One shining yet overlooked moment that changed the course of the Revolutionary War In the opening months of 1781; General George Washington feared his army would fail to survive another campaign season. The spring and summer only served to reinforce his despair; but in late summer the changing circumstances of war presented a once-in-a-war opportunity for a French armada to hold off the mighty British navy while his own troops with French reinforcements drove Lord Cornwallis's forces to the Chesapeake. The Battle of the Capes would prove the only time the French ever fought the Royal Navy to a draw; and for the British army it was a catastrophe. Cornwallis confidently retreated to Yorktown; expecting to be evacuated by a British fleet that never arrived. In the end he had no choice but to surrender. Although the war sputtered on another two years; its outcome was never in doubt after Yorktown. General Washington's Great Gamble is the story of the greatest naval engagement of the American Revolution. It is also a study in leadership; good and bad; political machinations and the wild; unpredictable circumstances that led to the extraordinary confluence of military and naval resources at that time and place. Topics include: Looking South; Sea Power for the General; Arnold; Copper Bottoms; Head of Elk; The Battle of Cape Henry; An Attempt to Conquer Virginia; Greene and Cornwallis: Looking North; The American Command; The Battle of Guilford Courthouse; Pyrrhic Victory; Reinforcing the Chesapeake; "[T]he enemy have turned so much of their attention to the Southern States..."; The Battle of Blandford; The British War at Sea; Juncture; "I am inclined to think well of York..."; The Promise of a Fleet; The Battle of Green Springs; The March on New York; An Operation to the Southward; The Arrival of De Grasse; The Battle of the Capes;Cornwallis Surrenders
#3557190 in Books Routledge 2001-10-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .58 x 6.00l; .80 #File Name: 071468242X224 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy bierhausserEXCELLENT BOOK.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great ReadingBy ViniciusIt is rich of facts and personal stories. It gives a very detailed description about the proxy war in Afghanistan. My best reading about Afghanistan because it fairly presented relevant description of the war from the three sides perspective; Russia; the USA and Afghanistan.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Strong and coherent treatmentBy Carter A. MalkasianEven though the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is often viewed as their Vietnam; there are suprisingly few books on the subject. The books that do exist often derive from the experiences of a particular journalist or soldier. While such books are extremely valuable; they do not provide an overall treatment of the war and its relevance to the wider world.Mark Galeotti provides a more historical and wider view of the war. He discusses the Soviet Union's involvement in the war and its effects on that country. He particularly addresses the argument that the war in Afghanistan was central to the fall of the Soviet Union. In pursuing this argument; a detailed and compelling analysis of the effects of the war upon the Soviet Union is provided.The major problem with the book is that at times it feels spotty. Galeotti sometimes exhaustively focuses on issues that are tangential to his argument; such as the role of Afghan veterans in Soviet/Russian society; while providing only adequate amounts of detail on the actual war in Afghanistan. The overall history of military operations is covered very briefly. In particular; analysis of military effectiveness focuses almost entirely on tactics and does not attempt a detailed appraisal of flaws/strengths in Soviet strategy.Nevertheless; this is a very strong book and certainly vital reading for understanding the importance of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
