Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty by Stephen Brumwell

Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty by Stephen Brumwell

Author:Stephen Brumwell [Brumwell, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Historical, History, Europe, Great Britain, General, United States, Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)
ISBN: 9780300210996
Google: xHVaDwAAQBAJ
Amazon: 030021099X
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2018-01-15T00:38:21.294000+00:00


* * *

Inclined to downplay fears for his own safety, Washington remained alive to the possibility that the British might yet take advantage of the ice to launch further offensives. In particular, as the Hudson River was now frozen solid as far north as West Point—some sixty miles above New York city—there were concerns that this smooth, unbroken highway would compromise the security of that vital fortress. Writing to his commander in the Hudson Highlands, Major-General William Heath, Washington warned: “This may tempt the enemy to undertake something against you by surprise, by carrying up their men in sleighs, of which they have lately collected a large parcel.” Of course, it was possible that the sleds had been stockpiled for nothing more sinister than hauling firewood, but it would all the same be wise to “guard against every possible event.” To minimize the risk to West Point, every fortification that was capable of sheltering men from the elements had to be permanently garrisoned, with the gates barred each night. Heath was already alert to the dangers of a surprise attack on the Highlands: aware that the enemy might “more expeditiously pass up on the ice than by the roads,” he had ordered his men “to keep a sharp look out” at King’s Ferry.28

In his Memoirs, William Heath cheerfully described himself as “of middling stature, light complexion, very corpulent, and bald-headed.” French officers who served alongside him later that year noted his striking resemblance to one of the age’s most celebrated soldiers, John Manners, marquess of Granby. As a dashing cavalry commander during the British army’s German campaigns of the Seven Years’ War, Granby had become a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. In an age when even men with a good head of hair often wore wigs, Granby was unusual in flaunting his bald pate. It was conspicuous at the battle of Warburg in 1760, when he led his charging troopers with such gusto that his tricorne hat was whipped off by the wind, inspiring the saying “to go at it bald-headed.” Granby was painted hatless and wigless by the leading British artists Allan Ramsay and Sir Joshua Reynolds, and his distinctive appearance was familiar from the popular engravings and pottery figurines their portraits inspired. Above all, Granby’s ruddy countenance beamed down on bleary-eyed drinkers from the sign-boards of the many inns named after him, not least by the grateful veterans whom he had helped to establish as publicans.29

Heath was clearly flattered by comparisons with Granby. Born into a family of gentlemen farmers at Roxbury, near Boston, from boyhood he had been fascinated by military life, devouring every book about strategy and tactics that he could find. Heath put all this theoretical knowledge to practical use when the long-anticipated fighting between redcoats and rebels flared up in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. There, amid the rock-studded New England pastures, Heath was active in motivating and directing the swarming, sniping militiamen who harassed the British regulars as they retreated along the road from Concord to Boston.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.