Alexander Hamilton's Revolution: His Vital Role as Washington's Chief of Staff

by Phillip Thomas Tucker

Overview

Despite his less-than-promising beginnings as the only key Founding Father not born and raised on American soil, Hamilton was one of the best and brightest of his generation. His notoriety has rested almost entirely on his role as Secretary of the Treasury in Washington's administration, yet few realize that Washington and Hamilton's bond was forged during the Revolutionary War. Alexander Hamilton's Revolution is the first book to explore Hamilton's critical role during the battle for independence. New information presents a little-known and underpublished aspect of Hamilton's life: that he was not only Washington's favorite staff officer, but also his right-hand man for most of the Revolution, serving as Chief of Staff from 1777 to early 1781.
While he found this position rewarding, Hamilton continually asked Washington for a field command. Hamilton's wish was granted at the decisive battle of Yorktown, where his Infantry Battalion charged on the defensive bastion on Cornwallis's left flank. Hamilton's capture of this position, while French forced captured the adjacent position, sealed Cornwallis's fate and forced his surrender and ultimate colonial victory.
The entire patriotic cause benefited immeasurably from the advice and strategies provided to Washington by his youngest staff officer, Alexander Hamilton. Now, those critical contributions are brought to light in Hamilton's Revolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510716599
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Phillip Thomas Tucker, PhD, is the author of the acclaimed Skyhorse books George Washington's Surprise Attack, How the Irish Won the American Revolution, Pickett's Charge, and Death at the Little Bighorn. After earning his PhD in 1990, he took a position as civilian historian with the Department of Defense. The author resides near Washington, D.C., in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Prologue xi

Introduction xiii

Chapter I A Natural Rebel with Much to Prove 1

Chapter II George Washington's Chief of Staff 45

Chapter III Washington's Dependable Right-Hand Man 91

Chapter IV Washington's Most Erudite Diplomat to the French and the Battle of Monmouth 155

Chapter V Hamilton's Most Audacious Proposal 205

Chapter VI Rising Even Higher in Washington's Esteem 245

Conclusion 291

About the Author 305

Notes 307

Index 341

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Philip Thomas Tucker:
“Alexander Hamilton’s Revolution is more than the story of Colonel Hamilton’s wartime feats and his multifaceted role as an aide to General George Washington. Philip Thomas Tucker explores the fascinating story of Hamilton’s relationship with Washington, unraveling what each thought of the other, what each meant to the other, and how each used the other. This is an illuminating book, written with verve and intensity, and it will be welcomed by all those interested in the Revolutionary War and those two beguiling men, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington.”
—John Ferling, author of Whirlwind: The American Revolution and the War That Won It (2015)
“Tucker is fresh and bold in his analysis and use of sources.”
—William C. Davis, author, Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—The War They Fought, The Peace They Forged
“A thought-provoking and eye-opening study of [a] pivotal moment in American history.”
—Louis P. Masur, Rutgers University professor of history
“Tucker’s account brims with colorful information . . . that vivifies [a] pivotal episode in American history.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Philip Thomas Tucker:
“Alexander Hamilton’s Revolution is more than the story of Colonel Hamilton’s wartime feats and his multifaceted role as an aide to General George Washington. Philip Thomas Tucker explores the fascinating story of Hamilton’s relationship with Washington, unraveling what each thought of the other, what each meant to the other, and how each used the other. This is an illuminating book, written with verve and intensity, and it will be welcomed by all those interested in the Revolutionary War and those two beguiling men, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington.”
—John Ferling, author of Whirlwind: The American Revolution and the War That Won It (2015)
“Tucker is fresh and bold in his analysis and use of sources.”
—William C. Davis, author, Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—The War They Fought, The Peace They Forged
“A thought-provoking and eye-opening study of [a] pivotal moment in American history.”
—Louis P. Masur, Rutgers University professor of history
“Tucker’s account brims with colorful information . . . that vivifies [a] pivotal episode in American history.”
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2017-07-03
A biography of the Founding Father's service in the Continental Army.You don't have to have seen the Broadway musical Hamilton to know that its subject was deeply implicated in the events of the American Revolution. Historian Tucker (Death at the Little Bighorn: A New Look at Custer, His Tactics, and the Tragic Decisions Made at the Last Stand, 2017, etc.) rightly claims a place for Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) that many biographies overlook: George Washington's chief of staff in the field. "From the beginning," writes the author, "no one was better or more adept at translating Washington's ideas into practical plans for his top lieutenants to execute on the battlefield and in the art of diplomacy, especially with the French Allies." One important moment in the narrative occurs when a member of Washington's military staff gets it into his head that he somehow deserves to replace his commander, an idea that some historians have deemed treason but most others simple hubris. As Tucker writes, Hamilton thereafter became known as Washington's most loyal lieutenant. To read between the lines, this loyalty may have been a hindrance, since Hamilton itched to get into the field and distinguish himself in battle. The author writes convincingly of a few lesser-known points in Hamilton's military resume, including the fact that he was an early advocate of using black troops in battle, as did the British, and that Hamilton was generous in advancing the careers of friends such as John Laurens at some expense to himself. The portrait that emerges is one of a powerful intellect with a solid military sense, but Tucker's narrow focus will limit the readership, and the prose is sometimes ham-fisted—e.g., "despite now wearing Continental officer uniforms of blue, one of these promising men was destined to take the other's life in a little more than a quarter century." Students of 18th-century American military history will find plenty of interest, but the broader audience of readers will find Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton (2004) to be more useful.

Kirkus Reviews