Ken Burns Documentary Review: The American Revolution

  This is a Ken Burns Documentary in six two-hour episodes.  Directed by Sarah Bolstein, Ken Burns and David P. Schmidt and narrated by Peter Coyote.  The movie goes through the history of the Revolutionary War, starting around Boston which is were the first shots were fired.  Episode One  In Order to be Free (May 1754-May 1755)   The first section takes us through the problems in Boston and the Boston Tea Party.  The pamphlets that were written fomenting the idea of rebellion.  It includes the Boston Massacre where a Black man, Crispus Attucks became one of the first to do at the hands of the British.  The first episode ends with the "shot heard around the world" at Lexington and Concord.  Episode Two  An Asylum for Mankind: (May 1775- July 1776)  This episode begins with the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was a British victory, but showed that the Americans could fight against British regulars.  George Washinton is given the job of general by the congress.  The episode ends with the Declaration of Independence.  Episode Three  The Times that Try Mens Souls (July 1776-January 1777)  In this episode Washington loses a series of battles for New York.  He retreats to Pennsylvania, but Christmas day 1776 he crosses the Delaware and attacks the Britis (Prussians) at Trenton New Jersey.  Episode Four Conquer by a Drawn Game (January 1777- February 1778)  In this episode Washington struggles to keep the British from taking Philadelphia.  He loses a battle at Brandywine and has to flee and is unable to defend Philadelphia.  He is able to get away.  However up north an invading army coming down the Hudson is repelled at Saratoga.  The U.S. gets a major victory.  They also pass the Articles of Confederation letting the world know they are serious.  This allows the French to enter the war.  Washington at the same time realizes that as long as he survives to fight another day, eventually the  colonies will win their independence.  Episode Five The Soul of All America (December 1777-May 1789)  The Revolutionary War moved from the north to the south.   The British use their shipping advantage and head to Charleston, South Carolina.  The met with success, and had to abandon most of their gains in the north, except they still held New York.  Washington orders people to wage unrelenting war against Native Americans who had fought with the British.  As such the confederate tribes were greatly hurt.  Episode Six The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780-onward)  Cornwallis is assigned as the commander of British forces in the south.   He is able to subdue most of South Carolina, but some of his subordinates are too brutal, consequently the American militia forces grow.  One of the most. rutal commanders was Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.  Knowing he was a rash commander, the commander of the American forces Brigadier General Daniel Morgan.  He asked the militia to fire two rounds, before leaving to set up behind the Continental regulars.  This the did, but when they left Tarleton interpreted this as their retreating.  He rushed in too quickly, leaving no reserve.  The British hit subsequent lines of soldiers who were hidden behind hills.  As a result the Americans won a significant victory and caused serious damage to Cornwallis' forces.  Cornwallis turned north to Yorktown.  Here Washington and the french were able to trap Cornwallis.  His surrender lead to the end of the war.

This documentary has few underlying themes in addition to the narrative of the revolutional War.  These ae discussing the treatment of the Native Americans, another is the treatment of African Slaves.  The British had freed some of them, even though they might have slave owners.  Many of these went north to Nova Scotia after the war.  They weren't welcome there so the headed to Sierra Leone and established Freetown.  Another theme is the conflicts between Loyalists (those still loyal to Britain) and the Americans.  There was some very harsh treatment back and forth.  Both sides committed some atrocities.  The war was not pretty.  The subject of Benedict Arnold came up.  He at times was Washington's most trustd general.  He was significant in the Battle of Saratoga.  However he also betrayed his country.  He had plans to hand over west Point.  These were discovered, but he fled to the British before he could be captured.  

This series is quite an investment in time.  Six episodes and two hours each.  At times my mind wondered but the story is fascinating, and this war was much more brutal than I would have imagined.  

Magazine Article Review: The Haunting of Young George Washington.

 The Haunting of Young George Washington; Celebrating America at 250 by David L. Preston, photographs by Sally Maxson, Smithsonian, January/February 2026 pp 30-39, 110-111.

George Washington had a very close call when he was serving as a colonel during the French and Indian War.  November 12, 1758 Washington was leading his men in support of a group of men that the general had already sent to route a group of French with Native American support.  Because the sound of battle was so loud, General John Forbes sent Washington and his men forward in support.  However when the two units approached each other, the men became confused, thinking they were approaching the enemy.  A fire fight ensued.  When Washington noticed what was happening he came forward trying to intervene.  He ordered his men to stop shooting and was batting his men's guns upward with his sword.  Before the melee ended 16 soldiers had been killed and over 20 more were wounded.  

This was at Fort Ligonier aka Fort Loyalhana.  The result of the battle was a route of the French and Indians with prisoners taken.  The fort has been restored and studies ongoing to determine where exactly the friendly fire skirmish took pace.  Washington himself was in the line of fire, and this event had a profound effect on him.  

BOOK REVIEW: THE CROSSING

The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution by Jim Murphy, Scholastic Press, New York, 2010.

This book not only covers the crossing of the Delaware, and the Battle of Trenton it gives a brief summary of the military career of George Washington, and why he was the commander of the U.S. forces, as well as a history of the Revolutionary War up to that point.  This includes the failures in New York, and then the wintering at Valley Forge.  A victory was badly needed, and it was obtained by stealth at Trenton.  Although the stirring painting with Washington standing is probably unrealistic, it does catch the mood at the time.  It also includes an African American rower.
        Washington would later recross the river, establish himself on higher ground and wait for Cornwallis to advance with the British.  Washington only had 3300 men as a third of his men had left service when they time commitment was up.  However sharpshooters were able to slow the advance of Cornwallis and his much larger force while Washington and his men dug themselves in.  swollen rivers and fighting from behind entrenched positions the American forces were able to hold the British at bay.
    Then during the night the Americans snuck away to attack Princeton, the British base.  This resulted in some very intense fighting, and if nothing more a great moral victory for the Americans.  The Americans were able to leave the scene of battle.  After this the British only maintained token forces in New Jersey.  The moral booster for the American side lead to greater recruiting, and shortly there were 17,000 men in Washington's command. 
This book is very enjoyable.  It is written at a youth level but is still very good.

Chapter Review: Why Did Benedict Arnold Turn Traitor?

Unsolved Mysteries of American History by Paul Aron, Barnes and Noble Books, New York, 1997.
In the case of Benedict Arnold the primary motivation was greed.  Arnold had other grievances.  In fact he had been court marshaled, but cleared on most counts, however he had begun communicating with the British before this.  He also felt slighted in many instances.  He had directed several American military successes before joining the British.  However his major reason for turning was money.  He had a new wife he needed to support, and offered to surrender West Point to the British for money.   However the British officer with whom he was communicating was found out, and in turn so was Arnold.  The officer was hung, but Arnold escaped, leading troops for the British and eventually returning to England.  George Washington had given orders that Arnold was to be hung if caught.

Article Review: the Washington Hypothesis

This article appears in the LDS Living magazine July/August 2016 and is based on a book by the same name by Timothy Ballard.  After reading the article, I was thinking I should seek out the book.  The article is interesting as it documents a few things about George Washington I did not know.  First is an incident in the French an Indian War.  It seems the unit in which Washington was fighting was ambushed.  In all rights Washington should have been killed.  Later a chief visited Washington and proclaimed that the great Spirit protected him, because he attempted to shoot him several times, but could not do so.   He had experience in bringing squirrels out of trees, but could not hit Washington.  Of this even Washington later wrote, "I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me and yet escaped unhurt."  It is as if the Lord had a work for Washington to accomplish.  This article also talks about a day of fasting, and Washington insist that the country and his soldiers live in such a way as to deserve the providence of the Lord.  Without that providence, Washington and his army would have been captured on Long Island.  However a fortunate wind kept the British ships at bay, so he and his troops could cross the East River into Manhattan.  This move was not accomplished during the night as hoped.  However, the next day a thick fog come up on the river and provided the cover they needed.  Somehow the fog was not present on Manhattan, but it was thick on the river.
I am aware of George Washington praying at Valley Forge.  However of these bits of history I was not aware.

Movie Review: ***^The Crossing

This is the crossing of the Delaware by the troops of George Washington on Christmas of 1776.  This movie is a made for t.v. movie and stares Jeff Daniels as General Washington.  I must admit I had not realized how desperate the plight of General Washington was at the time.  He had just barely escaped into Pennsylvania as he retreated form New York, and had put the Delaware River between he and the pursuing British, supported by Hessian mercenaries.  He had gone into winter quarters at Valley Forge, and everyone expected him to sit out the winter there.  However the British were just waiting for the river to freeze over so they could continue their pursuit.  At this time there were 20,000 British, compared with Washington's 2000, who were poorly armed, and lacked munitions and food.  It was a desperate time, and in short, the fate of the federal army depended on the outcome of this battle.

General Washington was able to keep his movements a secret from the Hessian forces at Trenton, and they did catch them by surprise Christmas morning.  The result was the elimination of a force of 1200, with 300 killed and 900 captured, with no casualties on the par of the federals.  It was truly a miracle, and the cannon and arms taken from the fort there, resupplied the federal forces, so they could live and fight another day.  Never would the federal forces be as depleted again.  Even though the was would continue for seven more years, this was a turning point that changed history.

I enjoyed this movie, but I love history, as well as love to watch Jeff Daniels act.  It was fun the play he had with his generals as well.