The Philadelphia Campaign: June 1777-July 1778

Great Campaigns

by David G. Martin

This all new study presents the strategy, engagements, and personalities of the Philadelphia Campaign (which included Brandywine and Germantown), along with essays on equip-ment, tactics, and uniforms of the period.

Genres: American Revolution, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 1992

Reviews

[Stanley Cramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is unlike any history book I have ever read. Excerpts and quotes are seamlessly written into the book and make up approximately a quarter to a third of the text. I might imagine that many readers might find Martin's detail somewhat laborious, however, I live in the area where the battle took place and found I could easily follow the battle from location to location. I would suggest adding more maps but there are some excellent animated maps on line that helped me visualize troop movements and fighting in even greater detail. On to volume II!

[Greg Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin writes a concise history of a pivotal campaign in the American Revolution. It traces clearly, yet with significant detail, the campaign that included the major battles of Germantown, Brandywine, and Guilford Court House as well as the famous encampment in Valley Forge and a relatively unknown but fascinating struggle for the navigation of the Delaware River from the Atlantic to the city of Philadelphia.
Martin includes vignettes for more detail about key figures, like Baron von Steuben, semi-mythical figures, like Molly Pitcher, and the Hessians who fought for Great Britain. There are many illustrations and several maps.
As with most military histories there are not enough maps. The largest negative with the book, however, was a significant number of typographical errors, including one where the date of an event was entered incorrectly in one paragraph even though it was correct in the immediately preceding paragraph!
Despite this, and its age (26 years since publication when I read it) the book holds up well and tells an important story.

[George Kasnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read the first expanded volume of this series and decided to read this one which follows past the Battle of Brandywine. I found more detailed orders of battle and useful information than was contaned in the expanded first volume. The book covers Germantown, the Delaware Forts and Monmouth with interesting sidebars througout. A worthwhile read which stands on its own.

[Dave Lubbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Will be visiting the battle sites.