For anyone wondering what this next literary rodeo entails, the narrative will consider General Washington’s leadership attributes and style, and then expound on arguably his best and most significant feats of generalship—and the actions taken to carry those out—in terms of winning American independence (listed chronologically and not based on a ranking of their importance}. The seeds for this enterprise were planted in my last article for the Journal of the American Revolution. To put all this in context, the content will include a detailed review of other influences on the outcome of the war for independence and confront what I believe is a popular misconception that the rebel victory was against all odds. I anticipate wading into issues that many readers may not have considered previously, such as whether any one individual (yes, that means GW) could have been indispensable to the success of the American rebellion, and whether the British had a realistic prospect of winning the war—or if they did, of winning the peace. It’s possible my conclusions will vex some readers, but (as they say) history is an argument that never ends.

The working title will stay under wraps for the time being, as I expect the publisher to weigh in on that.

Happy spring!

Best regards,

dp

I wanted to pass along this link to information and registration—to attend virtually or in person—for a free symposium on May 8 at the National Museum of the US Army, which will focus on the middle years of the Revolutionary War, 1777–79.

In addition, you may want to check out this C-SPAN2 video about the January 4, 2026 reenactment of the battle of Princeton, an annual event at Princeton Battlefield State Park that is cosponsored by the Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) and the State of New Jersey—and made possible by the enthusiastic efforts of dedicated reenactors who portray those on both sides of the struggle.

And speaking of Princeton, here’s a link to a story about the plans for a visitor center at the battlefield and the involvement (actual or potential, as the case may be) of the State of New Jersey, the American Battlefield Trust, and PBS.

Also, I’m pleased to report that there has been progress in lining up a publisher to tackle my next book project. At this point, I’m awaiting a formal author offer, so I don’t want to elaborate on this until the contract has been signed—but stay tuned.

Last but not least, my most recent book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days, has been named as a finalist for the 2025 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award. It’s anticipated that the award winner will be announced this summer.

Best regards,

dp

P.S. For anyone not familiar with the featured image for this post, it’s from The Passage of the Delaware by Thomas Sully, oil on canvas (1819). The original is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. (Get the picture?)

If you live in central New Jersey (or even beyond), please be aware that from April 15 through July 12, Princeton University’s Firestone Library will host a special exhibit—replete with some really intriguing Rev War artifacts—to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Here’s more information.

Speaking of Princeton, the 2026 battlefield tour program there will start in May, and more information is available here for those interested. In addition to the regular tour that introduces visitors to the subject and an extended tour that covers the entire battlefield, this year’s program will feature three talks on specific topics that relate to the 1777 engagement and the context in which it occurred. The latter will be given by award-winning author and historian Larry Kidder, and they include: Princeton: A Battle and a Community, Why Did the Battle Happen Here?, and The People Who Experienced the Battle.

More information is available here about the 2026 Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award and its recipient, Rick Atkinson (for The Fate of the Day), as well as the three honorable mentions—one of which is near and dear to my keyboard.

I’ve just finished John Ferling’s latest work, Shots Heard Round the World, and recommend it to readers looking for a comprehensive account of the struggle for independence that leans into the machinations associated with foreign intervention in the war (France, Spain, and Holland). This is something like his 16th book; the man is nothing if not prolific.

And last, I’m continuing work on a manuscript that represents an extension of my last article in the Journal of the American Revolution—Washington’s Ten Best Military Decisions. In addition to exploring his most critical decisions and the actions taken to implement them (including others besides those covered in the article), the narrative will examine other factors that impacted the outcome of the conflict—particularly how they figured into the odds of Great Britain winning the war, and if so of its winning the peace.

Meanwhile, bring on baseball!

Best regards,

dp

Stay warm and dry, if you can.

Best regards,

dp

That’s what supporters of the independence movement among American colonists did when Thomas Paine published the first bestselling literary work in our nation’s history exactly 250 years ago tomorrow. And Lawrence Township, NJ, will hold its 64th Annual Colonel Edward Hand Reenactment March then, as described here (and which this year includes a brief speaking part for yours truly).

Other miscellanea for those interested:

– If anyone wants to see images of the annual Princeton battle reenactment from January 4, you can do so here courtesy of the Bergen Record. (Get the picture?)

– I’m looking forward to speaking at an upcoming conference sponsored by the Brigade of the American Revolution— Redcoats & Resistance: Invasion of New York, 1776 (April 11-12).

– Work continues on the new replica Durham boat that will be coming to Washington Crossing Historic Park this year, and which visitors will actually be able to step inside.

– I recently prerecorded a talk about my most recent book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days for the Emerging Revolutionary War podcast, which will be aired on March 22 as part of its Rev War Revelry series every other Sunday night at 7 pm.

Best regards,

dp

Just to bring you up to date, my latest project represents an extension of a recent article in the Journal of the American Revolution—Washington’s Ten Best Military Decisions—and an alternative version of that piece which appears in the Fall 2025 issue of The Journal of America’s Military Past, entitled “Was General Washington Only Brilliant at Trenton and Princeton?” In addition to exploring Washington’s most critical decisions and the actions taken to implement them (including others besides what’s covered in the article), this project will examine other factors that impinged on the outcome of the Revolutionary struggle—particularly how they figured into the odds of Great Britain winning the war, and if so of winning the peace.

If anyone would like to read the above-referenced JAMP article, shoot me your email address and I’ll forward the latest issue to you. It also includes a review of my last book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days.

Finally, I received an email on December 18 from Stephen A. McLeod, Director of Library Programs at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, which reads as follows:

“I hope this message finds you doing well. I am in charge of identifying new books on the Founding Era which should be considered for the annual George Washington Prize. Your new book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign, should definitely be submitted. Kindly send five copies to me at the address provided below and I will get this book added to the list of titles being reviewed by the jury. The award includes a $50,000 cash prize, the largest for a book on early American history. Please let me know if you have questions and I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Needless to say, I’ve asked the publisher to supply the necessary copies. More information about the award is available here.

Happy upcoming semiquincentennial year of independence.

Best regards,

dp

If it seems like I’ve been singularly inattentive to this blog of late (and I have), my excuse is that I’ve embarked on another literary rodeo (to mix metaphors), working on a manuscript that’s an extension of my most recent article in the Journal of the American Revolution—Washington’s Ten Best Military Decisions—and an alternative version of that piece which will appear shortly in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of the Journal of America’s Military Past, entitled “Was General Washington Only Brilliant at Trenton and Princeton?” In addition to exploring Washington’s most critical decisions and the actions taken to implement them, the new book project will examine other factors that impinged on the outcome of the Revolutionary struggle—particularly how they figured into the odds of Great Britain winning the war, and if so of winning the peace. (No, I don’t have a publisher lined up yet but am hoping to hear about that very soon.)

Wishing you a great holiday season and a healthy and happy new year.

Best regards,

dp

P.S. I’ll be doing a book signing (for my latest book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days, and others) at Washington Crossing Historic Park on Christmas Day from 12 to 3 pm during the annual Delaware River crossing reenactment—well, actually the biannual reenactment since the first will be on the 14th. More information about these events is available here.

Reminder: If you’re reading this in your email, you have to go to dpauthor.com and click on the Speaking of Which tab in order to view the actual blog post with the featured image.

Dear Reader:

I wanted to provide a few updates that may be of interest to some of you.

— You’ll find information about the 2025 Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History here. The focus will be on the important role Virginia played in the Revolution. It will be held October 4 at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, VA, and include several Revolutionary War-related presentations.

— Here’s a link to a notice about the upcoming conference sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, “Forging Independence: The Revolutionary War’s Early Years,” to be held at the DoubleTree, Front Royal, VA on February 20-021, 2026.

— Any Rev War buff (nerd, geek, nut, maven, etc.) worthy of that species knows about Rick Atkinson’s latest creation, The Fate of the Day (the second volume in his trilogy on the War of Independence), but I’d like to call attention—for the benefit of anyone who’s unfamiliar with it—to John Maass’s new book, From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War (Osprey Publishing, 2025). The author of several books on American military history, John is a historian with the National Museum of the United States Army and holds a doctorate in early American history from The Ohio State University. I wrote the following about his latest work on the book’s Amazon page:

Thanks to historian John Maass, readers—in particular, aficionados of our Revolutionary struggle specifically or military history more generally—can now feast on a splendid analysis of the most pivotal military events in the War of Independence: the Continental Army’s victories at Trenton and Princeton, the Saratoga campaign, the Valley Forge encampment, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, and the siege of Yorktown. In this concise and lucid chronicle, the author lays out an illuminating and persuasive case for why and how these developments profoundly altered the course of the conflict and paved the road to victory for the Patriot insurgency. A book like this merits a wide readership, especially during our collective immersion in the semiquincentennial of American independence. John Maass’s newest literary effort is highly recommended.

— The most recent blurb received for my new book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days, is as follows:

“As a professional historian with a deep interest in regional history, I found that David Price’s book transports readers, both professional historians and the interested non-academic, to the 1776-77 winter action in the Delaware River Valley. The contours of the region, in terms of the topography, the people, and the major characters, are all brought to life. Price captures the dynamic of the ‘Ten Crucial Days’ as if he were an eyewitness relating those events.”
– JAMES E. HIGGINS, Ph.D., Executive Director, Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum/Lehigh County Historical Society and author of The Health of the Commonwealth

Happy reading!

Reminder: If you’re reading this in your email, you have to go to dpauthor.com and click on the Speaking of Which tab in order to view the actual blog post with the featured image.

Dear Reader:

I wanted to let you know that, going forward, I plan to limit my blogging to providing informational links that may be of interest to others in regard to the Revolution and Founding Era (including my own efforts), rather than crafting original substantive content about such subject matter. I’ve been doing the latter since the inception of this website in August 2020; and to be honest, at this point, the motivation to continue that effort is simply not there. That said, I will always like to write, so we’ll see what else can be done to scratch a persistent itch.

To be clear, this is not a total shutdown, but certainly a retrenchment. Please accept my deepest thanks for tuning into this platform and my best wishes in your pursuit of what I have been trying to provide for the past five years—engaging, informed, and myth-busting reading about the people, places, and events that defined young America’s exploratory path. Frankly, the relative paucity of reader feedback has made it difficult for me to judge how successful the effort was (or not), but then again, maybe that’s my answer.

And in case you’re interested .  .  .

— My new book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days, is reviewed by Kelsey DeFord in the Journal of the American Revolution (JAR) here.

— Also, an article of mine, “John Haslet: Service and Sacrifice in the Revolution,” will appear in the Spring/Summer Issue of The Journal of America’s Military Past, the scholarly, peer-reviewed publication of the Council on America’s Military Past (CAMP), which contains in-depth monographs on military history. The narrative is a spinoff from my third book, John Haslet’s World. You can’t access it electronically unless you’re a CAMP member; however, if you’d like to see the article, shoot me a request at dpauthor64@gmail.com, and I’ll send you a copy once the issue is published.

That’s it for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

dp