Fotografía de autor

Jack E. Levin (1925–2018)

Autor de Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Illustrated

7 Obras 479 Miembros 7 Reseñas

Sobre El Autor

Jack E. Levin has been an author, artist, and small businessman. He has written several books including Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Illustrated, George Washington: The Crossing, and Malice Toward None: Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. (Bowker Author Biography)

También incluye: Jack Levin (5)

Obras de Jack E. Levin

Etiquetado

Conocimiento común

Fecha de nacimiento
1925-06-11
Fecha de fallecimiento
2018-10-15
Género
male
Nacionalidad
USA
Lugares de residencia
Florida, USA
Relaciones
Levin, Mark R. (son)

Miembros

Reseñas

This is a short, digestible history lesson that mainly tells the reader the facts about George Washington 19s victory at the Battle of Trenton. Although it is focused on the battle itself, Levin 19s account puts the engagement in the context of the events leading up to it and the consequences that followed. That is only what a good history needs to do.

You have seen the painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, standing up in the prow of a boat with his men struggling to steer, row and paddle in various action poses. (The painting is often noted for showing an African-American soldier in the crowded boat.) That passage across the Delaware River in the winter of 1776 was just part of a daring plan that probably saved the American Revolution, and that is why Levin has asked us to remember it.

In my humble opinion, George Washington was hardly the greatest military commander in American history, but he did outdo himself in the Battle of Trenton, and it is consequently a worthy event to consider for both historical and military reasons.

Levin does have a point of view but it is well supported. He cites evidence that Washington was not entirely confident in his ability to command the ragtag American army and defeat the British. Some think that Washington was guilty of false modesty, but doubt was only realistic; the British were the world 19s leading military power, and the American military had no foundation 14the Revolution was its foundation. Although he had driven the British out of Boston, Washington subsequently had a series of setbacks before he achieved his major victory at Trenton.

Levin briefly describes how the British had chased Washington across Long Island and New York City and across New Jersey. Here 14as he would later on as well 14Washington demonstrated his true genius for retreating. This might sound like a putdown, but retreating in an orderly manner that results in saving one 19s army to fight another day is no mean skill, even if it is the best one in one 19s set. It requires, for one thing, the humility to face the fact that one 19s position is untenable and that one must retreat. A general who is too narcissistic to admit that he is losing a battle will likely throw good men and resources after bad until the enemy has whittled him down to nothing.

Only because it was winter and Christmas was fast approaching did the British let up and retire from chasing Washington any further. They had done well, having taken control of New York and established themselves in New Jersey. Now Washington realized that he must do something daring or else be utterly defeated in the New Year. What he did was an enormous risk. He brought his hungry, cold, half-supplied army to the banks of the Delaware, crossed its treacherous, frigid waters in whatever boats could be scared up, then marched his men several miles to Trenton, hoping against hope to get there before dawn. This whole operation came to be three hours behind schedule, making Washington anxious that he would arrive in Trenton so well after dawn that there would be no surprise on his side. Yet fortune favors the bold 14at least it did in this instance.

Trenton was defended by a German-speaking Hessian unit. They were crack professional soldiers, mercenaries hired by the British to augment the regular British units used during the American Revolution to try to put down the rebellion. It was Christmas Day, however, when Washington arrived in Trenton completely unannounced. The Hessians 14from their commanding officer to the lowliest private soldiers 14had been celebrating the night before. Most were drunk and asleep. It didn 19t matter that Washington arrived after the sun had come up. The Hessians might not have been ready for him even if he had come at noon.

In the ensuing battle, the Hessians did try to mount a defense, but in the end they suffered the most casualties, the survivors were captured and Washington 19s army took control of Trenton. News of the rebel victory spread around the world and had the effect of dispiriting some British people and their parliamentary representatives, persuading some continental Europeans that the American Revolution might be worth supporting, as well as similarly buoying the spirits of Americans who might have been doubtful that an American army could defeat one sent against them by the British.

There would, of course, be other such moments in the War of Independence, because the European powers were not convinced by one victory that they should go all in and invest large amounts of their treasure in America 19s David against Britain 19s Goliath. The later Battle of Saratoga in upstate New York would be another such moment. Unexpectedly, an upstart American army 14not under Washington this time 14defeated a weakened British army that had begun with the overly ambitious idea of cutting off the New England colonies from New York and the mid-Atlantic colonies. In the parlance of today, it was an epic fail for the British.

But Levin is not trying to tell us the whole story of the American Revolution, just one remarkable moment.
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Denunciada
MilesFowler | otra reseña | Jul 16, 2023 |
Great illustrated companion to a snapshot in time. Even though his words were few, Lincoln knew how to deliver and make a lasting point.
 
Denunciada
alrajul | Jun 1, 2023 |
Why I Read It:
The Crossing caught my eye at the library where it was faced out in the new history book display case. It is a slim volume and I thought it would be a good start to kick off my reading for The American Revolution reading challenge hosted by War Through The Generations.

About The Book:
The book is written by Jack E. Levin, self-taught historian and the father of radio personality Mark R. Levin. It is a brief, 64-page overview of the the Battle of Trenton. It's filled with color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and two detailed maps that outline the action.

Do you remember the Battle of Trenton from history class? Do you remember that painting of Washington perched majestically near the bow of a small boat? That was from this battle. See the book's cover for a cropped version or click the following link to see the full glory of "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1816-1868.

Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River under cover of darkness and through ice-flows on the night of December 25-26, 1776 to spring a surprise attack on the British and Hessian forces. The crossing itself was a monumental feat and the battle changed the course of the Revolutionary War.

Prior to this Washington and his troops had withstood a string of losses and morale was low. Long Island, Brooklyn, and Manhattan were lost and Washington was in retreat. He guessed that the British would attack Philadelphia next, the capitol of the revolution. To prevent this the Delaware was crossed, followed by a 9 mile march to Trenton. The revolutionary forces crushed the British in this battle and the revolutionary spirit and momentum were revived.

A Good Gift Book:
I imagine the publishers were thinking this book would make a nice father's day gift as it came out on June 4th. It probably would not be an appropriate gift book for someone who is already into this time period or Washington (unless they're collectors who want everything printed). However, do keep it in mind for the next holiday gift-giving season. Independence Day is this week. If Neil Gaiman can start All Hallow's Read, maybe someone out there can get an Independence Day book giving tradition going?

On Mark Levine's Preface to His Dad's Book:
Once upon a time when I worked for Borders we hosted the author's son, Mark Levine, for a book signing. He was fine, but some of his fans were big slobs. They left more trash behind than any other audience I'd dealt with: food ground into the carpet, drinks spilled, etc. (Ted Nugent's fans, on the other hand, were tidy and polite, even if we did have to tell them that they could not bring their guns or bows & arrows into the store). Anyway, I bring up Mark because he wrote the preface to his dad's book. He wraps up his preface saying this,

"As this book, George Washington: The Crossing, attests, my father has a truly unique ability to let history speak for itself through his careful use of prose and painstaking selection of illustrations and photographs. There is fresh simplicity yet bracing depth in every page of this book. And unlike too many authors, my father is not interested in exploiting the human imperfections and frailties of the Founders but, instead, presents a straightforward account of these mostly selfless, heroic American figures, who were willing to die for the cause of freedom and self-government, and among whom Washington was arguably the most significant."

This paragraph worried me about the content I was about to read. For one, history never speaks for itself. It is always constructed by a historian (as Levine unwittingly admits above, noting his father's "careful use of prose and painstaking selection") and then interpreted by readers. And what is his issue with other authors? What is wrong with trying to present a well-rounded understanding of a historic figure? And by this I mean human: the good, the bad, and the ugly. What unnamed foe is he taking a pot shot at with this swipe? Surely not Ron Chernow (brilliant book, read it!) Maybe A.J.Jacobs? Did I miss a Washington bashing book?

Putting the Founding Fathers on pedestals annoys me. Glorifying the Founding Fathers as demigods does a huge disservice not only to history, but to our understanding of and ability to cope with our current political quagmire. Those guys were not perfect and neither are our current politicians. There was political argument back then and let's hope there will be 200 years from now. However, let's have more true debate and compromise and less party posturing and ideological whoring. Has Levine not seen the musical 1776?

Words of Washington in Red
And then I was worried when, on the next page after the conclusion of Levine Jr.'s preface, I was informed that the words of Washington would be printed in RED. Hmmm, where have I seen that before? Oh, yeah, the Bible. The words of Jesus in red edition. From pedestal to deity. Uh-oh. George would not be happy about that.

Interspersed throughout the book is Washington's letter to the Continental Congress about the battle. Lines from this letter are printed in red and it works well, both for the reader and for the design harmony of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but could have done without Mark Levin's rah-rah commentary in the preface. Jack Levin presents an engaging account of the battle and the design of the book is pleasant for both older kids and adults.
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Denunciada
Chris.Wolak | otra reseña | Oct 13, 2022 |
This book is about a boy's dog named Spot and all of the things he likes to do. A couple things that he likes to do are chasing cats, going for walks, and sticking his head out the window of a car.
 
Denunciada
sbizon16 | 2 reseñas más. | Feb 25, 2018 |

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Estadísticas

Obras
7
Miembros
479
Popularidad
#51,492
Valoración
4.2
Reseñas
7
ISBNs
18

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