earlier action at Bunker Hill had infused the colonists with an inflated sense of the relative merits of militiamen to professional soldiers. It wasn't until the Battles of New Orleans and Fredericksburg in later wars that generals finally learned the folly of a frontal attack on entrenched positions supported by artillery. Consequently, the colonists were apt to attribute their near success against daunting odds as proof of the superiority of their fighting spirit rather than as proof of their defensive position. This is hindsight, however; and this early battle success, combined with the forced British evacuation of Boston, contributed to a feeling of overconfidence that was soon to be dissipated. Washington considered making New York into one giant version of Bunker Hill, without fully realizing that the scope of the area made the project impossible. Defense works only when it can't be flanked.The growth of Washington as a person and as a commander is a central theme of the book. Washington's obsolescent sense of personal honor, where a leader's sensibilities can have profound affects upon his army and possibly even his country, almost led to disaster in a number of precarious situations. This code of honor was learned at birth in the home of every Virginia planter and was reinforced by Washington's early exposure to British military tradition during his battle experiences in the French and Indian War. …