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

Beginning with the overpowering British invasion of New York in 1776, this fascinating history traces the painful education of George Washington and his amateur army in the realities of war against the most powerful military power of its time. After stumbling from one catastrophe to another, Washington’s dramatic crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day 1776 saved the Revolution. The book shows an inspiring leader becoming a wiser commander while forging his ragtag army into a tough, resilient force at Valley Forge, where they trained under the discipline of a hard-bitten Prussian taskmaster.

John Buchanan (New York, NY), a former archivist at Cornell University and former chief registrar of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the author of The Road to Guilford Courthouse (0-471-32716-6) and Jackson’s Way (0-471-44575-4).