Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle

by Mark Edward Lender, Garry Wheeler Stone Ph.D

Overview

Historians have long considered the Battle of Monmouth one of the most complicated engagements of the American Revolution. Fought on Sunday, June 28, 1778, Monmouth was critical to the success of the Revolution. It also marked a decisive turning point in the military career of George Washington. Without the victory at Monmouth Courthouse, Washington's critics might well have marshaled the political strength to replace him as the American commander-in-chief. Authors Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone argue that in political terms, the Battle of Monmouth constituted a pivotal moment in the War for Independence.

Viewing the political and military aspects of the campaign as inextricably entwined, this book offers a fresh perspective on Washington’s role in it. Drawing on a wide range of historical sources—many never before used, including archaeological evidence—Lender and Stone disentangle the true story of Monmouth and provide the most complete and accurate account of the battle, including both American and British perspectives. In the course of their account it becomes evident that criticism of Washington’s performance in command was considerably broader and deeper than previously acknowledged. In light of long-standing practical and ideological questions about his vision for the Continental Army and his ability to win the war, the outcome at Monmouth—a hard-fought tactical draw—was politically insufficient for Washington. Lender and Stone show how the general’s partisans, determined that the battle for public opinion would be won in his favor, engineered a propaganda victory for their chief that involved the spectacular court-martial of Major General Charles Lee, the second-ranking officer of the Continental Army.

Replete with poignant anecdotes, folkloric incidents, and stories of heroism and combat brutality; filled with behind-the-scenes action and intrigue; and teeming with characters from all walks of life, Fatal Sunday gives us the definitive view of the fateful Battle of Monmouth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780806157481
Publisher:	University of Oklahoma Press
Publication date:	03/16/2017
Series:	Campaigns and Commanders Series , #54
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	624
Sales rank:	185,013
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Mark Edward Lender is Professor Emeritus of History at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, and the coauthor of A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic and Citizen Soldier: The Revolutionary War Journal of Joseph Bloomfield.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface xi

1 The Audit of War: The Military Situation, 1777-1778 3

2 A General under Fire: George Washington and His Critics 19

3 Antagonists: The British and American Armies 45

4 Toward a New Campaign 76

5 The Matter of Major General Charles Lee 105

6 The Roads to Monmouth I: Henry Clinton's March 123

7 The Roads to Monmouth II: The Continental Advance 159

8 General Lee's Orders: Expectations and Misunderstandings 184

9 Battlefield and Village 200

10 Morning at Monmouth I: The Opening Round 233

11 Morning at Monmouth II: General Lee's Battle 249

12 Commanders in Conflict: The Washington and Lee Affair 282

13 Buying Time: The Point of Woods and the Hedgerow 298

14 The Great Cannonade 318

15 Death in the Afternoon: The Battle of Detachments 331

16 Aftermath of Battle: The Living and the Dead 353

17 The British and the French: Departures and Arrivals 372

18 Constructing Victory, Settling Scores 382

19 A Campaign in Retrospect: Assessments and Legacies 404

Epilogue 427

Appendix A Monmouth: A Campaign and Battle Chronology, 16 June-6 July 1778 441

Appendix B Continental Army Order of Battle 451

Appendix C British Army Order of Battle 463

Notes 471

Bibliography 549

Index of Military Units 577

General Index 581

Editorial Reviews

This is a superb study, large in scope, detailed in content, and insightful in all that it considers. Based on massive research that ranges in depth across a variety of sources, Mark Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone have provided a broad and subtle history that ranks with the best written on the Revolutionary War. A marvelous book.”—Robert Middlekauff, author of Washington’s Revolution: The Making of America’s First Leader and The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789


“This welcome addition to the literature on the Revolutionary War not only considers the Battle of Monmouth in detail but reassesses the performance of General Charles Lee even as it details the high-stakes political infighting in which George Washington established himself as military commander.”—Lawrence E. Babits, author of A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens, and coauthor of Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse


“Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone show how the daylong slugfest at Monmouth Courthouse was a coming-of-age battle for the Continental Army with profound consequences for the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Gripping yet definitive, this model of military history deserves a wide readership.”—James Kirby Martin, author of Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered


“Informed by deep research and vividly narrated, this long-needed account shows how the battle at Monmouth Courthouse solidified the reputations of George Washington and his Continentals—and put the British on notice.”
—Wayne E. Lee Crowds and Soldiers in Revolutionary North Carolina: The Culture of Violence in Riot and War


“This is a landmark study of a battle too often overlooked. The writing is crisp, clear, and commanding, the research is deep, and the analysis is learned and sophisticated. Lender and Stone have set the standard.”—Ricardo A. Herrera, For Liberty and the Republic: The American Citizen as Soldier, 1775–1861


“Fatal Sunday is an extensively researched and well-written study that provides a new and fascinating perspective on the significance of the Battle of Monmouth.”—The Journal of Military History
 


“Fatal Sunday is an extensively researched and well-written study that provides a new and fascinating perspective on the significance of the Battle of Monmouth.”—Journal of Military History 
 

From the Publisher