General William Maxwell and the New Jersey Continentals

Subjects:

• History » American History -- Colonial Era
• Military Studies » Military History

Awards:

• Cincinnati History Prize

Reviews:

• Ward sees in Maxwell's independent commands distinctive performance and supports that contention with comments and evaluations from Maxwell's fellows. Ward presents the contrary evidence usually found in debates on performance under fire. Ward has seized a proper place for Maxwell and guaranteed it with a biography scarcely to be duplicated or superseded. General William Maxwell and the New Jersey Continentials belongs in public and academic libraries throughout America. College students will find in Ward's work the story of an American hero and a guide to sound historical research. Despite the college-level narrative, advanced high school students can meet the worthwhile challegene. Like Maxwell the general, Maxwell the biography is unshakable.
  —Business Library Review
• Harry M. Ward fills that void and in the process documents the experiences of a brigade commander in the Continental Army. Biographies of individual commanders have always been a constituent part of military history, but Ward offers more....Ward does a good job describing the Revolution thoufh the eyes of Maxwell....The author clearly describes the constant skirmishing of the "Forage War of 1777"....The research is extensive, as the copious notes indicate....His character as an officer who did not hunt glory, who took care of his soldiers, and who participated in most of the campaigns in the northern states makes him worthy of a biography, and Harry Ward has filled that need well.
  —William and MAry Quarterly
• Harry Ward has written a book full of vivid details about a good soldier who made important contributions to the struggle for liberty.
  —American Revolution Roundtable Newsletter
• Primarily of interest to military scholars and one of the series "Contributions in Military Studies," this new biography fills a gap in the study of operations and administration at the brigade level during the Revolutionary War and sheds light on the abilities and failings of one of its lesser-known generals.
  —??

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Illustrations
• The Early Years
• Michilimackinac
• Rebel in Arms
• Canadian Counteroffensive
• From Ticonderoga to Morristown
• "Nest of American Hornets"
• "Damned Bitch of a General"
• Flight from Victory
• Valley Forge
• Monmouth and Northeastern New Jersey
• Civil and Military Discord
• "Expedition Against the Savages"
• Stressful Interlude
• New Jersey Triumph
• "Pure and Disinterested Principles"
• A Veteran's Return
• Abbreviations
• Notes
• Bibliography of Unpublished Sources