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Philadelphia 1777: Taking the capital (Campaign) |  | Author: Justin Clement
Creator: Stephen Walsh
Brand: Osprey Publishing Limited
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $10.95
as of 9/6/2010 18:14 MDT details
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Seller: One For The Books
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 517973
Media: Paperback
Edition: illustrated edition
Pages: 96
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.7 x 7.2 x 0.4
ISBN: 1846030331
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.333
EAN: 9781846030338
ASIN: 1846030331
Publication Date: August 21, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Ending with the fall of the capital city to the British Army, the campaign for Philadelphia set in motion a series of events, that led to the defeat of the British and eventual independence for the emerging American nation.
From the landing of Howe's army at the head of the Elk River in Maryland, to his eventual capture of Philadelphia, the campaign included some fascinating battles. The first engagement at Brandywine, the inconclusive battle of the Clouds, the controversial Paoli Massacre, the missed opportunity at Germantown, and the maturing of an army at Valley Forge, are all examined in detail by Justin Clement, with supporting maps, original artwork, and photographs.
Recently discovered information about the battle of Brandywine and analysis of the major personalities involved, completes this comprehensive account of an important episode in the American War of Independence.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Brandywine Campaign a la Brief February 12, 2010
Roger Kennedy
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an example of how much better the Osprey books have gott'en over time. For one thing even the cover is good. For a change we have the British Lights popping away at the Americans! Truly something different! This provides a nice summation of the Brandywine campaign with good, informative narrative and lots of nice maps. The formula Osprey uses for some of its detailed maps on the battles can be a bit confusing at times. Too many arrows and little boxes which are difficult to follow sometimes. Still, this booklet manages to get in all the major actions of the campaign in just under a 100 pages. Quite a feat.
The narrative is detailed and to the point. Some might find that the perspective focuses a bit more on the British but to this reader that's a refreshing change. Some vivid battle plates detail the action at the brandywine, Chew House, and the Hessian attack on the Deaware Forts. Again, the focus is mainly on British uniforms, but what were the American really wearing at this time anyway?
Some interesting information is provided on the Ferguson Rifle Corps and how they performed during the battle. A nice picture of the rifle allows us to see what this weapon looked like at the time. The British were experimenting with Rifle techniques that would become very useful during the later Napoleanic Wars. The precursors of the 95th Rifles were certainly right here.
Those wanting a quick to the point summary of the various actions of the Brandywine Campaign can't go wrong. As usual the Osprey titles should prove their worth to wargamers both for uniforms and battle maps. Certainly worthwhile and a nice addition to the series.
An excellent overview of the Philadelphia campaign September 24, 2007
welchfusilier
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Reflecting some of the more recent scholarship on the fight for Philadelphia, Clement's small but insightful overview of the action in 1777 deserves the attention of the serious enthusiast as well as that of the casual reader. It provides condensed but comprehensive coverage of all the major engagements and the significant minor ones in a very readable text that is illustrated with probably the best tactical maps available of the engagements. Illustrations of British uniforms also are especially useful,with a sketch of a member of the green-jacketed Ferguson's rifle company that seems not to be readily available elsewhere. The text notes that the use of the rifle by the British was more extensive than was previously believed. This is one of the better Osprey texts and deserves a spot on the bookshelf on any Rev War historian, wargamer, or tourist who plans to visit the area.
A Good Summary but thin on analysis September 23, 2007
R. A Forczyk (Laurel, MD USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Philadelphia 1777: Taking the Capital, number 176 in Osprey's Campaign series, provides an excellent survey of the series of military actions around the American capital in the period August - December 1777. The author, a re-enactor and amateur historian, does a very good job synthesizing existing secondary sources into a coherent narrative. There is not a great deal of analysis in this volume and the author appears unwilling to judge the actions of the commanders involved, but overall this volume admirably summarizes all aspects of this campaign.
The only weak section in this volume is the opening, which begins with a rather mechanical recitation of virtually every major military event in the American Revolution from Lexington and Concord to the Battle of Trenton. The section on opposing commanders provides capsule biographies on 4 British/German and 5 American commanders, most of which is boilerplate type information. The section on opposing forces is also a bit skimpy, but the author recovers with 5 pages of detailed orders of battle. It is in the section on opposing plans, 8 pages long, that the author begins to add some depth. The campaign narrative itself is about 50 pages long, stretching from the British landing at Head of Elk, the deliberate advance upon Philadelphia, the Battle of Brandywine and the evacuation of the capital, the American counterattack at Germantown and the British efforts to capture the Delaware forts.
Philadelphia 1777: Taking the Capital has five 2-D Maps (Troop dispositions in the Middle Colonies, Spring 1777; major movements of both armies; Battle of Paoli; attack of Fort Red Bank; Battle of Whitemarsh) and three 3-D Maps (Battle of Brandywine; Battle of Germantown; defense of the Delaware River). The maps are a particularly strong part of this volume and the author includes some interesting information, such as the extent of populated areas in the colonies in 2-D map number 1. The first two 3-D maps are a bit busy, but good, and the third one is superb. The battle scenes by Stephen Walsh (the 1st Light Infantry Battalion at the Battle of Brandywine; the defense of the Chew House; the Hessian attack on Fort Red Bank) are very good, although all three are from the British-Hessian perspective. The author provides excellent notes on the battlefield today and an extensive bibliography.
The author's narrative is crisp and clean, but it is also obvious that he wishes to avoid stepping on toes. While he does note Washington's failure to check on the presence of additional fords that led to the defeat at Brandywine Creek, it seems passed off almost as a staff error. Given the presence of Pennsylvania units in the American army at Brandywine, it was really inexcusable that Washington could have allowed the British to benefit from superior knowledge of the local terrain. Wayne's disaster at Paoli is also presented with few of the American mistakes noted in Thomas McGuire's book on the battle, even though the author notes his reliance on that source. Finally, Howe's lethargic pace also seems excused and the author only faintly points to his culpability with the disaster that befell Burgoyne's army in New York. One needn't indulge in wanton character-bashing to note that bad leadership decisions had a major impact on the outcome of the campaign for both sides. For the British, the campaign provided a tactical victory in seizing the American capital, but a strategic defeat in failing to destroy either the military or political forces that gave vital impetus to the American Revolution.
Good reading September 10, 2007
Michael N. Ryan (Bel AIr, Maryland USA)
Of all the wars of American history the American Revolution is the most interesting to me. Though not up to standards of Brendan Morrissey's work this book is well written quite informative and nicely illustrated. Certainly I must find fault with its lack of detail on the German troops involved but overall a good book that shows the potential of the author.
 Interesting but bias view weakens book August 30, 2007
Graves (Pennsylvania)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
Clement does yeoman work to assemble numbers and details of the most successful campaign waged by the British during the Revoluiton but in his pro-patriot bias, he tends to obscure some facts which ultimately leaves several question unanswered.
For example he covers the defeat of Wayne at Paoli, the so called Paoli massacre. He covers the good tactis of the British but fails to really mention that the British were outnumbered or that it was Wayne's mishandling of his forces that resulted in the degree of his defeat.
The most blatent bias comes in the closing section. He recounts how Washington dug in at Whitpain, north of Philadelphia and Howe found the position too good to force, and so retired. Clement clearly wants to end his book on an upbeat point that the British retreat back to Philadelphia having failed to move Washington, who has finally held his ground.
However, Clement fails to mention that Howe had less than half the numbers Washington had, a fact supported by Clement's own tallies at the front of the book. He also leaves unanswered the question anyone with a passing knowledge of the campaign should ask. Why, if Whitpain was as "impregnable" as he depicts, did Washington leave it for the less cordial encampment of Valley Forge? This is the move traditionally seen as the end of the Philadelphia campaign.
Althought his book gives a good recounting of the battles and movements by the armies it is badly flawed by his bias and once that is seen, it makes you start to question many of his conclusions. Such as why Howe failed to finished off Washington by pressing him harder after Brandywine or Germantown. A question Clement raises, but then leaves dangling.
In his bibliography Clement sites several works by Thomas McGuire, who lives in the area and has written extensively about the campaign. while this is a good book to brush up on the rough facts of the campaign, more avid students should, like Mr Clement did, refere to the more detailed works of Mr. McGuire for deeper answers
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