''Washington's Crossing'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book written by

David Hackett Fischer David Hackett Fischer (born December 2, 1935) is University Professor of History Emeritus at Brandeis University. Fischer's major works have covered topics ranging from large macroeconomic and cultural trends (''Albion's Seed,'' ''The Great Wave ( ...

and part of the "Pivotal Moments in American History" series. It is primarily about

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's leadership during the 1776 campaign of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, culminating with

George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River occurred on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against Hessian forces, whic ...

and the subsequent campaign, with the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American m ...

, the

Battle of the Assunpink Creek The Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, was a battle between American and British troops that took place in and around Trenton, New Jersey, on January 2, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, an ...

, and the

Battle of Princeton The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the comman ...

. The main theme of Fischer's book is the concept of contingency history, one major theory of history. Contingency history is the idea that people's decisions matter, and it is because of these decisions that certain events take place. Washington's decisions changed the course of the Revolutionary War and ultimately led the Continental Army to victory.

Organization

Fischer discusses the historical context of the crossing, including the crossing's precursors, the intensity of effort required to make the crossing itself, and the effects upon the outcome of the American Revolutionary War made possible by the success of the crossing and the brilliant exploitation. He follows up with more than 180 pages, divided into appendices, source citations, and acknowledgements. Using as his starting point, the famous painting " Washington Crossing the Delaware" by

Emmanuel Leutze Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (May 24, 1816July 18, 1868) was a German-American history painter best known for his 1851 painting '' Washington Crossing the Delaware''. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography Leutze was born ...

, Fischer continues through the shift in momentum resulting from this campaign. He shows that before the crossing, the British were intent upon attacking and defeating the revolutionaries. After the crossing and subsequent campaign, the British focused on being attacked. Fischer proceeds through the aftermath and finishes with a discussion of how a new, American way of fighting developed during the campaign surrounding the crossing, including an entrepreneurial spirit and a policy of humanity. The goal-oriented spirit still guides America's warfare: to win the war and then to return to everyday life with all dispatch. The Americans' policy of humanity to their defeated opponents was so attractive that large numbers of the Hessian enemy stayed in America, and more returned with their families following the war.

Acclaim

Fischer's work is admired as one of the most comprehensive books on the critical and suspenseful turning point of the American War of Independence. The book was published in February 2004 and it won the 2005

Pulitzer Prize for History The Pulitzer Prize for History, administered by Columbia University, is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished book about the history ...

References

External links

Presentation by Fischer on ''Washington's Crossing'', February 26, 2004
21st-century history books History books about the American Revolution Books about George Washington Oxford University Press books Pulitzer Prize for History-winning works Ambassador Book Award-winning works 2004 non-fiction books {{US-hist-book-stub

Organization

Acclaim

See also

References

External links