By recounting inconvenient truths, including "how patriotic zeal had lapsed into cynicism and self-interest," Philbrick (Mayflower) once again casts new light on a period of American history with which many readers may assume familiarity. He relates the four years of the Revolutionary War (1776-1780) in a compulsively readable and fascinating narrative, prefacing his account with a provocative description of what really happened during the American Revolution, which was "so troubling and strange that once the struggle was over, a generation did its best to remove all traces of the truth." Philbrick makes vivid and memorable the details of numerous military engagements and reliably punctures any preconceptions that the rebels' victory was inevitable. Eye-openers abound, such as how British general John Burgoyne's use of Native American warriors backfired, as "even more than their love of liberty, the New Englanders' multigenerational fear of native peoples was what finally moved them to rise up and extirpate" the British. Balancing his portrayals of the protagonists, Philbrick presents Washington's weaknesses as a military commander without apology and contextualizes Arnold's eventual betrayal of his country in the context of a long list of slights against him. Philbrick's deep scholarship, nuanced analysis, and novelistic storytelling add up to another triumph. Maps. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

CUE THE VILLAIN. Benedict Arnold takes center stage in Nathaniel Philbrick's vivid and in some ways cautionary tale of the Revolutionary War. The near-tragic nature of the drama hinges not on any military secrets Arnold gave to the British but on an open secret: the weakness of the patriot cause. George Washington's part of the story remains intriguing. In 1776, he seemed to some as shaky as Arnold appeared intrepid. The "ambitious, even ferocious warrior" wanted to win at a stroke and risked too much on several occasions. Rivals tallied his failings, but his genius was to learn from his mistakes and keep his cool in the meantime. Arnold, by contrast, rose quickly, thanks to his "charismatic presence" and a gift for seeing holes in enemy lines. As the former captain of a merchant ship, he proved equally adept on the water. Unfortunately, Arnold was "prickly and hotheaded" and lived beyond his means. Although he wasn't an aristocrat, he felt he deserved to be one. And he grew embittered after less deserving men were promoted to major general before him, owing to a regional quota system. Arnold was hardly the only general to be frustrated by the Continental Congress, but he was certainly among the most vocal. Unlike Washington, who held on to his plantation and slaves, Arnold found that his fortune was vastly depleted by the war. And he was ill suited to learn the perfect balance of "caution and aggression" Washington would later demonstrate, especially after Arnold was injured in battle and left permanently disabled. In what may be a reflection of our political times, Philbrick praises Washington's patience with Congress but doesn't seem to share it. He has even less sympathy for Pennsylvania's "radical Constitutionalists" and those fomenting "class war" in the fall of 1778, provoked by divisions over independence and the nine-month occupation of Philadelphia by the British. The tensions gripping the city tested Washington, but they were Arnold's undoing. As the military governor of Philadelphia after the British evacuation, he cozied up to rich collaborators like the Shippens, whose daughter, Peggy, he married in 1779. The true villain of Philbrick's narrative, Joseph Reed - a less-than-loyal former adjutant to Washington who was president of Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council - engaged in a "merciless witch hunt" to prove Arnold's corruption. Money was clearly a problem for Arnold, who had promised to bestow "a settlement" on Peggy Shippen and buy her an elegant mansion. Philbrick skillfully depicts the sheer banality of Arnold's greed and self-interest, revealing the roots of his downfall: one part psychology and one part sensibility to at least three parts circumstance. To borrow an image from the 19th century, he's more a character from Jane Austen than from Mary Shelley. Arnold's betrayal still makes for great drama, proving once again that the supposed villains of a story are usually the most interesting. For Washington, "rules mattered"; for Arnold, "rules were made to be broken." For Philbrick, both Arnold and his enemies offer proof that "the greatest danger to America's future came from self-serving opportunism masquerading as patriotism." Perhaps Arnold's treason did help the Americans come to that realization. And perhaps it also "gave this nation of traitors the greatest of gifts: a myth of creation" that put Washington on a pedestal and made Arnold a "despised villain." In "Valiant Ambition," Philbrick debunks certain treasured notions even while discerning their virtues. The resulting ambiguities may be best captured by the book's sotto voce ending, with another general, Nathanael Greene, about to leave for the Southern campaign that we know will be won. At this point, I couldn't help recalling Philbrick's brief mention of Arnold's plan, soon after his arrival in Philadelphia, to lead a naval attack on Bermuda and Barbados, which would have freed their slaves and enlisted them as privateers - a plan that, Philbrick argues, might have made him "one of the immortal heroes of the Revolution." But that would have been a rather different Revolution. DAVID WALDSTREICHER teaches history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

*Starred Review* Philbrick (Bunker Hill, 2013) long ago established his narrative-nonfiction bona fides with such books as In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (2000), winner of the National Book Award and which was recently made into a movie. His formidable storytelling skills are displayed anew in this riveting, perceptive account of the American Revolution as seen through a very defined lens: the growing strength of General Washington's leadership qualities as he suppresses his propensity for anger and sharpens his ability to rise above the bickering of his staff and Congress to keep a focus on the bigger picture of securing independence, and on the growing frustration of one of his best generals, Benedict Arnold, over the slow pace of the war effort and Congress' intrusive oversight. Granted, many pages of this unforgettable book are given over to troop activities in the field. But the beauty and wisdom of the narrative as a whole lie in its indelible picture of the troubles Washington went through to lead a successful revolution, and in isolating the personality traits and exterior forces that would lead to the name of Benedict Arnold becoming synonymous with treason. Bound to draw a good readership to libraries' American-history stacks.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2016 Booklist

By 1780, the actions of ambitious, self-interested Continental Army generals--including George Washington and Benedict Arnold--nearly resulted in America losing the Revolutionary War. Britain's 1777 occupation of Philadelphia led Washington to curb his desire for glory and thereafter to "do what was best for his ... country, no matter what the critics (as well as his inner demons) might say." Arnold's questionable financial dealings while military commander of Philadelphia following British withdrawal made him the object of a "merciless witch hunt" by Pennsylvania officials, absent which "one cannot help but wonder whether [Arnold] would have betrayed his country...." His fiancée, loyalist Peggy Shippen, may have "enticed" Arnold to defect to the British, but Philbrick concludes that Arnold turned traitor "first and foremost for the money." Arnold's treason shocked Americans by exposing the danger of internal collapse and rekindled support for the American cause at a time when the war teetered on the brink of failure. With its synthesis of recent scholarship, clear prose, and cogent analysis, Valiant Ambition replaces James Thomas Flexner's The Traitor and the Spy (1953) as the most nuanced account of Arnold's treason. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. --James C. Bradford, Texas A&M University

In American history, one name defines treason, Benedict Arnold, and another often represents honor, George Washington. Philbrick (Mayflower) does an excellent job of showing that Arnold was not always despised by Americans; in fact, he was seen as a brilliant on-field general with courage to spare. Why, then, did he attempt to sacrifice the fort at West Point to the British? In 1776, Arnold secured Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain and led a successful attack on an overpowering British fleet. Meanwhile, Washington lost New York City in a brief battle and retreated to New Jersey. As the war progressed, though, Washington learned to temper his own aggressiveness in order to defeat the larger British force. Arnold, wounded at the Battle of Saratoga, became cynical of Congress and politicians. Arnold's wife, a Loyalist, soon pushed him over the traitorous edge. Philbrick argues that Arnold's actions led to a more unified populace and helped America win her independence. Scott Brick's narration enhances this enlightening history. VERDICT A splendid view of the country's most notorious traitor and the evolving leadership of Washington. Recommended for all listeners with an interest in early American history ["This page-turner will be valued by both casual readers and historians": LJ 3/1/16 review of the Viking hc.]-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.