Closing the Ring: George Washington’s War in the North, 1778-1781
Many historians describe the northern theater of war in the American Revolution as a stalemate as no major battles took place and territory was neither gained nor surrendered. Labeling 1778-1781 as a mere stalemate understates how this crucible forged Washington’s strategic flexibility and political dexterity.
As the war dragged on, internal fractures and betrayals tested Washington’s leadership more than battlefield losses. The new Franco–American alliance, which promised to be a deciding factor in the war, fell on hard times. As Washington’s army moved into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey, in the winter of 1779-1780, that period became a microcosm of most of the Continental Army’s ills. These frigid, snow-buried nights not only tested the soldiers’ endurance but exposed the crushing reality of an army beset by supply shortages and financial collapse.
Washington’s unshakable focus and management skills in the face of Congressional failures and battlefield reverses was remarkable. He faced shortages of food and clothing, endured a currency collapse, short enlistments, and endless winter quarters to name a few. Washington’s enormous capacity and self-control enabled him to endure massive failures and disappointments, while cultivating subordinates who he knew would play a major role in defeating the British.
Using a rich tapestry of primary sources, author and historian Jeff Denman focuses on moments and locales rarely chronicled and provides an in-depth and captivating window into how one individual galvanized meager resources to accomplish the extraordinary.
The Fall Speaker Series is held at 7:00 p.m. Dedham Museum & Archive, 612 High Street, Dedham, MA.
Admission: Free to members, non-members $10 at the door.
Jeff is a graduate of the University of Maine and the University of Connecticut and is a retired teacher of American history and World Geography at the Brookline Public Schools, Brookline, Massachusetts. His is the author of John Quincy Adams: His Struggle with Slavery in Antebellum America (on which he spoke at the Museum in 2025), of Philadelphia Quakers and the American Revolution, and is co-author of Greene and Cornwallis: The Pivotal Struggle of the American Revolution, 1780-1781. He has also written several articles focusing on various aspects of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II in various historical publications.