George Washington's military strategy has been called bumbling at worst and brilliant at best. So which is it? Was George Washington a strategic genius or just lucky? So asks Dave R. Palmer in George Washington's Military Genius. An updated edition of Palmer's earlier work The Way of the Fox, George Washington's Military Genius breaks down the American Revolution into four phases and analyzes Washington's strategy during each. "The British did not have to lose; the patriots did not have to triumph," writes Palmer as he proves without a doubt that Washington's continuously changing military tactics were deliberate, strategic responses to the various phases of the war and not the result of his lacking a plan of action. Confronting the critics who say Washington's battlefield success and ultimate victories were a function of luck, George Washington's Military Genius proves why Washington deserves the title of America's preeminent strategist. "Too often George Washington gets dismissed as little more than a bumbling but lucky military leader. Not so, says distinguished military historian Dave R. Palmer in his compelling volume. Palmer shows in convincing fashion how Washington showed courageous flexibility in formulating the strategy that would bring the rebellious Americans victory in their War for Independence. From beginning to end, George Washington's Military Genius makes for gripping reading…Highly recommended!" "Palmer, historian and former superintendent of West Point, makes a convincing case that America is free, united, and governed by civilians because of Washington's strategic foresight and tactical brilliance." "Dave Palmer rightly portrays General George Washington as a shrewd and effective commander-in-chief who understood better than anyone-American or British-the connection between political goals and military operations during the American Revolutionary War. Palmer's superb history is clearheaded and insightful-anyone interested in the art of war at the strategic level will find this thoughtful book indispensible." "Too many Americans-including scholars-downplay Washington's military leadership, implying he was just the right man at the right place. General Palmer demonstrates once and for all that Washington had a strategy to win the war, and the determination to survive against all odds."
