Customer Reviews

Dark Eagle: A Novel of Benedict Arnold and the American Revolution

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I've never been fascinated by the Revolutionary War, being content with a sketchy high school history and mental images of the Minutemen at Lexington, Washington at Valley Forge, and Cornwallis at Yorktown. Some latent interest in the wild card of the war--Benedict Arnold--prompted me to pick up DARK EAGLE from the shelf. Glad I did!

Beginning with the known facts of the life of Arnold and his peers, Harr has woven a lively portrait of a tactical genius and future traitor into a colorful narrative of the crucial war years. We get to see the man and his conflicts from many viewpoints, including that of his young second wife, his superior officers, even his British adversaries. I also found the converging story of young Major John Andre to be an engaging, though tragic, story in itself. All in all, a rewarding read for buffs - and semibuffs like myself.

No doubt the case of Benedict Arnold gets short shrift in most elemental high school text books. As a result, Arnold is seen as a murky figure (Dark Eagle?) who betrayed his country at the very moment of its birth in order to improve his own lot. This is a partial truth. In fact, Arnold was America's greatest fighting General throughout the early years of the Revolutionary War (as Washington was the greatest retreating General in that same conflict....no disrepect intended), and for multiple, purely political reasons dealing with the different states' insecurities, he was perhaps the least recognized. In fact, he financed his entire army, and never received adequate recognition or reimbursement from the Congress. In any event, the book makes a compelling case for Arnold. It is wonderfully written, hard to put down. The reader is mesmerized by the injustices done to General Arnold, and saddened by his ultimate treason. Brought sharply into focus are many other players on that stage, including Washington, Major John Andre and a host of mediocre Generals who were green with envy at Arnold's prowess. There is a reason for such books to be written: we must learn from our errors and see that they are not repeated.

I would say about two months ago when I visited Amazon.com to order a book to send to a friend of mine, a recommendation popped up. The recommendation was John Ensor Harr's "Dark Eagle." I must say that the recommendation was right on the nose.

Harr's novel is a masterpiece. In brilliant strokes he painted an accurate and even-handed portrait of the American Revolution and of that tragically reviled character, Benedict Arnold.

Tragically reviled is the term of art and is so because, unless you believe in historic inevitability, his fate did not have to turn out like it did. Harr's portrayal of Arnolds wrangling with the Continental Congress provides great insight into the role and function of that body. The awe and power of Congress' issuance of the Declaration of Independence belies the fact it was an extremely weak body with very little power. The book does well to portray the struggles between Congress and Genereal Washington, between Congress and its citizens, between the newly formed States and Congress, between General Washington and the States and finally, how all of those struggles were inter-related and formed the basis and antagonism for the struggle between Washington and the British. It is against this backdrop that citizens and soldiers like Benedict Arnold had to deal with the Continental Congress and, in the case of Arnold, makes it all the more understandable why he found such difficulty in dealing with Congress.

Second, Harr's portrayal of the Continental Army's Officer Staff provides another source for Benedict Arnold's tragic fall. For those who may wonder whether General Horatio Gates truly was the destructive force for the army that John Ensor Harr made him out to be, he was. His portrayal reminds me of a line from "The Patriot" (an enjoyable, but not truly accurate depiction of the American Revolution) when Mel Gibson asked cynically, "Where's your General Gates now?" after Gates' rout in Trenton.

The intellectual fulcrum of the book actually appears towards the end of the novel: (pg. 431)

Arnold: What do they call it [changing one's allegiance]
Peggy: It depends on who wins
Arnold: What do they call it until someone wins
Peggy: They call it treason.

"They call it treason." One should always bear in mind the fact that we all accept today the proposition as true that what occured upon American soil beginning in 1775 was a revolution fought by patriots. However, in 1779 the issue was not at all clear. Had the "revolution" failed; had Congress been captured and Washington's army defeated, those same patriots who drafted the Declaration of Independence would now be judged as traitors.

"Dark Eagle" is as much historical fiction as it is a good old fashion morality play and demands that the reader make the same hard choices that Benedict Arnold made and in so doing, allows the reader to truly judge Arnold.

Like most people, I know the name Benedict Arnold very well. What I did not know, however, was just exactly what it was that he did that made his name THE synonym for traitor. Now I know.

In his novel Dark Eagle, John Ensor Harr has taken a person known by name only to most of us and made him a real person. Now we know why he did what he did. Of course, I can't go into details as it would spoil the fun for everyone else. And trust me on this one, it is fun. Suffice it to say, if you have ever wondered just what did this guy do to deserve such a bad name, you really want to read this book. It is a great read; Hollywood should be scrambling for this one. Rich with visual imagery, from the dust on a man's uniform to crumbs on a banquet plate, you really feel as if you were there. Not only are we introduced to the main character, but a whole support cast that make this story a tapestry of period elegance, as well as intrigue. Fans of history, drama, war and mystery will all enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

Dark Eagle tells the tale of Benedict Arnold, the most reviled principal of the American Revolution, and in the process illuminates a period that today is distant and unfamiliar to most Americans. The author's achievement in bringing life and immediacy to the people and events of this world-shaking struggle is impressive and enjoyable. We recognize the timelessness of the conflicts and uncertainties people of all eras must deal with, and Mr. Harr's success at fleshing out the shadowy forms of the history book makes the story a terrific read. Arnold was a shining star of Washington's upstart army. In different circumstances, and with different choices, there would be cities named for him across the continent, and he would be enshrined in the American pantheon. Instead his name is infamous. Dark Eagle explores the personality and motivations of Arnold, his wife and accomplice Peggy Shippen, and John Andre, an equally tragic and compelling figure. We meet many other participants, famous and obscure, and Harr's narrative ease brings them all to life. The descriptions of day-to-day life and society, particularly the Meschianza, are rich and detailed. Dark Eagle is an outstanding example of writing that makes history come alive. The historical record is accurate, and the facts are embellished consistently and logically to fill in the details, without distorting the known record. This book should be on the reading list of every high school American History course. I recommend it highly to all who enjoy well-done historical fiction ( Patrick O'Brian fans, for example ) and look forward eagerly to Mr. Harr's next effort.

If you like historical fiction and/or have an interest in knowing what made Benedict Arnold's name synonymous for the word "traitor," Dark Eagle is a book you'll definitely enjoy. Harr demonstrates a strong ability to weave many interesting and little known facts about the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold and many other historical figures into a well-written and, at times, suspenseful work of fiction. Further, as some other reviewers have noted, Dark Eagle is rich in visual imagery that makes you feel you are right in the middle of the action. Dark Eagle should find a large audience among those who are fans of books about history, war and even suspense.

Most attempts to explain the life of my distant cousin Benedict Arnold in a non fiction manner fall short. This piece of historical fiction does the job in so many ways! Anybody who wants to understand the struggles of this patriot should read this book. You will enjoy it!

Although John Ensor Harr is not the American Revolution's answer to Hilary Mantel, and "Dark Eagle" lacks the fluid, graceful and intense prose of Mantel's French Revolution-era story "A Place of Greater Safety," Mr. Harr's novel is, however, an interesting and worthwhile piece of historical fiction. It did take me a while to get into the book, due to the clunky pacing and rapid changing of viewpoints- I confused many of the minor characters since many of them are not particularly well characterized. However, unlike the gentleman before me, I had no trouble with the upper-class Loyalist tone of the story. I actually find it refreshing- so many books set in this time period are filled with flag-waving hokum a la "The Patriot" or "Johnny Tremaine," that it's nice to see something that DOESN'T portray the American Revolution as the apex of goodness and light! (I challenge anybody who does think this way to read chapter 4 of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States.") I thought, all in all, Mr. Harr very sensitively portrayed Benedict Arnold's virtues and failings. The secondary characters- the sophisticated yet clueless redcoat John Andre and the manipulative society belle Peggy Shippen- are fascinating as well. All of them- Arnold, Andre and Peggy- make a wonderful trio, and seeing how they all destroy themselves through lust, pride and greed is the stuff worthy of a Balzac novel. In the end, "Dark Eagle" is about the destructive power of money and pride. There is no place for the conceits of American propaganda in this book; it is devoted to the study of the rise and fall of a proud, talented and- ultimately- pathetic individual. Anyone who would not find this interesting, please look elsewhere.

Dark Eagle reminds me of all the historical novels written by David Nevin (if you like Dark Eagle, you'll like all of Nevin's books). Harr brings history alive by adding discourse between the characters while remaining historically honest to the events of the time and making sure the language is not 21st century. Great reading and the type of book you just do not want to put down. A fun way to learn a little more history about this country.

Ok so maybe little is the wrong word to use, at 522 pages it is a weighty book. But "Dark Eagle" does an admiral job of being light and easy reading, and yet still staying true to it historical roots. I would compare the writing done by John Ensor Harr in this book to "Winter Soldiers" by Richard Ketchum. You will be left with the sense of the gray area that history includes, and the feeling that all sides of the American Revolution have been fairly represented. If I have one complaint it is that Mr. Harr choose to treat Benedict Arnold's life as being over when he switched sides, which is not the case. Benedict Arnold was a very busy and complicated man, and should been known for far more that just being a turn coat who happened to get caught.