Washington and His Comrades in Arms: A Chronicle of the War of Independence

George McKinnon Wrong / Allen JohnsonYale University Press1921

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Chapters: 14
Series: Chronicles of America Series

Summary

This book is the twelfth volume of the fifty-volume Chronicles of America Series published by Yale University Press, written by George McKinnon Wrong, professor of history at the University of Toronto, Canada, with Allen Johnson as editor-in-chief of the series. Taking the American War of Independence (1775–1783) as its narrative thread, the book centers on George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and the generals and soldiers under him, narrating chapter by chapter in the order of the campaigns: from the convening of the Second Continental Congress and Washington's appointment as commander-in-chief, it proceeds through the siege of Boston and the expedition to Quebec, the issuance of the Declaration of Independence, the successive loss of New York and Philadelphia, the victory at Saratoga—'the first great British disaster'—the harsh winter at Valley Forge and the retraining of the army, the alliance with France and its consequences, and the seesaw fighting in the South, up to the entry of French naval and land forces and the surrender at Yorktown. The author is himself British and states in the preface that it is somewhat 'presumptuous' for him to write of Washington from the perspective of a British subject; thus, besides narrating military decisions and personalities, the book has a certain detachment of outside observation and can be read alongside similar works by American scholars. The main text runs to more than 290 pages, with a bibliography and index; the prose is plain and fluent, making it a one-volume short military history of the War of Independence written for general readers in the early twentieth century.

Editor's review

这是一本“老派”却好读的独立战争军事简史。它的作者乔治·M·朗不是美国人，而是加拿大多伦多大学的历史学教授；他在序言中坦承，以一个英帝国臣民的身份来写华盛顿，多少有些“冒昧”。这份自觉反而成了全书的特色：他既充分承认华盛顿在极其困难的条件下维系军队、以持久战拖垮英军的功绩，也不时从英国一方的战略处境着眼，让读者看到战争另一侧的逻辑。全书十一章，从大陆会议上的那身军装一直讲到约克镇受降，章节划分几乎就是一份战役年表，脉络清楚，适合当作独立战争军事脉络的入门骨架。它属于耶鲁《美国编年史》五十卷本中的第十二卷，当年是写给普通读者看的历史普及读物，因此没有繁密的注释与考据，文字干净利落。今天读它，最有价值的地方不在于史料新，而在于一种叙事的分寸感：不神化统帅，也不把战争写成单纯的正义凯歌，而是始终关注补给、士气、天气、议会的犹疑与盟国的算计这些真正决定战局的具体因素。对希望从军事角度而非政治思想角度进入美国革命的中国读者，这是一块很好的敲门砖。

Who it's for

A good fit for

对美国独立战争、华盛顿生平感兴趣的入门读者
想从军事与战略角度理解美国革命而非政治思想史的人
阅读英文原版名著、希望兼顾历史知识的英语学习者
需要一份脉络清晰的独立战争战役年表的读者

Not a good fit for

希望读到最新学术成果与详尽考据的专业研究者
期待人物传记式细节、大量书信与私人生活描写者
只关注美国建国政治制度与宪法争论的读者

Reading tips

先读第一章与第十一章，抓住“受命—决胜”的主线，再回头补中间的战局演进
随手对照地图阅读，书中的波士顿、纽约、费城、萨拉托加、约克镇都值得在地图上定位
把它当作骨架，遇到感兴趣的人物或战役再去找现代研究专著扩充
英文原版用词老派但句式规整，可配合公版电子版对照纸质书阅读

About the publisher

Yale University Press

Public information on Yale University Press in our database is limited, and the existing entries mainly reflect its publishing focus on history and biography. The collection contains 15 titles covering chronicles of aboriginal America, the founding of the United States, the War of Independence, the Fathers of the Constitution, the age of invention, inland commerce, the Quaker colonies, and organized labor, mostly presented as chronicles and thematic histories. Representative authors include Ellsworth Huntington, Thomas R. Martin, Max Farrand, and Holland Thompson. Common categories involve world history, historical figures, and economics, with an overall emphasis on rigorous historical source work and narrative history writing.

Preface (Prefatory Note)
Chapter One: The Commander-in-Chief
Chapter Two: Boston and Quebec
Chapter Three: Independence
Chapter Four: The Loss of New York
Chapter Five: The Loss of Philadelphia
Chapter Six: The First Great British Disaster
Chapter Seven: Washington and His Comrades at Valley Forge
Chapter Eight: The Alliance with France and Its Results
Chapter Nine: The War in the South
Chapter Ten: France to the Rescue
Chapter Eleven: Yorktown
Bibliographical Note
Index

FAQ

这本书是一本小说吗？

不是。它是历史著作，属于耶鲁大学出版社《美国编年史》丛书第十二卷，副标题为“独立战争编年史”，内容是独立战争的军事史叙述。网络文库中的“英文名著大合集”只是把它归入英文经典读物，并不表示它是虚构作品。

作者是美国人吗？

不是。作者乔治·M·朗（1860—1948）是加拿大学者，长期任教于多伦多大学，是加拿大史学的重要人物。他在序言中特意说明，自己以英国臣民身份书写华盛顿，并认为这种外部视角对当时的读者并非无益。

这本书有中文译本吗？

目前未见正式出版的中文译本。国内读者通常以英文原版或公版电子书形式阅读，可通过古登堡计划（Project Gutenberg 编号 2704）免费获取全文。

书中内容截止到哪一年？

叙述主线止于1781年约克镇英军投降，这是独立战争中决定性的一役。全书按战事进程分十一章，末端另附参考书目说明与索引，并未系统延伸到1783年巴黎和约后的建国时期。

这套《美国编年史》一共有多少卷？

这套丛书由耶鲁大学出版社在二十世纪初陆续出版，共五十卷，由艾伦·约翰逊主编，邀请多位学者分撰。本书为其中的第十二卷，专门讲述独立战争的军事经过。各卷独立成书，可以不按顺序阅读。

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About the author

George McKinnon Wrong Author

George McKinnon Wrong is an author known chiefly for his historical writing. Publicly available information about his life and nationality is limited, and only one work under his name can be confirmed at present. That work is entitled Washington and His Comrades in Arms: A Chronicle of the War of Independence. Judging from its title and subject matter, it is a historical narrative about the American War of Independence, centered on Washington and his comrades-in-arms and their experiences during the war. The book is usually classified under history and world history, and its approach tends toward a chronicle-like popular narrative that traces the sequence of events and the activities of key figures rather than offering dense academic argument. Because the relevant materials are limited, further details of Wrong's life and background are difficult to set out, but this single work offers readers a figure- and campaign-driven path into the War of Independence and can serve as a sample of early popular historical writing in English.

Allen Johnson Author

Allen Johnson is an author about whose life relatively little is publicly known; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented. Two works can currently be confirmed, both in the field of history. Washington and His Comrades in Arms: A Chronicle of the War of Independence recounts the American Revolutionary War, centering on Washington and his fellow soldiers. Pioneers of the Old Southwest focuses on the early settlers of the Old Southwest, portraying the history of frontier expansion. The two works share a similar subject matter, both dealing with key figures and events in early American history. They are written as narrative history, combining characters with their historical context in plain language, and are suitable for general readers seeking an introduction to these events. Because verifiable information about the author is very limited, further details of his life and his complete body of work remain to be confirmed.