The Road to Valley Forge: How Washington Built the Army That Won the Revolution

Acclaim for The Road to Valley Forge " Buchanan is a master of the historical narrative . . . a host of new insights into George Washington as a leader of men." – Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty!: The American Revolution " The Road to Valley Forge is an effective operational history, clearly written, judicious in its judgments and based on a careful look at the war from both sides." – Jeremy Black, author of War for America: The Fight for Independence, 1775— 1783 " John Buchanan skillfully guides us through 1776 and 1777, the two most critical years of the Revolutionary War for George Washington as commander in chief.With a gift for finding the apt quotation and the telling anecdote, the author traces the growth of Washington as a commanding general and the professional development of the Continental Army." – Don Higginbotham, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The Road to Valley Forge tells th whole story of Washington’ s growth from inexperienced backwoods general to true Commander in Chief of a professional fighting force. This warts-and-all portrait of America’ s greatest hero reveals a courageous and intelligent man struggling desperately to learn from his mistakes, forge a motley assortment of militiamen into a real army, and demonstrate to all of his fellow Americans that they could, indeed, become masters of their own destiny.