Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution

From the acclaimed author of Mayflower, In the Heart of the Sea, and Bunker Hill comes an engrossing new book about the American Revolution. Its focus: the relationship between Benedict Arnold and George Washington, and the four years that led to the notorious fall of one and the gradual emergence of the other as a true leader. In the summer of 1776, Washington's army in Brooklyn and New York City faced one of the largest invading forces ever assembled by the British Empire. After suffering a series of devastating defeats, Washington's vulnerable and dejected troops were forced to evacuate the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Three weeks later, however, near the Canadian border, one of his favorite and most talented generals accomplished a tactical miracle by stalling the British advance in a viciously fought naval battle on Lake Champlain. An American defeat would have effectively ended the war, and it was Benedict Arnold who saved his young country from ruin.