Pegasus Books
400 Pages
As I wind down with the George Washington books, I find that Washington took the brunt of several concerted efforts to undermine his leadership during the American Revolution. After the Conway Cabal and Horatio Gates’ efforts to neuter Washington’s power, yet another controversy reared it’s ugly head and threatened the ability to hold a standing army against the British. The Newburgh Conspiracy stemmed from a group of officers upset over pay and pensions. A Crisis of Peace by David Head explores this latest hindrance to Washington’s leadership.
After the victory at Yorktown, the war wasn’t over, but there was a lull in the fighting. The army was restless. Officers and enlisted men alike were afraid that the breakup of the Continental Army would mean that the back pay they were due would be surrendered. Fearful of losing money that they had been promised and any money going forward, they decided to petition Congress directly, bypassing the chain of command. It could have destroyed the fragile army, even after their huge victory over British forces at Yorktown.
Author David Head mostly dismisses the idea that the conspiracy was as widespread and as dangerous to Washington’s leadership as claimed by others. He did, however, feel that the unrest in the army could threaten the survival and legitimacy of the fledgling government. If they couldn’t pay promised wages, would they be able to govern? If they couldn’t control their own army, would they be able to be effective leaders for a new nation?
Ultimately, this book doesn’t really live up to its title. There is very little George Washington in this book. There is a lot about the struggles the new nation had paying for much of anything. Insolvency could have doomed the United States before it could even begin. That’s where the focus truly rests. George Washington is barely even corollary to the story as Head has written it.
What is left, David Head writes an engaging tale of a barely known aspect of American history. It gave me the impetus to want to learn more about what was happening in the waning days of the Revolution. I liked the way he wrote this book. It made me want to read more. I wish it had included more of Washington’s reactions to the conspiracy. This book doesn’t fit into my reading project at all. I will have to move onto the next book and hope for more Washington.
A Crisis of Peace by David Head might not fit into my reading project, but it was a pretty good piece of history. I would recommend it if you were looking for some history from the Revolutionary era. As part of any Presidential Reading Project that you may start, I wouldn’t include it. This has been a learning process and I’m still learning what to include and exclude. Still, this book is something worth reading.
Craig Bacon keeps reading as much as he can. John Adams will not take as long as George Washington did.
NEXT UP: To Rescue the Constitution by Bret Baier