George Washington, Staying in Character

This year at the Brigham City Library on the First Thursday of each month starting in October, we will be reading and discussing on the topic of "Founding Mothers and Fathers." This series of books is in preparation for the coming of a national exhibit on Alexander Hamilton.

One of the books we will be reading this year is "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer. Readers will again cheer American perseverance, inventiveness, and improvisation as Washington, his officers, and their men turn the early military defeats of Long Island and New York City into victory at Trenton and Princeton. The opening chapter is devoted to the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. Then the author discusses the British, Hessian, and American military units that were involved in these campaigns and gives background on their officers. This is Fischer's strong suit: he tells stories and gives details that bring history alive. He makes the point that decisions made for varying reasons by converging sets of people determine history. In the hands of such a thorough researcher and talented writer, this is powerful stuff. The bulk of the book deals with the battles and their aftermath. The text is enriched by small reproductions of portraits, many by Charles Willson Peale, of the major players. The last chapter summarizes Fischer's points and would make a good teaching tool by itself.

National Public Radio boardcast a story (listen to the story) about story told by Fischer in "Washington's Crossing". In 1777, Gen. George Washington and his troops faced British and Hessian soldiers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He issued a firm order that no matter how barbaric enemy armies might be, he would not abide any such behavior in his own troops.

The reading discussion series starts the first thursday in October and runs through August. This funding for this series is from the Utah Humanities Council and the Brighan City Library. The national exhibition called "Alexander Hamilton: the Man Who Made Modern America" starts May 1, 2008 and ends on June 14, 2008 and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.