SIMES~REBELLIOUS CONDUCT OF THE AMERICANS~1777

There was a day when the plausibility of Christianity was debated on a philosophical and metaphysical basis: Does God exist? Can a good God create and sustain a world marred by evil? Can peoples in all times and places take seriously the very particular claims made by and for Jesus Christ? Today Christianity is often challenged not from philosophy or metaphysics but from history. Rather than attack the supposed proofs of God's existence, skeptics of all sorts (college professors, journalists, members of ethnic minority groups, women, and especially Generation Xers) are more likely to point to slavery, patriarchalism, mistreatment of Native Americans and other historical examples of Christian oppression as evidence that Christianity is either misguided or untrustworthy. These revisionist views of U.S. history, most prominently developed in the proposed National Standards for United States History, have recently captured the attention of the wider American public via reports on Nightline and in the pages of Time and several national newspapers. In This Rebellious House historian Steven Keillor meets the new challenges head-on. Examining events in the United States from Columbus to Clinton, he first disabuses us of the notion that our nation has ever been a genuinely "Christian" one. Then he focuses in turn on various political, economic and cultural policies or events (the Civil War, westward expansion) that are now often cited to "disprove" or "debunk" Christianity. Relying on essential Christian assumptions and on the best of contemporary historical scholarship, he refutes each of these challenges with a provocative, compelling and robustly pro-Christian reading of U.S. history. Here is a significant new resource for historians, students, Christians and all citizens of conscience caught in the crossfire of our nation's current culture wars.

Release Date: April 01, 1993

“An American Bible is an extremely compelling piece of cultural history that succeeds in making rich rather than schematic sense of the major dramas that lay behind the production of over 1, 700 different American editions of the Bible in the century after the American Revolution. Gutjahr’s book is especially powerful in demonstrating how nineteenth-century efforts to purge the Bible of textual and translational impurities in search of an ‘authentic’ text led ironically to the emergence of entirely new gospels like the Book of Mormon and the massive fictionalized literature dealing with the life of Christ.”—Jay Fliegelman, Stanford UniversityDuring the first three-quarters of the nineteenth century, American publishing experienced unprecedented, exponential growth. An emerging market economy, widespread religious revival, educational reforms, and innovations in print technology worked together to create a culture increasingly formed and framed by the power of print. At the center of this new culture was the Bible, the book that has been called “the best seller” in American publishing history. Yet it is important to realize that the Bible in America was not a simple, uniform entity. First printed in the United States during the American Revolution, the Bible underwent many revisions, translations, and changes in format as different editors and publishers appropriated it to meet a wide range of changing ideological and economic demands.This book examines how many different constituencies (both secular and religious) fought to keep the Bible the preeminent text in the United States as the country’s print marketplace experienced explosive growth. The author shows how these heated battles had profound consequences for many American cultural practices and forms of printed material. By exploring how publishers, clergymen, politicians, educators, and lay persons met the threat that new printed material posed to the dominance of the Bible by changing both its form and its contents, the author reveals the causes and consequences of mutating God’s supposedly immutable Word.

Brandywine, Germantown, Valley Forge, Monmouth. These are some of the most famous locales of the Revolution, yet not one was the scene of an American victory. The Philadelphia campaign, which ran for well over a year from early 1777 to mid-summer 17778, is recognized as the high point of the Revolution. It was a campaign during which the British won almost every battle and gloriously seized their objective, the Colonial capital at Philadelphia, yet they were not able to win the war. Thanks to the fortitude and determination of leaders like Greene, Wayne, Morgan, Lafayette, Von Steuben, and especially George Washington, the brave American citizen soldiers refused to admit defeat and weathered the dark days of Valley Forge to emerge a more efficient fighting machine, determined to win the war no matter how long it took. Such was the patriotism of the Colonial troops who won their nation's independence from the professional soldiers and Hessian hirelings of King George.Military historian Dr. David G. Martin's The Philadelphia Campaign is a lively account of an epic period in American history. His narrative includes detailed strategic and tactical analyses of the movements of the general and their battles for the city of Philadelphia along with the story of hardships and trials of soldiers on both sides. What emerges is a story of courage, incompetence, tenacity, jealousy, and intrigue. The book is well illustrated with contemporary drawings and maps. A reader's guide provides a basis for further study and there is information about sites from the war which can still be seen today. Sidebars provide information on the period such as the leadership o both armies, the weapons they used, the role of African-Americans in the Revolutionary War, and the stories of heroines Lydia Darragh and Molly Pitcher.

Brandywine, Germantown, Valley Forge, Monmouth. These are some of the most famous locales of the Revolution, yet not one was the scene of an American victory. The Philadelphia campaign, which ran for well over a year from early 1777 to mid-summer 17778, is recognized as the high point of the Revolution. It was a campaign during which the British won almost every battle and gloriously seized their objective, the Colonial capital at Philadelphia, yet they were not able to win the war. Thanks to the fortitude and determination of leaders like Greene, Wayne, Morgan, Lafayette, Von Steuben, and especially George Washington, the brave American citizen soldiers refused to admit defeat and weathered the dark days of Valley Forge to emerge a more efficient fighting machine, determined to win the war no matter how long it took. Such was the patriotism of the Colonial troops who won their nation's independence from the professional soldiers and Hessian hirelings of King George.Military historian Dr. David G. Martin's The Philadelphia Campaign is a lively account of an epic period in American history. His narrative includes detailed strategic and tactical analyses of the movements of the general and their battles for the city of Philadelphia along with the story of hardships and trials of soldiers on both sides. What emerges is a story of courage, incompetence, tenacity, jealousy, and intrigue. The book is well illustrated with contemporary drawings and maps. A reader's guide provides a basis for further study and there is information about sites from the war which can still be seen today. Sidebars provide information on the period such as the leadership o both armies, the weapons they used, the role of African-Americans in the Revolutionary War, and the stories of heroines Lydia Darragh and Molly Pitcher.

1777June 30 - July 7: Fort Ticonderoga falls to a powerful advancing British army.September 11: General Washington and his Patriot army suffer a disastrous defeat at Brandywine, exposing the Colonial capital of Philadelphia to capture.September 12: John Burgoyne's invading British army confronts Horatio Gates' Patriots near Saratoga in upstate New York.The months-long Saratoga campaign was one of the most important military undertakings of the American Revolution, and John Luzader's impressive Saratoga: A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution, the first all-encompassing objective account of these pivotal months in American history, is now available in paperback.British General John Burgoyne assembled his command at St. Johns (Canada) in June 1777, an army consisting of numerous warships, a massive artillery train, and 7, 800 men including two large divisions of rested veteran British Regulars. Burgoyne intended to capture Albany, New York, wrest control of the vital Hudson River Valley from the colonists, carry a brutal war into the American interior, secure the Champlain-Hudson country, and make troops available for Sir William Howe's 1778 campaign.Initial colonial opposition was paltry by comparison: widely separated fixed positions, small garrisons and commands, and feuding American commanders. Burgoyne's primary opponent was General Horatio Gates, an ambitious and stubborn leader who eventually cobbled together some 8, 000 men, including Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan. The series of battles large and small that Gates and his lieutenants would engineer stunned the world and spun the colonial rebellion in an entirely different direction.The British offensive kicked off with a stunning victory at Fort Ticonderoga, followed by a sharp successful engagement at Hubbardton. More combat erupted at Fort Stanwix, Oriskany, and Bennington. However, serious supply problems dogged Burgoyne's column and assistance from General William Howe failed to materialize. Faced with hungry troops and a powerful gathering of American troops, Burgoyne decided to take the offensive by crossing to the west side of the Hudson River and moving against Gates. The complicated maneuvers and command frictions that followed sparked two major battles, one on September 19 at Freeman's Farm and the second on October 7 at Bemis Heights. Seared into the public consciousness as "the battle of Saratoga, " the engagements resulted in the humiliating defeat and ultimately the surrender of Burgoyne's entire army. The crushing British defeat boosted Patriot morale and prompted France to recognize the American colonies as an independent nation, declare war on England, and commit money, ships, arms, and men to the struggling rebellion.John Luzader's 'Saratoga: A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution', a Finalist in The Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Operational / Battle History, 2008, is the first complete study to combine the strategic, political, and tactical history of these complex operations into a single compelling account. Decades in the making, his sweeping prose relies almost exclusively upon original archival research and Luzader's own personal expertise with the challenging terrain. Complete with stunning original maps and photos, Luzader's Saratoga will take its place as one of the most important and illuminating military studies ever written.About the Author: A veteran of World War II and graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Texas, John Luzader worked for the U.S. Department of Defense as a research historian. Transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service, he conducted research for the preservation and interpretation of the Saratoga National Historic Park. Luzader planned and researched museum and outdoor exhibits for twelve national historical parks and served as the NPS's central history office staff historian for th

American fortunes were at a low point in the winter of 1777-78. The British had beaten the Continental Army at Brandywine and Germantown, seized the colonial capital of Philadelphia, and driven Washington's soldiers into barren Valley Forge. But, as Stephen Taaffe reveals, the Philadelphia Campaign marked a turning point in the American Revolution despite these setbacks. Occurring in the middle of the war in the heart of the colonies, this key but overlooked campaign dwarfed all others in the war in terms of numbers of combatants involved, battles fought, and casualties sustained. For the first time, British and American armies engaged out in the open on relatively equal terms. Although the British won all the major battles, they were unable to crush the rebellion. Taaffe presents a new narrative history of this campaign that took place not only in the hills and woods surrounding Philadelphia, but also in east central New Jersey and along the Delaware River. He uses the campaign to analyze British and American strategies, evaluate Washington's leadership, and assess the role of subordinate officers such as Nathanael Greene and Anthony Wayne. He also offers new insights into eighteenth-century warfare and shows how Washington transcended traditional military thinking to fashion a strategy that accommodated American social, political, and economic realities. During this campaign Washington came into his own as a commander of colonial forces and an astute military strategist, and Taaffe demonstrates that Washington used the fighting around Philadelphia as a proving ground for strategies that he applied later in the war. Taaffe also scrutinizes Washington's relationship with the militia, whose failure to carry out its missions contributed to the general's problems. Still, by enduring their losses and continuing to fight, the Americans exacted a heavy toll on Britain's resources, helped to convince France to enter the war, and put the redcoats on the defensive. As Taaffe shows, far from being inconclusive, the Philadelphia Campaign contributed more to American victory than the colonists recognized at the time.

A comprehensive look at the brutal wilderness war that secured America's independence . . . With Musket and Tomahawk is a vivid account of the American and British struggles in the sprawling wilderness region of the northeast during the Revolutionary War. Combining strategic, tactical, and personal detail, this book describes how the patriots of the recently organized Northern Army defeated England's massive onslaught of 1777, thereby all but ensuring America's independence. Conceived and launched by top-ranking British military leaders to shatter and suppress the revolting colonies, Britain's three-pronged thrust was meant to separate New England from the rest of the nascent nation along the line of the Hudson River. Thus divided, both the northern and southern colonies could have been defeated in detail, unable to provide mutual assistance against further attacks.Yet, despite intense planning and vast efforts, Britain's campaign resulted in disaster when General John Burgoyne, with 6, 000 soldiers, emerged from a woodline and surrendered his army to the Patriots at Saratoga in October 1777.Underneath the umbrella of Saratoga, countless battles and skirmishes were waged from the borders of Canada southward to Ticonderoga, Bennington, and West Point. Heroes on both sides were created by the score, though only one side proved victorious, amid a tapestry of madness, cruelty, and hardship in what can rightfully be called "the terrible Wilderness War of 1777."MICHAEL O. LOGUSZ has served in both the Regular and Reserve branches of the U.S. Army, most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007-08. He holds a B.A. from Oswego State College and an M.A. in Russian Studies from Hunter College in New York. The author of numerous articles and a previous book on WWII, Lt. Colonel Logusz has personally examined the ground of each battle he describes. He currently lives in Florida. REVIEWS "Logusz has a flair for vivid detail, whether describing the terror Colonists felt during Indian raids on their settlements or the chaos of battles in the unfamiliar wilderness."--Library Journal

1777June 30 - July 7: Fort Ticonderoga falls to a powerful advancing British army.September 11: General Washington and his Patriot army suffer a disastrous defeat at Brandywine, exposing the Colonial capital of Philadelphia to capture.September 12: John Burgoyne's invading British army confronts Horatio Gates' Patriots near Saratoga in upstate New York.The months-long Saratoga campaign was one of the most important military undertakings of the American Revolution, and John Luzader's impressive Saratoga: A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution, the first all-encompassing objective account of these pivotal months in American history, is now available in paperback.British General John Burgoyne assembled his command at St. Johns (Canada) in June 1777, an army consisting of numerous warships, a massive artillery train, and 7, 800 men including two large divisions of rested veteran British Regulars. Burgoyne intended to capture Albany, New York, wrest control of the vital Hudson River Valley from the colonists, carry a brutal war into the American interior, secure the Champlain-Hudson country, and make troops available for Sir William Howe's 1778 campaign.Initial colonial opposition was paltry by comparison: widely separated fixed positions, small garrisons and commands, and feuding American commanders. Burgoyne's primary opponent was General Horatio Gates, an ambitious and stubborn leader who eventually cobbled together some 8, 000 men, including Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan. The series of battles large and small that Gates and his lieutenants would engineer stunned the world and spun the colonial rebellion in an entirely different direction.The British offensive kicked off with a stunning victory at Fort Ticonderoga, followed by a sharp successful engagement at Hubbardton. More combat erupted at Fort Stanwix, Oriskany, and Bennington. However, serious supply problems dogged Burgoyne's column and assistance from General William Howe failed to materialize. Faced with hungry troops and a powerful gathering of American troops, Burgoyne decided to take the offensive by crossing to the west side of the Hudson River and moving against Gates. The complicated maneuvers and command frictions that followed sparked two major battles, one on September 19 at Freeman's Farm and the second on October 7 at Bemis Heights. Seared into the public consciousness as "the battle of Saratoga, " the engagements resulted in the humiliating defeat and ultimately the surrender of Burgoyne's entire army. The crushing British defeat boosted Patriot morale and prompted France to recognize the American colonies as an independent nation, declare war on England, and commit money, ships, arms, and men to the struggling rebellion.John Luzader's 'Saratoga: A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution', a Finalist in The Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Operational / Battle History, 2008, is the first complete study to combine the strategic, political, and tactical history of these complex operations into a single compelling account. Decades in the making, his sweeping prose relies almost exclusively upon original archival research and Luzader's own personal expertise with the challenging terrain. Complete with stunning original maps and photos, Luzader's Saratoga will take its place as one of the most important and illuminating military studies ever written.About the Author: A veteran of World War II and graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Texas, John Luzader worked for the U.S. Department of Defense as a research historian. Transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service, he conducted research for the preservation and interpretation of the Saratoga National Historic Park. Luzader planned and researched museum and outdoor exhibits for twelve national historical parks and served as the NPS's central history office staff historian for th

Ending with the fall of the capital city to the British Army, the campaign for Philadelphia set in motion a series of events, that led to the defeat of the British and eventual independence for the emerging American nation.From the landing of Howe's army at the head of the Elk River in Maryland, to his eventual capture of Philadelphia, the campaign included some fascinating battles. The first engagement at Brandywine, the inconclusive battle of the Clouds, the controversial Paoli Massacre, the missed opportunity at Germantown, and the maturing of an army at Valley Forge, are all examined in detail by Justin Clement, with supporting maps, original artwork, and photographs.Recently discovered information about the battle of Brandywine and analysis of the major personalities involved, completes this comprehensive account of an important episode in the American War of Independence (1775-1783).