A comprehensive look at the brutal wilderness war that secured America's
independence . . .
With Musket and Tomahawk is a vivid account of the American and British
struggles in the sprawling wilderness region of the northeast during the
Revolutionary War. Combining strategic, tactical, and personal detail,
this book describes how the patriots of the recently organized Northern
Army defeated England's massive onslaught of 1777, thereby all but
ensuring America's independence.
Conceived and launched by top-ranking British military leaders to
shatter and suppress the revolting colonies, Britain's three-pronged
thrust was meant to separate New England from the rest of the nascent
nation along the line of the Hudson River. Thus divided, both the
northern and southern colonies could have been defeated in detail,
unable to provide mutual assistance against further attacks.
Yet, despite intense planning and vast efforts, Britain's campaign
resulted in disaster when General John Burgoyne, with 6,000 soldiers,
emerged from a woodline and surrendered his army to the Patriots at
Saratoga in October 1777.
Underneath the umbrella of Saratoga, countless battles and skirmishes
were waged from the borders of Canada southward to Ticonderoga,
Bennington, and West Point. Heroes on both sides were created by the
score, though only one side proved victorious, amid a tapestry of
madness, cruelty, and hardship in what can rightfully be called "the
terrible Wilderness War of 1777."
MICHAEL O. LOGUSZ has served in both the Regular and Reserve branches of
the U.S. Army, most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007-08.
He holds a B.A. from Oswego State College and an M.A. in Russian Studies
from Hunter College in New York. The author of numerous articles and a
previous book on WWII, Lt. Colonel Logusz has personally examined the
ground of each battle he describes. He currently lives in Florida.
