The secret war of the title was Washington's fight--while staving off the collapse of his army at Valley Forge--to identify and outmaneuver the political enemies who thought it was time to replace him with a more reliable and experienced general. Fleming, a longtime scholar of the Revolutionary War, thought he would be writing about the stubborn endurance of the American soldiers that winter. Instead he gleaned from his research a more personal story, revealing a new side of Washington--usually portrayed as a man who transcended politics: "He was a good politician in every sense of the word....He had to out think the conspirators who sought to destroy him and persuade others to out vote the congressional ideologues whose wrongheaded policies were the source of the Continental Army's woes." Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Fleming enhances his position as a leading general-audience historian of the American Revolution in this convincing argument for the importance of internal diplomacy in the conflict's development. Like David McCullough's 1776, Fleming's volume depicts Valley Forge as the revolution's turning point, with the fulcrum being George Washington's ability to develop "a new kind of leadership" that combined military and political elements. Recognizing the limited applicability of European precedents in the new republic, Washington simultaneously had to revitalize an army on the point of collapse and energize a Continental Congress ignorant of how to conduct a war. He performed both feats while maintaining both his authority as commander-in-chief and the principle of military subordination to political authority. And, all the while, he managed to keep the British believing that conciliation was preferable to battle. Fleming credits Washington's achievement to a force of character that increasingly impressed soldiers and politicians alike, but even more to Washington's ability to persuade waverers and opponents to his point of view by using a "series of positive proposals, well researched and closely argued." Fleming's use of short chapters (one- to three-pages each) and lively prose helps keep the complicated political maneuvers easy to follow. (Oct. 25) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Prolific author Fleming (Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America) writes of the trials and tribulations of George Washington as he led the Continental Army during the infamous Valley Forge winter of 1777-78. The "secret war" was Washington's ultimately successful battle to preserve his army against all odds. Fleming's point is that he was not simply fighting the elements and attacks by the nearby British; he was also reckoning with members of the Continental Congress and fellow army officers who deemed him inadequate. Certain generals, known as the "Conway Cabal," attempted to remove Washington from command, and Congress openly meddled in military affairs. Fleming's subtitle is sensational and overdramatic, as none of this information has been "hidden"; much of it has been covered in other Valley Forge titles over the last 50 years. However, Fleming writes strong prose that can command the reader's attention, and he provides good, accessible descriptions of the winter's events. The book's primary weakness is the author's overtly negative tone, which can make it read like a tabloid. Fleming dislikes nearly everyone-New Englanders, Virginians, and Quakers are frequent targets. Only Washington, portrayed as a master politician, and such close confidants as Lafayette escape relatively unscathed. Despite its flaws, Fleming's latest should prove entertaining to patrons of academic and large public libraries.-Matthew J. Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ., Abington Coll. Lib. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

George Washington's contemporaries regularly referred to his aura of gravitas, part of which was as an apparent ability to remain above the petty squabbles that characterize democratic politics. Yet, as Fleming indicates, that detachment from political warfare was mostly illusion. He focuses on the winter and spring of 1777-78, when the Continental Army was encamped in deprived, brutal conditions at Valley Forge. This, of course, was a turning point for both Washington and his army. Aided by Baron Von Steuben, the army emerged from their travails as a disciplined, professional fighting force. In Fleming's view, this was also the period when Washington honed his skills at political warfare. He was the target of constant criticism from members of the Continental Congress, and ambitious subordinates hoped to replace him. But Washington learned to give as good as he got, while still maintaining the appearance of aristocratic distance from the fray. Fleming has provided an original and provocative reinterpretation of a critical period in the struggle for independence. --Jay Freeman Copyright 2005 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Valley Forge holds a central place in the mythology surrounding George Washington and the American Revolutionary struggle. For posterity, the hilly defense northwest of Philadelphia has come to symbolize the sacrifice and commitment that Washington and the Continental soldiers made to the republican experiment as they braved freezing conditions, limited food, and fatal disease. Fleming insists that the winter of 1777-78 spent at Valley Forge represented the defining moments of the American Revolution. While the British army resided in warm comfort in Philadelphia, the ragtag American army fended off starvation, disease, and mutiny. Washington bargained with Congress for food, supplies, and support for the army, and also confronted the aspirations of ambitious generals such as the victor of Saratoga, Horatio Gates, who wanted to humiliate and embarrass Washington into resignation. These oft-recounted episodes reveal Washington as a political master, determined to protect at all costs his reputation as a military officer and patriot. In fact, the George Washington in this intriguing account emerges as a complex, many-sided human character with all the flaws and imperfections of modern man. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. G. A. Smith Texas Christian University From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Picture Credits	p. VI
Acknowledgments	p. VII
Timeline	p. IX
Introduction	p. XI
1 General George Washington: Loser	p. 1
2 Revels and Redcoats	p. 36
3 Ideologues Front and Center	p. 69
4 Playing the Insult Card	p. 107
5 Enter the Committee in Camp	p. 129
6 "Congress Does Not Trust Me"	p. 166
7 Discipline from a Baron	p. 206
8 From Anxiety to Exultation	p. 234
9 The Follies of Spring	p. 254
10 General Double Trouble	p. 276
11 A Moment at Monmouth	p. 311
Epilogue: Two Visits to Valley Forge	p. 341
Notes	p. 351
Index	p. 376

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