General George Washington: A Military Life
by Edward G. Lengel
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1400060818
- ISBN 13
- 9781400060818
- Seller
-
Henrico, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
Much has been written in the past two centuries about George Washington the statesman and "father of his country." Less often discussed is Washington's military career, including his exploits as a young officer and his performance as the Revolutionary War commander in chief. Now, in a revealing work of historical biography, Edward Lengel has written the definitive account of George Washington the soldier.Based largely on Washington's personal papers, this engrossing book paints a vivid, factual portrait of a man to whom lore and legend so tenaciously cling. To Lengel, Washington was the imperfect commander. Washington possessed no great tactical ingenuity, and his acknowledged "brilliance in retreat" only demonstrates the role luck plays in the fortunes of all great men. He was not an enlisted man's leader; he made a point of never mingling with his troops. He was not an especially creative military thinker; he fought largely by the book. He was not a professional, but a citizen soldier, who, at a time when warfare demanded that armies maneuver efficiently in precise formation, had little practical training handling men in combat. Yet despite his flaws, Washington was a remarkable figure, a true man of the moment, a leader who possessed a clear strategic, national, and continental vision, and who inspired complete loyalty from his fellow revolutionaries, officers, and enlisted men. America could never have won freedom without him.A trained surveyor, Washington mastered topography and used his superior knowledge of battlegrounds to maximum effect. He appreciated the importance of good allies in times of crisis, and understood well the benefits of coordination of ground and naval forces. Like the American nation itself, he was a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts--a remarkable everyman whose acts determined the course of history. Lengel argues that Washington's excellence was in his completeness, in how he united the military, political, and personal skills necessary to lead a nation in war and peace. At once informative and engaging, and filled with some eye-opening revelations about Washington, the war for American independence, and the very nature of military command, General George Washington is a book that reintroduces readers to a figure many think they already know.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Book People (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 44319
- Title
- General George Washington: A Military Life
- Author
- Edward G. Lengel
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 1400060818
- ISBN 13
- 9781400060818
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- June 2005
- Pages
- 450
Terms of Sale
Book People
About the Seller
Book People
About Book People
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Book People founder Ruth Erb first opened the store at an earlier incarnation of the Willow Lawn shopping center. Because she loved books, loved working with people, and wanted to combine the two, she called her new store Book People. In 1986, Erb moved the store to Granite Avenue in the Westhampton part of Richmond, where it did a brisk business. Former store employee David Shuman purchased Book People from Erb in 2018, and he has recently relocated the store to larger quarters in the Gleneagles shopping center in western Henrico.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...