THIS GLORIOUS STRUGGLE

George Washington's Revolutionary War Letters

  It’s rare that you find a history book that makes you say “Wow” but that’s what I found myself saying over and over again as I read through This Glorious Struggle: George Washington’s Revolutionary War Letters. The “Wow” factor is from how illuminating, gripping and intriguing the letters are. You come to feel you are hearing the General who would become “Father of his Country” directly and seeing the man and his motivations clearly for the first time. These letters hold the passion, the character and the struggles of not only Washington but the entire contest for Liberty that was the Revolutionary War.

    The Author, Edward G Lengel is not just another historian out to find a new angle or redefine Washington in his own image. Lengel is on the staff of The Washington Papers that is methodically cataloging the correspondence of G.W. (somewhere around 140,000 letters) at the University of Virginia. Rather than giving us a dry or over scholarly record of writings, Lengel has managed to organize the letters so they read like a story. He adds very only very brief setups that precede each letter, giving us context without getting in the way of our own discovery of their amazing content. His achievement is extraordinary.

    We learn a lot when we read history. There are lessons in the history itself of course and for good or for ill we tend to learn a lot about the authors of history books when we read their work. In great history books we learn something about a time past and something about our present and perhaps our future. In reading This Glorious Struggle I was overwhelmed by the idea that as we have increased our speed and modes of communication, we have lost the ability to think and maybe even to communicate great thoughts. Washington was not known as the greatest thinker or writer of his time, yet his letters show a depth of thought, introspection and far reaching vision that becomes positively shocking as they pour off the page. We have this rich vein of history to mine because people used to put down their thoughts carefully on paper, maybe even craft them through multiple drafts. I can say with certitude that I have never received an e-mail or read a blog that can compare to some of the most simple letters Washington sent out on a regular basis. It causes me to wonder what we will leave for future generations to read? Is our ease of communication taking a toll on the quality of our communication?

     This Glorious Struggle is a fascinating, fantastic read and really a must read for anyone who wants to better understand Washington and the Revolutionary War.