“The Ten Crucial Days winter offensive of 1776/77 has been described as one of the most important military campaigns, if not the most important, in American history,” David Price begins in the introduction to his newest book, “Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign.”
Price, a Lawrence resident, works as a historical interpreter at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania and at Princeton Battlefield State Park. He is the author of multiple books on the American Revolution, including “John Haslet’s World: An Ardent Patriot, the Delaware Blues, and the Spirit of 1776,” “The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776,” “Rescuing the Revolution: Unsung Patriot Heroes and the Ten Crucial Days of America’s War for Independence,” and “The Road to Assunpink Creek: Liberty’s Desperate Hour and the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution.”
As he notes in his preface, his work at the historic parks has fueled his fascination with the Ten Crucial Days, which in turn inspired his books, each of which shares some of the chronology of that pivotal time. In “Winning the Ten Crucial Days,” however, Price explains that he took a different approach. “This narrative relies largely on a thematic interpretation of the subject at hand. I have tried to focus its discussion around what I believe to be the five key factors behind the Ten Crucial Days in the hope of providing a detailed, methodical, coherent, and reasonably insightful examination of what happened during this period.”
Later in the introduction, he identifies those five factors as follows:
“1) Leadership — the strategy, tactics, character, and competence of American, British, and Hessian officers as they relate to the events of this period, including in particular: the Continental Army, George Washington Henry Knox, Nathanael Greene, Edward Hand, and John Cadwalader; and on the opposing side: William Howe, Charles Cornwallis, Charles Mawhood, Johann Rall, and Carl von Donop;
“2) Geography — the terrain and natural barriers, especially the Delaware River and Assunpink Creek, that impinged on the course of this campaign, as well as the implications of related events for those living in the area and their response;
“3) Weather — how the natural elements, including temperature, precipitation, river ice, and road conditions, impacted army maneuvers, the nature of combat, and readiness to fight;
“4) Artillery — the importance of cannon to the outcome of all three battles and how the Americans’ numerical advantage in, and effective deployment of, those weapons played a vital role in their success, with particular attention to the exploits of Henry Knox, who created the Continental Army’s artillery corps, and the captains of artillery companies such as Joseph Moulder and Alexander Hamilton; and
“5) Contingency — an elegant term for what might otherwise be called ‘dumb luck,’ which obviously overlaps with the effects of weather but is a broader concept as it also embodies decisions and non-weather events that redounded to the benefit of the Continental Army.”
Price discusses his new book, published in April by Brookline Books, an imprint of Casemate Publishers, at two upcoming events.
On Independence Day, Friday, July 4, Price speaks at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania as part of the park’s Living History ay: Celebrating American Independence, running from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Price’s talks take place at 2 and 4 p.m. in the Visitor Center auditorium. Call 215-493-4076 for more information.
Price also appears at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence, on Thursday, July 17, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Drawing from his book, Price explores this decisive winter campaign, revealing how leadership, geography, weather, artillery, and contingency converged to secure General George Washington’s victory and alter the course of the Revolutionary War. Copies of “Winning the Ten Crucial Days” will also be available for purchase. For more information or to register, visit www.mcl.org or call 609-883-8292.
“Winning the Ten Crucial Days” is available in hardcover on Amazon.com, $21.15. For more information on David Price, visit www.dpauthor.com.
David Price discusses his most recent book at upcoming events.,
