In "George Washington and the American Military Tradition," Don Higginbotham investigates the interplay of militiaman and professional soldier, of soldier and legislator, that shaped George Washington s military career and ultimately fostered the victory that brought independence to our nation. Higginbotham then explores the legacy of Washington s success, revealing that the crucial blending of civil and military concerns characteristic of the Revolution has been variously regarded and only seldom repeated by later generations of American soldiers.

Washington s training, between 1753 and...