The Crossing

"The only person uncertain about his appointment was George Washington himself. After the vote was taken, he turned to fellow Virginian patriot Patrick Henry and said, 'Remember Mr. Henry...from the day I enter upon the command of the American army, I date my fall, and the ruin of my reputation.'"

It is 1776, and George Washington's army of rebellious colonists is emboldened by its stunning victories over the British at Lexington and Concord, and at having driven the world's most formidable army from Boston. But now they face the threat of a brutal British retaliation.

George Washington, who has little military experience, is unanimously chosen as commander in chief in the hope that he can whip his ragtag, unruly troops into a real fighting army. As the British begin their invasion of New York City and out-battle the Americans in one encounter after another, George Washington isn't the only one who is overcome with doubts.

In a breathtaking account of this pivotal moment in the Revolution, Jim Murphy masterfully shows Washington's transformation from gentleman farmer to a brilliant general as he delivers the country from the blackest of times into the brightest of futures.