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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Well-Executed Failure: The Sullivan Campaign Against the Iroquois, July-September 1779,
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This review is from: A Well-Executed Failure: The Sullivan Campaign Against the Iroquois, July-September 1779 (Hardcover)
A Well-Executed Failure: The Sullivan Campaign Against the Iroquois, July-September 1779. by Joseph R. Fischer. 1997. 265 pages.
I have long wanted to read this book because I thought that it was a book which was very damming of the Sullivan Campaign. I thought it would provide by its negativity a balance against other sources and a framework for further study of this very important campaign. This campaign was very important and is a historical hot potato because of its contributions to the demise of the Iroquois and some would say all American Indians. Since moving out to Northeastern Pennsylvania I have taken a keen interest in the Sullivan Campaign. Besides an interest in the campaign with in the context of its happening I have also become interested in how it is remembered and evaluated by the various sides, historians, and military professionals. The first section of this book went into some of the evaluations and memory material. It touched on it with out delving to deeply into it. The main thesis of the book was not actually an evaluation of the campaign in the manner that I originally thought it would be. Rather the book uses the Sullivan Campaign as a tool to evaluate the capability of the Continental Army during the middle period of the war to determine the effectiveness of the reforms started in 1775. The author selects Strategy and Operations, Tactics, Logistics, Leadership, and Civil-Military Relations as his categories for detailed analysis. The author does also provide a background on the situation which is fairly well balanced and a summing up starting with the speech given by GEN W. T. Sherman in 1879 at the Centennial Celebration of the campaign. A celebration held at Tioga Point/Athens, PA which drew a crowd of 50,000 people. The book provides some very good insights on the Continental Army at mid-war. The author's long personal military experience pays dividends in his ability to convey sometimes complex military actions in simple to understand terms which would not scare off a casual reader. The reader is apt to gain a greater appreciation for George Washington's planning ability and his willingness to take risks. I gained a much greater appreciation for MG John Sullivan than I had previously. He has a somewhat troubled reputation and entered the war with little if any military training. He retired for health reasons following the campaign. This book presents the image of a man who was cautious and attentive. He had a reputation for good planning and this shows through in all the sections. I am also more interested in the influences of von Steuben then I had been previously. His ability to adapt to the American Character played a major role in the evolution of the Continental and the American Army even today. The weakness of the Continental Army was a weakness of logistics and Civil-Military Relations. The logistics aspect is well covered by the author and in many ways was typical of most armies of this time though it was even more so because of governmental systemic problems. The sheer amount of material required to sustain the expedition deep into Iroquoia is staggering. That the soldiers stayed with the expedition, that they generally preformed quite well, well enough to surprise their opponents who expected militia or had a generally dim view of American fighting ability to begin with. The expedition as this book makes clear accomplished its goals at the tactical level and the operational level. It did not accomplish its strategic goals but that these goals were understood by the actors to be beyond their own ability anyway. The book is well written and researched. The book serves those interested in the campaign, those interested in the evolution of the Continental Army, and those who have an interest in how armies operate even today. Highly recommended.
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