Donald Johnstone Peck

A Spirited War - George Washington and the Ghosts of the Revolution in Central New Jersey Donald Johnstone Peck

New Jersey has recently been hailed as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution." This is a fitting designation, given that General George Washington spent the majority of his time in the colony, and engaged the British in several decisive battles within its borders. In fact, a large portion of the War for Independence may be said to have been won in the counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Monmouth and Mercer, where shifting loyalties and local resistance on both sides presented a constant challenge to the combatants. Have all physical vestiges of the Revolution vanished from the Garden State? Not at all. In fact, the reader will be pleasantly surprised to discover that many historic sites still do exist, places that offer us a genuine glimpse into the Spirited War of the times. Donald Peck and his companion Jane Doherty lead us on an in-depth tour of many of these Midland sites, each interpreting the facts from their individual point of view. As historian and psychic, they provide a fresh analysis of events that took place in the area, along with explanations of the personalities involved in them. The result is a very readable and exciting narrative, one that affords us an entirely new perspective on the past that surrounds us. Besides George Washington, readers will discover that other Revolutionary War heroes were associated with Central New Jersey, among them Benjamin and William Franklin, John Adams, Aaron Burr, Nathaneal Greene, Charles Lee, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Numerous battles also took place on its soil, including Washington's Retreat across New Jersey in 1776, the crucial Battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth in 1776-1778, the Battle of Springfield in 1780, and the celebrated march to victory with the French, led by the Comte de Rochambeau, in 1781. New Jersey's truly was the "Crossroads of the American Revolution", and A Spirited War will prove it!