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Nathaniel Philbrick

Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution (The American Revolution Series) Hardcover – May 10, 2016

by Nathaniel Philbrick (Author)

1,015 ratings

Book 2 of 3: The American Revolution Series

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A New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the George Washington Prize

A surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold, from the New York Times bestselling author of In The Heart of the Sea, Mayflower, and In the Hurricane's Eye.

"May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age—a volume that turns one of America’s best-known narratives on its head.”—Boston Globe

"Clear and insightful, [Valiant Ambition] consolidates Philbrick's reputation as one of America's foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction."—Wall Street Journal

In the second book of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick turns to the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental army under an unsure George Washington evacuated New York after a devastating defeat by the British army. Three weeks later, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeded in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have lost the war. As this book ends, four years later Washington has vanquished his demons, and Arnold has fled to the enemy. America was forced at last to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from withinComplex, controversial, and dramatic, Valiant Ambition is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation.

Print length

448 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Viking
Publication date

May 10, 2016
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.37 x 9.27 inches
ISBN-10

9780525426783
ISBN-13

978-0525426783
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of May 2016: I spent early summers running around Valley Forge in Pennsylvania and my later childhood years living next door to Lexington, Massachusetts, where the first battle of the American Revolution was fought—so I thought I had a pretty good handle on the war. Philbrick proved me wrong with his fascinating history of the years from 1776 to 1780, when the new country teetered between victory and disaster, its destiny influenced by George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Both generals were audacious—Washington and Arnold jumped into situations risky both to themselves and to the soldiers who fought for them. Both generals suffered indignities at the hands of the Continental Congress, a body riven by its own politics and hamstrung by its inability to set taxes on its citizens. But while Washington learned to temper his aggressiveness, sought others’ wisdom, and developed a strategy for winning the war, Arnold remained self-centered and self-aggrandizing, focusing on the tactical to the detriment of the larger goal—culminating in his decision in 1780 to turn coat and deliver the fortress at West Point to the British army. Philbrick’s eye for the illuminating detail and his clear writing keeps the story taut, unlike many history books that too often overwhelm the reader with a sludge of see-I-did-my-research prose. Riveting and relevant, Valiant Ambition explodes the myth that a triumphant revolution was inevitable. --Adrian Liang

Review

"May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age—a volume that turns one of America’s best-known narratives on its head.”
—Boston Globe

“A suspenseful, richly detailed, and deeply researched book about the revolutionary struggle that bound George Washington and Benedict Arnold together and almost disastrous dysfunction of America’s revolutionary government that helped drive them apart.”
—The New York Review of Books

"Clear and insightful, it consolidates his reputation as one of America's foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction."
—Wall Street Journal

"Philbrick is both a meticulous historian and a captivating storyteller. The book has unforgettable novelistic details [and] also contains much astute historical analysis and argument. Philbrick sees Arnold not as the man who almost lost the war so much as the catalyst that helped to win it."
—Christian Science Monitor

“This is history at its most compelling: political machinations, military jostling and outright treachery. And Philbrick’s vivid writing brings the whistling cannon balls and half-frozen soldiers to life (and death) in vivid detail….He peels back the mythology to reveal a teetering war effort, a bickering Congress, discordant states unwilling to coalesce to support the new national government and — above all — a traitor who sought to sell out his own country for personal gain and achieved instead the one thing that no other revolutionary could: a unification of the Americans and an end to the war. And for that, we have much to thank Benedict Arnold."
—Seattle Times

"Benedict Arnold takes center stage in Nathaniel Philbrick’s vivid and in some ways cautionary tale of the Revolutionary War. The near-tragic nature of the drama hinges not on any military secrets Arnold gave to the British but on an open secret: the weakness of the patriot cause….Arnold’s betrayal still makes for great drama, proving once again that the supposed villains of a story are usually the most interesting."
—New York Times Book Review

“Philbrick wants his readers to experience the terror, the suffering and the adrenaline rush of battle, and he wants us to grit our teeth at our early politicians who, by their pettiness and shortsightedness, shape military events as profoundly as generals and admirals do. Finally, he reveals the emotional and physical cost of war on colonial society. He succeeds on all fronts.”
—Washington Post

“Philbrick has the ability to take seemingly dry facts of history and turn them into exciting prose. The players come alive and their motivations are clear. The people he chronicles are legends, so revealing to the reader what makes them human, foibles and all, helps make sense of the events that transpired and why they acted the way they did.”
—Associated Press

"Philbrick's deep scholarship, nuanced analysis, and novelistic storytelling add up to another triumph."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A lively account of our Revolutions’ most reviled figure.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"An engrossing narrative of the war’s most difficult years... Philbrick argues that the quarrelsome, divided Americans needed Arnold’s perfidy as much as they did Washington’s greatness to unify their new nation. He pushes aside the patriotic myth to unveil the war’s messy reality—and it’s still a rousing adventure.”
—BookPage

“As another American summer crawls toward the Fourth of July, and with a presidential election creeping up like Freddy on Elm Street, Nathaniel Philbrick offers some beach reading to remind us that outsized egos and a dysfunctional Congress were as much at issue in 1776 as they are now — if that’s any comfort...Valiant Ambition colorfully reconstructs the character-driven battles that defined the Revolutionary War.”
—USA Today

“Look, you’re not getting tickets to Hamilton. If he were alive, George Washington himself couldn’t get tickets to Hamilton. Here’s a cheaper alternative…a new look at the first American president and contrasts him with our most famous traitor.”
—The Miami Herald

Praise for Bunker Hill

"A masterpiece of narrative and perspective."
—Boston Globe

"A tour de force . . ."
—Chicago Tribune

"Popular history at its best—a taut narrative with a novelist's touch, grounded in careful research."
—Miami Herald

"A story that resonates with leadership lessons for all times."
—Walter Isaacson, The Washington Post

"A gripping book."
—The Wall Street Journal

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0525426787
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking; 1st edition (May 10, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780525426783
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525426783
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.37 x 9.27 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #142,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #167 in American Revolution Biographies (Books)
- #334 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #1,229 in American Military History

Customer Reviews:
1,015 ratings

About the author

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Nathaniel Philbrick

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Nathaniel Philbrick

Life at a Glance

Born

1956 in Boston, Mass.

Educated

Linden Elementary School and Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pa.; BA in English from Brown University in Providence, RI, and an MA in America Literature from Duke University in Durham, NC

Sailing

Philbrick was Brown's first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978; that year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI; today he and his wife Melissa sail their Beetle Cat Clio and their Tiffany Jane 34 Marie-J in the waters surrounding Nantucket Island.

Married

Melissa Douthart Philbrick, who is an attorney on Nantucket. They have two children: Jennie, 23, and Ethan 20.

Career

After grad school, Philbrick worked for four years at Sailing World magazine; was a freelancer for a number of years, during which time he wrote/edited several sailing books, including Yaahting: A Parody (1984), for which he was the editor-in-chief; during this time he was also the primary caregiver for his two children. After moving to Nantucket in 1986, he became interested in the history of the island and wrote Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People. He was offered the opportunity to start the Egan Maritime Foundation in 1995, and in 2000 he published In the Heart of the Sea, followed by Sea of Glory, in 2003, and Mayflower, due in May 2006.

Awards and Honors

In the Heart of the Sea won the National Book Award for nonfiction; Revenge of the Whale won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; Sea of Glory won the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize and the Albion-Monroe Award from the National Maritime Historical Society. Philbrick has also received the Byrne Waterman Award from the Kendall Whaling Museum, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for distinguished service from the USS Constitution Museum, the Nathaniel Bowditch Award from the American Merchant Marine Museum, and the William Bradford Award from the Pilgrim Society.

Customer reviews

5 star		75%
4 star		18%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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“Great men, get great praise, little men nothing.”

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2022

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For me, the best thing about VALIANT AMBITION is that it was better than its predecessor in Mr. Philbrick’s trilogy about the American Revolution, BUNKER HILL. Much more objective in it examination of its subjects. I will also add that reading so soon after BUNKER HILL enhanced the experience for me. Knowledge I retained from that book was put to good use in reading this one. This text is a great overview of the Revolution in the “northern” sector of the war (NY, PA, VT, Maine, Canada, etc.) from about 1777 to 1780.

First, the quibbles. There are many abrupt transitions of topic without any explanations. If someone did not have a basic familiarity with the subject matter I think it could confuse. Also, in this book Philbrick makes assumptions about people’s motives. He did it in BUNKER HILL as well. I guess it is hard not to. At least in this text he made an effort to base most assumptions on some evidence

Some highlights include many nice examinations of key moments in the Revolution that I knew only a little about: the Battle of Valcour Bay, the Siege of Fort Mifflin & Mud Island, the machinations of the so called “Conway Cabal”, and others. Many nuggets of interest here that often get overlooked with some of the war’s more “glamorous” moments. The author also does a nice job of humanizing Benedict Arnold and George Washington, the main people of focus in the text, and their good and bad traits are objectively (for the most part) examined. Also well rendered are the machinations and backstabbing of some generals and politicians angling for power and prestige. Even when the cause is just and proper, some humans (maybe most) can’t rise above our natures and stay focused on the more noble effort.

Quotes:
• “A state of revolution is the most seducing on earth.”
• “You are fighting for what you can never obtain, and we are defending what we were never meant to part with.” (Thomas Paine in a letter to British General Howe)
• “If ever destruction was complete, it was here.”
• “We must not in so great a contest, expect to meet with nothing but sunshine.”
• “In the end it had all come down to money. Unwilling to pay the taxes demanded by Great Britain, the American people had fomented a revolution; unwilling to pay for an army, they were about to default on the promise they had made to themselves in the Declaration of Independence.”
• “…in the nation that was to emerge from this seemingly never-ending war, ordinary citizens would ultimately have, whether or not their betters chose to admit it, the last word.”
• “Since republics rely on the inherent virtue of the people, they are exceedingly fragile.”
• “Treason, along with suicide, is the most self-centered of acts.”

I enjoyed VALIANT AMBITION. I think it is the best book I have read (to date) about Benedict Arnold and the causes and consequences of his treason in the larger context of the whole conflict. It is detailed without being bogged down, a history lesson without being dry, and most importantly, about people who are a mix of emotions and qualities. The power and lesson for the reader is in recognizing that we too share those mixed bag of qualities. Which ones will win out in us?

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Lori Morgan

Interesting and full of historical info

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2022

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This book was full of information. The build up to important events was exciting and mail biting. Well done.

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Jack D. Morris

An excellent book on George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Revolution

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2018

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This is an honest and interesting treatment of the American Revolution from the perspective of its most famous person, George Washington, and it's most infamous person, Benedict Arnold. What the author does is provide a very good portrait of Arnold as a brave and brilliant, if brash, military officer and strategist, along with his ignoble traits of vanity and self interest. This is contrasted with Washington, who is portrayed as a not so brilliant strategist, and learning through mistakes to become a great military leader. But the author confirms what we believe, that Washington is not a vain person and exhibits through his actions and writings a purpose that is in the best interests of the people and our country.
Besides the British, the greatest problem for Washington is the incessant meddling in his affairs by the Continental Congress, which for the most part appears to be acting on behalf of the special interests of the various state factions that form the government. This also creates major problems for Arnold, who is passed over many times for legitimate promotions in rank, by a disapproving Congress. It is possible that his treason would not have occurred had Congress behaved in a fair and equitable way and properly recognized his military accomplishments.
As the book draws to a conclusion, the author describes Arnold's predictable slide into treason, the part of the story we are all know from the version of American History taught in grade school. Some reviews say that the book ends without a proper conclusion. I am guessing that they would like more information on Arnold after he defected and some more details on his military exploits under the British Flag. But I think the author, being a writer interested in American History, might have another book in mind as a sequel to this one. All in all I think the author provided a well balanced and unbiased description of events.
I found the TV miniseries TURN, about Washington's Spy Ring, to provide a very interesting look at this period. Clearly the screenwriters have taken some Hollywood liberties concerning historical accuracy. Although the focus is on espionage, it covers the battles of the period starting around late 1776 to the end of 1781 with the siege of Yorktown. And besides the main characters of the Spy Ring, it includes a good portrayal of George Washington and Benedict Arnold and takes on the whole affair of Arnold's treason, including the roles of Andre and Peggy Shippen. It also goes beyond Philbrick's book to let us know the fate of these characters after the revolution.
I can also recommend another book for Revolutionary War history buffs: The Life of George Washington, by John Marshall. Besides a complete biography of Washington, the book covers all the military battles fought throughout the 13 colonies and Canada. It is also where I first learned about the Continental Congress interfering with Washington's prosecution of the war. Post war, when Washington is President, it describes some of the major events, particularly the delicate problem of the French Revolution, that affected his presidency. It is an interesting book if you like American History.

9 people found this helpful

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LAN Guy

Engaging

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2022

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I learned a lot about Benedict Arnold, the "Hero of Saratoga".

There is a memorial at the battlefield which has an image of his boot but does not bear his name! That wasn't mentioned in the book, but I was a bit familiar with his story.

This is not light reading. Philbrick is a historian, a scholar. But it is not a dry recitation of facts such as troop movements or casualty reports.

And the "behind the scenes" story of Washington and the army, and the civilian Continental Congress is a history unknown to me, and I suspect many others.

The second book in Philbrick's series which includes the stories of Bunker Hill and Yorktown.

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2022

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I started out reading Nathanial Philbrick's book "Mayflower". I enjoyed the way he wrote it. The material is fascinating and with his writing style I got pulled in. Since then I have read "Bunker Hill" and found it equally interesting and enjoyable. So it's off to the races. I want to read all three of his Revolutionary War trilogy. I am impressed with the breadth of knowledge and depth of research it must take to write books like these. Then to put it in a form that makes it accessible.

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Top reviews from other countries

R Helen

Decent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2018

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This idea of this book was to trace Benedict Arnold's role as one of the leading generals of the Revolutionary War to his descent into treason. As that story goes, it's pretty interesting. As a child I obviously knew of Arnold as America's most famous traitor, but here is his full story in all its complexities and Arnold comes out as not entirely unsympathetic. He wasn't treated well by the Continental Congress, and while that shouldn't excuse his behavior, it certainly explains why he might want to change sides. He just should have been open about it. Plenty of Americans were loyalists and for good reason and the black and white version of America's birth we learn in Elementary School is obviously simplistic.

But the main thrust of this book is the War and it's battles. I personally prefer social and political history; war doesn't interest me much. So, I don't enjoy reading about battles. But if you like this sort of thing, than Philbrick's book is well written and informative. There is a bit of a cliff-hanger ending, too. As I know we won in the end, that is obviously not a surprise, but i don't know the particulars. The book ends with Nethanael Greene writing a letter to his wife and heading South to confront Cornwallis. I had to look up what happens to him. If your knowledge of the War itself extends no more than fifth grade, like mine, than this was genuinely a suspenseful ending. Although I guess it wasn't intended that way.

Philbrick is a good writer, I loved his book on the Mayflower, and this one is worthwhile too. Just be aware, it's primarily a war book.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

As Effective as Ken Burns' 'The Civil War' and with better picture quality - i.e. my imagination!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2021

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Outstandingly readable, wonderfully-researched, but with all the readability of a well-written novel that truly brings characters and motivations to life.

I spent a week taking my time and savoring this book.

In a way, I wish I had realised that there were so many good portraits at the end of the book - but it was good to take my time going through the supporting notes as well.

Highly, highly recommended!

Nadine in Scotland

greasey

Boring and political

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2022

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This book was too dry and boring for me. There is hardly anything about the battles. Most of it is political about George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Don't waste your money.

Argyrios Pisiotis

Another "must-read" for Philbrick fans and lovers of American history

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2016

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Yet another thoroughly researched and majestically presented piece of American history by Philbrick. What makes reading this as well as his other books so fascinating is the masterful way in which he combines traditional kinds of historiography, such as political and diplomatic, with material history and biography -in other words his ability to literally resurrect the past and its characters in a most vivid manner.

2 people found this helpful

Musichound

Love all of his books but this one missed the ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

Love all of his books but this one missed the mark for me. Arnold is treated with some sympathy but he really was a selfish man and obsessed with money and self-glory. Very strange to end at the point where Arnold defected to the British - basically the story is half told.

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