The Strategy of Victory

"[A] giant of the literature of American history...Thomas Fleming has created a detailed account of the shifting strategic thinking of George Washington as the commander of the Continental Army...Expertly crafted...Entertaining."

"Fleming, who died last July after celebrating his 90th birthday, was the kind of writer who made other writers feel lazy and shiftless...This volume, composed near the end of his ninth decade, is a fitting capstone to a remarkable career...It is an idiosyncratic treatment which celebrates certain key events while passing over others with a quick wave of the pen. Yet it offers great pleasures...Fleming's prose shines."

"Fleming to his credit approaches strategy not from the abstract, theoretical perspective of some international relations scholars, but instead from the perspective of an historian analyzing facts and circumstances at specific times in specific places."

"Describing him as a 'thinking general,' Fleming follows Washington on the long campaign from north to south battling his own politicians almost as much as the Royal Army."

"There's a lot to like in Thomas Fleming's Strategy of Victory...The book abounds in interesting factoids."

"[A] fascinating military history from cover to cover, thoroughly accessible to lay readers and historians alike...Highly recommended especially for public and college library collections."

"An outstanding example of a short, comprehensive and original discussion of a complicated issue, distilling its essential points into a readable and fascinating tale."

"This is classic Fleming, lively and readable and unabashedly pro-George Washington and the American founding. Yet it illuminates the conflicts within the Revolution and debunks several cherished American myths at the same time."

"In a strong narrative, Fleming illustrates that Washington understood well the need to keep the Continental army alive versus seeking defeat of the British in decisive battle. For as long as the Continental army survived, the British could never claim victory...Fleming does a fine job of showing just how low 'the lows' were for Washington when he was defeated and how fleeting the highs could be."

"Fleming does a masterful job of depicting Washington as a general who learned from his mistakes and changed his strategy in the middle of the war...Fleming's book is an excellent analysis of Washington's expert handling of the American war effort during the American Revolution."

"There is something special about a book whose author is so at home with the characters and so steeped in the material that the story flows like a conversation between friends around a warm fire...The Strategy of Victory, sets the reader in that neighboring fireside chair...The author's clean, flowing style and his command of detail make The Strategy of Victory a pleasure to read...The Strategy ofVictory is a must-read for Revolutionary War buffs and is also an excellent introduction for those just discovering the subject. Draw up a chair beside the fire and listen to this masterful storyteller."

"Fleming's work is insightful. It gets right to the heart of Washington's actions in a passionate argument of his virtues as a leader. The author is a leading authority on Washington and this period of American history. His clear language and thoughtful ideas succeed in getting his message across and make this book a pleasure to read. It gives the reader an understanding of the reasons George Washington is considered the father of the United States."

"Fleming tells the story well....He emphasizes that Washington was an instinctively aggressive commander, and had to learn the hard way how to pursue an 'indirect' strategy."

"The Strategy of Victory provides a good summary of Washington's strategy and through it the birth of the Army...A quick and easy read."

"[A] concise military history of the American Revolution...Students of the war will find much that is informative to their greater understanding of the conflict."