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In Review The Final Invasion: Plattsburg, the War of 1812's Most Decisive Battle The War of 1812 was really America's second war of independence. Fought against the British again, it was the first war for the new United States, still a fledgling republic not yet 40 years old. It was a complex and bitter war that did not enjoy unanimous popularity among Americans. Author David G. Fitz-Enz is a retired U.S. Army colonel, and he dramatically tells how a weak and divided United States defeated Britain's mighty army and navy, both fresh from victories in the Napoleonic wars in Europe. Although many battles were fought at sea, along the Atlantic coast, and in the western wilderness, the battles on land and water along the Canadian border in the northeast were the decisive conflicts. The land battle at Plattsburgh, N.Y., and the accompanying naval battle on Lake Champlain both occurred Sept. 14, 1814; together these two actions determined the outcome of the war. Fitz-Enz contends that the invasion of New York via Plattsburgh was England's main effort, with the war's primary goal being to sever New York and New England from the United States and absorb them into British Canada. All the other battles and campaigns, asserts Fitz-Enz, were diversions from the main effort coming out of Canada. The British invaded New York with an army of 15,000 veteran soldiers, the largest foreign army ever to invade the United States. Opposing the enemy, the Americans mustered a motley collection of just 5,000 regulars and militia at Plattsburgh. Fitz-Enz's research and vivid narrative tell of British bombast and confidence and American dithering and treason as the two forces maneuvered in New York. The American Army at Plattsburgh was nearly crushed by the British, but the naval battle on nearby Lake Champlain turned out to be the final struggle. The small British fleet was wiped out by the equally meager American fleet, ensuring American control of the waterway. The British army could not be sustained without control of Lake Champlain and had to retreat back into Canada. Fitz-Enz's portrayal of the land and naval actions is gripping, illustrating clearly how significant even small battles can be to the final outcome of a war. John Adams Already the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his stunning biography Truman (Simon & Schuster, 1992), historian David McCullough now presents his best-selling historical narrative on the life of John Adams, dubbed America's most sophisticated and talented student of government. The National Book Critics Circle has nominated John Adams for the best nonfiction book of 2001, and McCullough's work certainly is deserving of this recognition. This is his seventh book of historical biography, and it is probably his best effort. McCullough's research into Adams' private and public lives provides a richly colored portrait of one of America's founding fathers—not only a politician, revolutionary, diplomat, and intellectual but also an ardent supporter of American independence from Great Britain and a prominent signer of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams is an expansive biography written with grace and style. The book reveals the man through McCullough's lively narrative and the words of thousands of family letters exchanged between Adams and his beloved wife, Abigail, as well as cherished correspondence with other historical notables like Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Marshall. Born in 1735, Adams led a life of indelible triumph and enduring legacy as a Boston lawyer and farmer. As McCullough points out, Adams was both a patriot and a man of the law. It was Adams the lawyer who successfully defended British soldiers during their trial after the Boston Massacre in 1770. No other lawyer would take the case, and Adams felt the soldiers deserved a fair and competent defense—an unpopular stand in the eyes of the public. But Adams was a man of principle, unafraid and determined to do what was right, no matter the criticism or consequences. McCullough also tells of Adams' turbulent political and diplomatic life, first as a U.S. commissioner to France during the Revolutionary War, then as America's first ambassador to an unfriendly London after the war, and later as vice president under the nation's first president, George Washington. In 1797, Adams became the second president of the United States and served for four troubled years. War with France and Britain appeared likely, and although war fever was popular, Adams avoided any conflict, saying "Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war." He established America's first standing army and navy and created taxes to fund the country's defense. Woven throughout this marvelous biography are portrayals of Adams' relationships with his wife and children as well as his many friends, critics, and enemies. McCullough tells of the hot-and-cold friendship with Thomas Jefferson, what Adams really thought of George Washington, and how Alexander Hamilton betrayed Adams in the vicious perfidy of partisan politics. Adams loved his country, his family and friends, and all of life's experiences. He lived to see his son, John Quincy Adams, become the sixth president of the United States, and he died July 4, 1826, the same day as his friend Thomas Jefferson. He was a living example of the strength of the nation, believing "the preservation of liberty depends upon the intellectual and moral character of the people." How true. —Reviews by William D. Bushnell Member Books FICTIONEchoes In Time. By Capt. Thomas A. Davis, USN-Ret. Victories Lost. By Capt. Thomas A. Davis, USN-Ret. Humble in Victory. By Rear Adm. Peter B. Booth, USN-Ret. A Simple Mistake (Or: Is My Farce Red!?). By Maj. David S. Allen, USAF-Ret. Internal Invasion. By Gean B. Atkinson. NON-FICTIONShadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces. By Tom Clancy with Gen. Carl W. Stiner, USA-Ret., and Tony Koltz. A Trial Lawyer's Delight, For Now Top Secret. By Cmdr. William F. White, USNR-Ret. My Guardian Angel: A Pilot's Story from 1932 through 1963. By Maj. Ben R. Games, USAR-Ret. REFERENCEGetting It Together Before You Go: How to organize your life, estate, and personal wishes. By Barbara Zapotocky. Use Your Computer to Save Your Life: Young or Old Do It Now. By Lt. Col. Harland E. Carney, USA-Ret. 50 Secrets of Writing for Magazines. By Maj. Raymond G. Bronk, USAF-Ret. |
