Book Thoughts: Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick

Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I've read by Philbrick, and I came away very impressed. Similar in vein to the writing of Erik Larsen, Philbrick's writing style is clear and concise, and, though presenting a ton of historical information with plenty of references to primary source documents, maintains good pacing and flow throughout. Truly, one feels as if he/she is reading a historical novel at times, as opposed to a well-researched history book.

As the subtitle of the book suggests, the book is about Benedict Arnold, George Washington, and the American Revolutionary War. Primarily, it is about Benedict Arnold, and it gives a detailed and comprehensive picture of Arnold. As someone who enjoys this era of history, but was not as familiar with Arnold outside the obvious knowledge of his treason, Philbrick brings Arnold to life - his character and personality, both good and bad, to the point where, as a reader, you feel very comfortable believing you know what type of person Arnold was.

I think Philbrick had two main goals in the book. First, I think he wanted to show how, considering Arnold's personality, the decision to act in a treasonous manner seemed logical when considering how he viewed his treatment by the Continental Congress, among other factors. Second, I think Philbrick is arguing that the Revolutionary War effort needed the act of betrayal to help unify the country, make it understand the need for strong centralized government, in order to carry through and win the War.

Philbrick accomplishes the first goal through his detailed portrayal of Benedict Arnold. We learn about his early battles at the beginning of the War, where he showed bravery and courage (almost to a point that makes you believe he had what you would call a "flair for the dramatic") in Canada and New York, his difficulty with certain injuries, and how politics played a role in him not getting the recognition and promotions from the Continental Congress that many believed he deserved (including Washington). We read how those slights shaped his conscious, and how a deeply flawed character, one containing too much arrogance and not enough awareness, ultimately doomed Arnold's to a traitor's act.

As to the second goal, I believe Philbrick in part attempts to support this conclusion by showing the number of continual losses suffered by the Continental Army under Washington in the War's early years, and how the deep frustration of so many military leaders at the inability of the Continental Congress to adequately support the Army. The Continental Congress couldn't tax, so it couldn't raise money to pay its Army and maintain food supplies; it couldn't raise any army, so it had to rely in party on volunteer militia from the colonies/states; but when a state wouldn't meet its quota, it had no enforcement power. Philbrick, at the end of his book, contends that Arnold's act of treason, in how shocking it was, particularly from someone who had some fame as a war hero, showed the people that they had to put aside their "petty" differences among their states/regions, and coalesce to achieve victory. While certainly there may be some truth to that, I felt that the argument would have been much stronger if, in the years following the Revolution, the newly formed states weren't relying on a loose confederation under the Articles of Confederation, that similarly didn't give the federal government any power to levy taxes, raise funds, and act much independently of the States. Those weaknesses help lead to the necessity of the Constitutional Convention and the eventual ratification and adoption of the Constitution. Thus, while Arnold's treason may have been necessary to unite the colonies/states in the short term to win the war (and, considering the plethora of other factors that led to eventual American Independence, who knows?), it wouldn't appear that it had any long lasting impact.

Regardless of such quibbles, the book was an excellent read, and one I enjoyed very much. Anyone interest in American Revolutionary War history will definitely want to read Philbrick's book.

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