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Washington's Crossing  By  cover art

Washington's Crossing

By: David Hackett Fischer
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
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Editorial reviews

Why You Should Download This Audiobook: Many of us know Washington's river crossing simply as an image. David Hackett Fischer brings the image to life, exploring this iconic moment in American history with great insight and enthusiasm, so that we understand its importance to the events Washington was confronting at the time and its influence in inspiring the nascent republic from that moment on.

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, History, 2005

This New York Times best seller is a thrilling account of one of the most pivotal moments in United States history. Six months after the Declaration of Independence, America was nearly defeated. Then on Christmas night, George Washington led his men across the Delaware River to destroy the Hessians at Trenton. A week later Americans held off a counterattack, and in a brilliant tactical move, Washington crept behind the British army to win another victory. The momentum had reversed.

The “Pivotal Moments in American History” series seeks to unite the old and the new history, combining the insights and techniques of recent historiography with the power of traditional narrative. Each title has a strong narrative arc with drama, irony, suspense, and – most importantly – great characters who embody the human dimension of historical events. The general editors of “Pivotal Moments” are not just historians; they are popular writers themselves, and, in two cases, Pulitzer Prize winners: David Hackett Fischer, James M. McPherson, and David Greenberg. We hope you like your American History served up with verve, wit, and an eye for the telling detail!

©2004 David Hackett Fischer (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

  • Pulitzer Prize Winner, History, 2005

"An impeccably researched, brilliantly executed military history." (Publishers Weekly)
"An eminent, readable historian, Fischer here delivers an outstanding analytical narrative....Fischer's exhaustive research, right down to the Americans' collection of supplies, captures the utter precariousness of the Americans' situation. A must-read for military history fans." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Washington's Crossing

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Particularly Good Military History

This is an excellent book for both the military historian and Revolutionary War buff. The author does an excellent job telling the untold story of the events of late 1776 through 1777, shattering popular beliefs about what happened leading up to, and immediately following the attack at Trenton. If you're interested in New Jersey history you will find this work particularly appealing, as it chronicles most of the engagements fought here during the revolution.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, surprising details

"Washington's Crossing" is a great narrative and has plenty of surprises. I'm no expert on the American Revolution, but I've read three or four books on the subject, as well as a couple of biographies of George Washington; and I don't remember any that laid out the action of this part of the war, or the stakes for the colonies, as clearly as this book.

I knew in broad outlines how disastrous the summer and fall campaign of 1776 was for the Continentals. Washington lost Brooklyn, Manhattan, and most of New Jersey in one long, nearly continuous, retreat. But I didn't know a lot of the details: the atrocities committed by the British and Hessian soldiers in New Jersey; the activities of New Jerseyites in fighting back; the second battle of Trenton, with Washington facing off against Cornwallis (and making a brilliant night march around his flank to attack the garrison at Princeton). I never thought about the vast difference in the way British generals and Washington held councils of war, and what that meant for the future of the republic. It never occurred to me that the very different way British and Americans treated their prisoners was a key to what the Americans were fighting for, and a reason why they were successful. (Americans gave quarter. British and Hessians did not. In both cases it was a matter of principle.)

Fischer also does a remarkable job clarifying what made Washington such a good leader. He learned from his mistakes, and he learned fast; and he valued the opinions of his subordinates, and fought tirelessly for the comfort of his men. He may not have always led from the front - sometimes his subordinates refused to let him do so - but he would never have been caught miles behind the lines in the arms of a mistress.

The problem with the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, says Fischer, is that it makes Washington look Napoleonic; and there was never a general who led - not commanded - his army in a less Napoleonic manner.

Good narration from Nelson Runger. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Includes an interview of author by narrator that talks about a lot of the surprises Fischer himself encountered when researching the book.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

The author in this book does a great job of making the individual soldiers and leaders of the time come to life. The anecdotes the author uses, mostly or all from primary sources, make the people involved in the military campaign in New Jersey seem frighteningly like people you might meet today. It's a remarkable story, made all the more so by the author's narrative style, which is easy to follow, and doesn't assume much about your background knowledge of the era. This is far, far better than the hackneyed stuff of grade school textbooks.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply Great

This is a great book for anyone interested in the Revolutionary Era. It's well written and well read. I also agree with the earlier reviewer that head-to-head this book is better than 1776. However, the 2 books work very well together, since 1776 covers the Boston and NY campaigns in much greater depth. If you only read one, read Washington's Crossing. If you read both, start with 1776.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A well-read story of the Revolution

I grew up in northern NJ and from my early elementary years have had an interest in the Revolution. I've visited the site of the Crossing, read about it numerous times, etc., but this well-researched book fascinated me from beginning to end. The enjoyment of the book was enhanced because of my present living near Philadephia and being well-acquainted with the places mentioned. The author relies heavily on journal accounts and letters of soldiers of both sides and provides a compelling look at a series of battles that changed the course of the War.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Washington's heroic decision saves our country!

When you order this book, don't get discouraged by the slow pace and tedious details the author uses in the first third of the book to set up the last 2/3 of the book. It will be worth your investment in time. The action picks up and keeps going strong. You won't believe how close we came to losing our whole revolution until one man, George Washington, took a desperate situation by the horns and changed the entire future of our country in this one week in our history. The interview with the author at the end is very interesting too, although you will be glad he didn't choose to read his own book. The narrator lays on the accents a little thick, but otherwise does a passable job. Invest a few hours in a story that is better than any fiction from around this time.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

I cannot add much to what the other reviewers have written, except to cast my vote for a very well researched, perfectly narrated and extremely readable book. The author explains that while today we celebrate the glory of the year 1776, the Americans who lived it thought of it as terrible and anything BUT glorious. Listening transported me to that time.

I highly recommend this book. One of the best accounts of American history I have experienced.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

History that Lives and Breathes Today

“Washington's Crossing” by David Hackett Fischer is certainly one of the best books I have read this year. Originally, I had planned to read McCullough’s “1776” when a fellow reviewer put me on to this book. I am pleased to say that this book enjoys both excellent writing and fine narration.

Fischer has an uncanny ability to make his sources (many historical documents, letters, and journals) come alive as living stories. The writing is measured and without embellishment, nevertheless, I felt as if I were present during this crucial period in history. Fischer, who has walked the ground at Delaware and New Jersey, provides a sense of how the landscape played a role in the pivotal battles during the winder of 1776-77. I got a sense for the privations and many setbacks that the Continental Army faced and how the generals and foot soldiers pushed themselves to their limits (and beyond) for a cause they believed in.

Fischer, writing during 2003-04 provides perceptive examples regarding ruinous British behavior as occupiers of the Colonies. Stories of British infantry knocking down doors and thus making additional enemies of several neutral citizens provide eerie parallels to that of another occupying force. British Whigs devoted much energy to steering Britain towards reconciliation with the “insurgents,” while Loyalists felt that a campaign of “shock and awe” would cow the colonies back into line.

In the end, it was a reviving spirit of the importance of liberty that may have saved Washington’s army from disappearing completely after so many setbacks. The brilliant daring of Washington’s crossing into Trenton and the sweeping words of Thomas Paine brought out a vigorous militia during those most trying times. David Hackett Fischer deserves kudos for a fine work that not only describes the events, but helps us to better understand why they remain so important to us here and now.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent Story, Wrong Reader

This is a very detailed story of the fall campaign of 1776, the same territory covered in McCullough's excellent 1776 text.
Unfortunately, the reader, the usually reliable Nelson Runger, does a TERRIBLE job with this text. He tries to do German accents which are awful to listen to. He does this wierd booming voice thing for the voice of Washington. And he tries to make some words sound like their meanings (he says "LOOOOOming" for "looming" and shakes up his vocal chords for the word "violent"). I found it VERY hard to listen to. All I could think of was what a great job Edward Herrman would have done with this fascinating text.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must listen - one of the best

As an audiobooks history buff, I will say that Fischer's Washington's Crossing is one of the best listens I have encountered. In fact, I believe that this book is better heard than read, because some of the detailed asides might make for laborious reading, but are easily digested in the listening mode. This book dispels many myths about this event: the Hessians were not partying and drunk - they were on extreme alert and exhausted from it; the battle did not occur at night - but during the next day. The desperate situation of the Continental Army put the very survival of the revolution at great risk and we owe a lot to George Washington and a few thousand men who underwent extreme, unbelievable hardship to challenge British and Hessians troops that winter and spring. This is on of those books that can have a profound impact on the way you think about the United States and the legacy that we must live up to.

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7 people found this helpful