A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution

by David Head

Overview

In the war's waning days, the American Revolution neared collapse when Washington's senior officers were rumored to approach the edge of mutiny.

After the British surrender at Yorktown, the American Revolution blazed on, and as peace was negotiated in Europe, grave problems surfaced at home. The government was broke and paid its debts with loans from France. Political rivalry among the states paralyzed Congress. The army's officers, encamped near Newburgh, New York, and restless without an enemy to fight, brooded over a civilian population indifferent to their sacrifices.

The result was the Newburgh Conspiracy, a mysterious event in which Continental Army officers, disgruntled by a lack of pay and pensions, may have collaborated with nationalist-minded politicians such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Robert Morris to pressure Congress and the states to approve new taxes and strengthen the central government.

A Crisis of Peace tells the story of a pivotal episode of General Washington's leadership and reveals how the American Revolution really ended: with fiscal turmoil, political unrest, out-of-control conspiracy thinking, and suspicions between soldiers and civilians so strong that peace almost failed to bring true independence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643136073
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	12/08/2020
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

A history professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, David Head's research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and by George Washington's Mt. Vernon. His prior academic books benefited from an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a Gilder Lehrman Fellowship at the New-York Historical Society, and a Lord Baltimore Fellowship at the Maryland Historical Society. Head's previous work in the academic community has been honored with several awards and prizes, including Mystic Seaport Museum's John Gardner Maritime Research Award and the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic's Ralph D. Gray Article Prize.

Table of Contents

A Note on 18^th-Century Writing ix

Introduction xi

1 The Road from Yorktown 1

2 The Insipid Campaign 25

3 The Officers' Grievances, The Financier's Frustration 53

4 The Delegation to Philadelphia 79

5 Rumors and Gossip 103

6 The Anonymous Letter 123

7 General Washington in the Temple of Virtue 141

8 Peace and Pensions 167

9 The Army Disbands 189

Conclusion 219

Acknowledgments 223

Abbreviations and Sources 227

Index 277

Editorial Reviews

"A masterful job telling the story of how the American Revolution ended. Thoroughly researched and superbly written, keeping the reader engaged until the end. A must have book."--Brian Mack, The Fort Plain Museum, Fort Plain, NY

"A superb historian who writes in beautiful detail about the heat of political competition. With a rich cast of characters, this book delivers a keen chronicle of a much-vaunted 'conspiracy.'"--Andrew Burstein, Charles P. Manship Professor of History, Louisiana State University

"A thoroughly original take on one of the most critical moments in history that would determine no less than the success or failure of the American Revolution."--Craig Bruce Smith, author of 'American Honor: The Creation of the Nation's Ideals during the Revolutionary Era'

"David Head tells the story masterfully with new details and expert drama, putting the crisis in both a contemporary context and showing its relevance for all ages."--Douglas Bradburn, President and CEO, George Washington's Mount Vernon

"Vividly written. Captures the perilous period when Washington's fundamental decency meant more to the nation than more glorious qualities might have."--David O. Stewart, bestselling author of 'The Summer of 1787'

"With an energetic pen and a are for a good phrase, David Head recounts in intimate detail one of the United States' most perilous moments."--Philip Levy, author of 'Where The Cherry Tree Grew: The Story of Ferry Farm, George Washington's Boyhood Home'

"This accessible history illuminates an obscure but significant chapter in American history."-- "Publishers Weekly"

From the Publisher

10/14/2019

Revolutionary War buffs will be intrigued by this meticulous, narrowly focused account of the two years following British Army general Charles Cornwallis’s surrender to Continental Army commander-in-chief George Washington in October 1781. University of Central Florida professor Head (Privateers of the Americas) explains that, with peace under negotiation in Paris, British forces still occupied New York City, and 10,000 Continental troops “stood duty” in the vicinity of Newburgh, York. During the winter of 1782–1783, army officers grew anxious about their pensions, which had been promised by Congress but were now in doubt because the country was “deeply in debt” and taxes were “deeply unpopular.” An officer, later revealed to be Maj. John Armstrong Jr., distributed an anonymous letter calling for the army to defy orders to either disband (if peace came) or fight (if war resumed). Head convincingly debunks theories that the letter was part of a conspiracy hatched by “nationalist-minded” politicians, including Alexander Hamilton, who wanted greater powers for the federal government, and finds no evidence that officers sought to overthrow Washington. He praises the commander’s ability to restore order, and thoroughly details how the army came to terms with Congress. This accessible history illuminates an obscure but significant chapter in American history. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"A thoroughly original take on one of the most critical moments in history that would determine no less than the success or failure of the American Revolution."

Craig Bruce Smith

"With an energetic pen and a are for a good phrase, David Head recounts in intimate detail one of the United States’ most perilous moments."

Philip Levy

"David Head tells the story masterfully with new details and expert drama, putting the crisis in both a contemporary context and showing its relevance for all ages."

Douglas Bradburn

"Vividly written. Captures the perilous period when Washington’s fundamental decency meant more to the nation than more glorious qualities might have."

David O. Stewart

"A superb historian who writes in beautiful detail about the heat of political competition. With a rich cast of characters, this book delivers a keen chronicle of a much-vaunted ‘conspiracy.’"

Andrew Burstein

"A masterful job telling the story of how the American Revolution ended. Thoroughly researched and superbly written, keeping the reader engaged until the end. A must have book."

Brian Mack

Meticulous and balanced, A Crisis of Peace lays out the vitally important circumstances that led to a critical moment in our nation's history and Washington’s indispensable role in preserving the peace.

Shelf Awareness

This work is written in a flowing and engaging style that is accessible and yet maintains rigorous standards for scholarship. Head writes with a sense of humor that is sure to bring some extra delight to readers. For anyone interested in the end of the war and the social, political, and economic factors of the time, this book is a must read.

Journal of the American Revolution

Alex Boyles offers a capable narration of this look at the American Revolution. It’s easy to think that the British surrender at Yorktown marked the end of the revolution, but General George Washington knew otherwise, and it was his task to hold the army together until a peace treaty was confirmed. Idle unpaid officers posed a threat to the fledgling government. This audiobook recounts those threats and the efforts to finance the war effort. Boyles’s voice is pleasant and even, and carries the story along. But he can’t overcome the author’s detailed text, which makes listening challenging at times. Boyles enlivens the narration with sudden changes in tone, pitch, or volume, especially when translating Colonial phrasing into more modern idioms. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile

2019-09-15
A tale from the very beginnings of the republic—and of its disaffected military.

As Head (History/Univ. of Central Florida; Privateers of the Americas: Spanish American Privateering From the United States in the Early Republic, 2015, etc.) observes early on, the British didn't march away after Yorktown, never to return. Instead, they retained control over New York as well as Savannah and Charleston and held them for another year and a half until the Treaty of Versailles was ratified. George Washington took his tired army to the banks of the Hudson River to keep an eye on the British, and there, at Newburgh, a "crisis of peace" emerged, one that pitted some of Washington's officers against Congress. For its part, the Continental Army was still irregularly equipped and poorly paid while Congress and its civilian employees counted on regular paychecks and led comfortable lives in Philadelphia. Head recounts the origins of the revolt that came close to erupting within the ranks of the revolutionary forces, pitting the military against the government. Along the way, he examines Congress' monetary policy and notes that financing the Revolution had led to near ruin not just because of the huge cost of the war, but also its inability to collect taxes across state lines, leading to "a canyon of debt" that made the dollar effectively worthless. Robert Morris, appointed superintendent of finance, floated credit from his own fortune until Alexander Hamilton could come along to straighten up the house, even as Washington quelled an uprising in the making that might have allowed Britain "to steal a victory in the end." The author's narrative has its moments, but his approach is of the rocks-for-jocks and gods-for-clods variety, as when he adverts to The Godfather ("But just when Morris thought he was out, Congress and the army pulled him back in") and affects breeziness ("the British Army was really good"), slips that do the book no favors.

A footnote to the larger history of the Revolution, of some interest to buffs.

Kirkus Reviews