A review by zelanator
George Washington and the American Military Tradition by Don Higginbotham

5.0

I read this book as part of my teaching load for a military history course this semester. I thought it was an excellent assessment of how George Washington contributed to an American military "tradition" of military subordination to civilian authority. Higginbotham pays particular attention to how Washington learned from his experiences in the French and Indian War and, in 1775, became the best positioned candidate to provide both the strategic and tactical leadership necessary to win the war and act as broker between military and civilian interests. Although Washington was given discretionary powers by the Continental Congress he was diligent to avoid military overreach in civilian affairs or to allow the regular army to trample the rights of civilians in the name of military necessity.

Excellent read. Although it is short this book is densely packed with ideas about civil-military relations and 18th century military history.