Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution

by Patrick K. O'Donnell

Overview

In August 1776, little over a month after the Continental Congress had formally declared independence from Great Britain, General George Washington’s young army faced off against over 20,000 British and Hessian soldiers at the Battle of Brooklyn. This was the largest battle of the Revolution, and with the Americans outmanned and outmaneuvered, it was almost the end of the war, as well. But thanks to a series of desperate bayonet charges by a single heroic regiment from Maryland, known as the “Immortal 400,” Washington was able to retreat and regroup. He evacuated his men to Manhattan, and the Continental Army lived to fight another day.

In Washington’s Immortals , bestselling military historian Patrick K. O’Donnell brings to life the forgotten story of these remarkable men. Known as “gentlemen of honour, family, and fortune,” they fought not only in Brooklyn, but also in key battles throughout the war including Trenton, Stony Point, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and Yorktown, where their valor and resilience changed the course of history.

Drawing on extensive unpublished original sources, including letters, diaries, and pension applications, O’Donnell weaves together the stories of these dauntless men—their friendships, loves, defeats, and triumphs. He chronicles their development into an elite unit amid struggles with dogged British opponents and hostile Loyalists. And through the prism of this regiment, which included rich merchants, tradesmen, and free blacks, he tells the larger story of the Revolutionary War. Washington’s Immortals is gripping boots-on-the-ground history that will transport readers to the bloodiest battles and darkest days of the Revolutionary War in the company of men whose extraordinary sacrifices, endurance of unimaginable hardship, and valiant fighting helped make the difference between defeat and victory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802126368
Publisher:	Grove Atlantic
Publication date:	03/21/2017
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	28,668
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. He is the author of ten books, including Beyond Valor , Dog Company , and First SEALs. He served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and speaks often on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, Fox News, and Discovery.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

1774-75

Chapter 1 "Gentlemen of Honour, Family, and Fortune" 3

Chapter 2 Smallwood's Battalion and the Birth of an Army 12

Chapter 3 Girding for War 21

Chapter 4 America's First Civil War 26

1776

Chapter 5 The Otter 33

Chapter 6 The Armada 37

Chapter 7 Maryland Goes to War 47

Chapter 8 The Storm Begins 53

Chapter 9 The Battle of Brooklyn 59

Chapter 10 Escape from Long Island 72

Chapter 11 Manhattan 78

Chapter 12 When Twenty-Five Men Held Off an Army 85

Chapter 13 Fort Washington 93

Chapter 14 The Crisis 100

Chapter 15 Victory or Death-The Gamble at Trenton 112

1777

Chapter 16 Princeton 125

Chapter 17 Brandywine 141

Chapter 18 Wayne's Affair 151

Chapter 19 Mud Island 163

Chapter 20 Valley Forge and Wilmington 175

1778

Chapter 21 "A Damned Poltroon" 183

Chapter 22 Light Infantry 191

1779

Chapter 23 Despots 199

Chapter 24 The Gibraltar of America-The Midnight Storming of Stony Point 206

Chapter 25 Interlude 225

1780

Chapter 26 The March South 235

Chapter 27 A "Jalap" and a Night March 245

Chapter 28 Camden 249

Chapter 29 "Lay Their Country Waste with Fire and Sword" 259

Chapter 30 Washington's Best General 268

1781

Chapter 31 The Ragtag Army 273

Chapter 32 Hunting the Hunter 279

Chapter 33 Cowpens 284

Chapter 34 "To Follow Greene's Army to the End of the World" 297

Chapter 35 "Saw 'Em Hollerin' and a Snortin' and a Drownin'" 302

Chapter 36 The Race to the Dan 308

Chapter 37 Guilford Courthouse-"A Complicated Scene of Horror and Distress" 313

Chapter 38 Hobkirk's Hill 329

Chapter 39 Ninety Six 339

Chapter 40 Eutaw Springs 348

Chapter 41 "Conquer or Die"-Yorktown 355

1782-83

Chapter 42 The Last Battle 3 369

Chapter 43 "Omnia Reliqnit Servare Rempublicam" 375

Afterword 381

Acknowledgments 383

Sources 385

Notes 387

Index 443

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Washington’s Immortals:

An Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far (History)

“What makes Washington’s Immortals different from most Revolutionary War accounts is its seamless blend of tactical acumen and human drama . . . O’Donnell admirably blends a story of ardent farmers, merchants and mariners with a combat story of sharp, bloody engagements . . . [He] makes fluid use of letters, diaries, pension affidavits and early histories to bring home the carnage of war as the foot soldier saw it . . . Washington’s Immortals is an example of combat writing at its best.”—Wall Street Journal

“A powerful narrative . . . a must-read for those with deep or casual interest in the American Revolution.”—Journal of the American Revolution

“Well-written, and superbly researched . . . [A] compelling story of the Maryland Regiment . . . Intimate and often inspiring . . . O’Donnell is at the top of his game . . . A must-read for Revolutionary War and Maryland history buffs alike.”—Baltimore Post-Examiner

“Gritty . . . a ‘boots on the ground’ account, with great storytelling verve . . . For readers who enjoy well-researched military history, this is the book for you.”—Washington Independent Review of Books

“Compelling . . . Washington’s Immortals is well-researched and . . . lively.”—Fayetteville Observer

“A boots-on-the-ground account that . . . personalize[s] brave men whose names have fallen into the crevices of history . . . A strong point of Mr. O’Donnell’s book is his adept skill in describing military tactical maneuvers.”—Washington Times

“O’Donnell writes about war from the soldiers’ weary, battle-scarred perspective . . . At the same time, he describes and analyzes the strategic and tactical elements of battle with an even-handed regard to the wisdom and errors on each side . . . Through his vivid prose, we smell the sulfur in the gunsmoke and hear the fierce and often final cries of the combatants . . . Reveal[s] an important and little-known part of the sprawling history of the Revolution.”—American Spirit

“An incredible book . . . I encourage all of you to get out and purchase this . . . I love the book . . . if you like military history, this is a great book.”—Rick Crandall, Breakfast Club, KEZW 1430 AM

“O’Donnell deploys a fusillade of fact and fresh research in a Revolutionary War history rich in irony and event . . . Readers will admire O’Donnell’s exhaustive research, skilled organization of the material, and the high readability of the writing . . . With a firm grasp of tactics, strategy, and the sociopolitical landscape, O’Donnell captures the horror and absurdities of the war better than most.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Using primary sources from both sides of the Atlantic, O’Donnell effectively traces the story of Maryland’s immortals, describing their battles authentically along with the precariousness of the American cause. This book will be of interest to both general readers and scholars interested in the military aspects of the American Revolution.”—Library Journal

“O’Donnell . . . [spent] five years researching the Marylanders’ exploits, visiting every battlefield where they fought from New York to South Carolina and combing through archives in the U.S. and Britain. What he learned prompted him to dub those patriots America’s original band of brothers, men who continued the fight despite overwhelming odds and constant lack of food, clothing and equipment.”—Associated Press

“Washington’s Immortals tells the extraordinary story of the most important band of brothers, forgotten men who changed the course of American history. This is O’Donnell at his very best—a deeply moving, superbly researched page turner.”—Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter

“Patrick O’Donnell has pioneered the pursuit of dogged research and the collection of revealing oral histories to produce moving accounts of key moments in American history. Now he’s set his sights on the Revolutionary War. Washington’s Immortals is a fascinating story about an important and largely overlooked Maryland unit in that war. It will definitely keep you turning pages.”—Douglas C. Waller, New York Times bestselling author of Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan and Wild Bill Donovan

“Washington’s Immortals is an amazing tale of pluck and devotion among one of the U.S. Army’s first elite outfits, the Maryland Line. O’Donnell expertly brings the valiant citizen-soldiers to life with vivid prose and meticulous primary-source research. Highly recommended.”—Joseph Balkoski, author of The Last Roll Call, and director of the Maryland Museum of Military History

“Patrick O’Donnell is blessed with a rare gift for storytelling and a keen empathy for the realities of soldiers in combat. He walks in the footsteps of his subjects like few other historians are able—or willing—to do. In this impressively researched, well written book, he brings the world of the American Revolution to life with an immediacy that almost defies belief. By focusing on one group of stalwart soldiers who sacrificed so much for the sake of their ideals, O’Donnell sheds important new light on the motivation and actions of America’s most effective revolutionaries. Washington’s Immortals is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in the American combat soldier, regardless of the era.”—John C. McManus, Curators’ Professor of US Military History, Missouri University of Science and Technology; author of The Dead and Those About to Die, D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, and Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience

“Patrick K. O’Donnell’s newest work is not so much a forgotten page of our history as it is a truly untold story—a story that takes us into the lives of a unit caught up in a world-changing struggle to throw off the shackles of colonialism. The reader will learn things here about the American Revolution that were never taught in high-school history classes. O’Donnell’s admirably researched and gripping narrative is a tribute to these forgotten patriot-warriors, and a must-read for students of American military history.”—Will Irwin, Senior Fellow, Joint Special Operations University, author of The Jedburghs and Abundance of Valor

“Patrick O’Donnelll has written what portends to be the definitive history of the famous Revolutionary War era ‘Maryland Line.’ Long considered by historians as George Washington’s Continental Army shock troops, O’Donnell tells a thoroughly entertaining and highly readable story. From Brooklyn Heights to Yorktown, O’Donnell clearly shows why this particular band of brothers earned the title of Washington’s Immortals.”—Charles P. Neimeyer, Ph.D., Director and Chief of Marine Corps History, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia

“Through a long war that was frequently on the verge of disaster, soldiers from Maryland repeatedly played a pivotal role in the Continental army’s narrow escapes and surprise victories. Washington’s Immortals is a soldiers-eye view of the Marylanders who fought in the Revolution’s most desperate clashes. O’Donnell weaves together first-hand accounts, many from archival sources never before published, to reveal the struggles and triumphs of this remarkable regiment and the men who were part of it.”—Don N. Hagist, author of British Soldiers, American War

“I have read a lot of books on the American Revolution. Washington’s Immortals is one that will remain vivid in my mind. It is original, deeply researched and superbly written. It should find a prominent place on bookshelves across America.”—Thomas Fleming, author of The Great Divide: The Conflict Between Washington and Jefferson That Defined A Nation

“Patrick O’Donnell brings us into the Revolution through the experiences of the officers and men of a crack Maryland unit that was in it from beginning to end. This is splendid history—intimate, immediate, sweeping, inspiring. You should, and you will, honor these men.”—Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, American

“General George Washington honored the soldiers of the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Continental Army for their service and sacrifice by calling them the ‘men of the old line.’ In continuing tribute to them, Maryland still proclaims its nickname as ‘The Old Line State.’ In Washington’s Immortals, noted military historian Patrick O’Donnell has written a gripping account of the men and units that made up the Maryland Line during our War for Independence who first earned that glorious nickname, and which the soldiers of the Maryland Army National Guard’s 175th Infantry continued to do so at places with names like Gettysburg, Normandy, and Iraq.”—Glenn F. Williams, author of Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era

“Perhaps no war in American history has been more difficult to see through soldiers’ eyes than the Revolutionary War. Patrick O’Donnell brings their experiences to life for twenty-first century readers in a way that no other historian has managed to do, accomplishing for the Revolutionary War what Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers did for World War II. The 1st Maryland Regiment participated in some of the most important battles of the war, gradually progressing from ordinary to elite status. Its story is the story of how the people of the United States became free.”—Edward G. Lengel, Editor-in-Chief of The Papers of George Washington and author of Inventing George Washington

From the Publisher