An Early Triumph, The Continental Army on Trial and Depths Summary and Analysis

Buoyed by optimism, Washington predicts that the war will be over in a few months; however, the British army blockaded in Boston Harbor is a formidable opponent, forcing the Continental Army into a harsh winter without the proper clothes or shelter. To make matters worse, the current Continental soldiers' enlistment ends at the end of the year, forcing Washington into heavy recruitment during the bleak winter months. Before long, Washington learns of George III's intention to hire German or Russian soldiers to supplement the British troops in Massachusetts.

Fueled by renewed patriotic enthusiasm from the words of Thomas Paine's rhetoric in Common Sense, Washington rallies his troops for a nighttime attack on the British troops in Boston Harbor. However, the British commander in...