Casemate Publishers

With Musket & Tomahawk The Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War of 1777

by  Michael O. Logusz

Reviewed By  Perry Downen, IPMS# 44000

MSRP: $32.95 ISBN: 978-1-935149-00-2 Website: www.casematepublishing.com A big thank you goes to Casemate Publishers for graciously submitting this interesting book to IPMS for review and to IPMS for allowing me to review it. This 418-page hard-back book is a description of the Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War of 1777. It measures 6-1/8" X 9-1/4". The book consists of an introduction, twenty-four chapters, acknowledgements, notes, bibliography and an index. The book comes with a colorful dust cover depicting English troops being routed by colonial militia. The book begins in early 1777 with Gen. John Burgoyne formulating and submitting a plan to stop the revolutionary activities in the American colonies and bring them back in line under the British Crown. The overall objective of Burgoyne's plan is to separate New England from the rest of the colonies - remove the head and the snake will die. His plan calls for using a coordinated three-prong attack in the Hudson River valley of New York. One thrust under Burgoyne would begin in Canada and move south along the western bank of Lake Champlain and down the Hudson River to Albany. A second thrust under Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger would move eastward from Lake Ontario through the Mohawk River valley and join Burgoyne at Albany. The third thrust would come from Pennsylvania northward under the command of Gen. William Howe. In short, the plan fell apart with disastrous results for Burgoyne. St. Leger was unable to support Burgoyne when his troops retreated under threat from Benedict Arnold's forces and after losing Indian support in the siege of Fort Stanwix (Schuyler). In addition, Burgoyn's support from General Howe in the south did not materialize. Howe sent his army to take Philadelphia rather than sending a portion of it up the Hudson River from New York City. Sir Henry Clinton's belated effort to support Burgoyne from New York was no help. Burgoyne's defeat was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War. Within the context of Burgoyne's campaign, Logusz describes in detail the lives of the participants. He has thoroughly documented the events using correspondence and reports from both sides of the conflict. Logusz covers all levels of the conflict, the strategy and tactics used as well as details at the personal level. To show how Logusz makes his writing so personal he introduces a young Patriot sharpshooter, Timothy Murhpy, early in the book. Timothy was born in America, but has an abiding dislike for the English and their oppressive policies. His weapons of war include a knife, a tomahawk and a specially built over-and-under musket, which he loves to use. Logusz mentions Timothy several times thorough out the book to illustrate the day-to-day life in the wilderness of New York. Logusz does not shy away from the horrors of this war. He describes the brutality of the fighting and the terror inflicted on the Colonists during Indian raids. In chapter 15, The Tragic Case of Jane McCrea, he describes the killing of a civilian, 20-year-old Jane McCrea. Two Indian parties began to fight among themselves and poor Jane was shot and scalped during the fight. As a result of this needless killing and the way it was subsequently handled, the first sizable desertion occurred among the British irregulars in Burgoyne's command. A few maps and diagram are scattered throughout the book to help the reader understand troop movements. In the center of the book are a few pen and ink drawings and several photographs of re-enactments of Revolution War skirmishes. This was a fascinating book for me to read. Logusz brings this part of the Revolutionary War to life with excellent detail. It is not a dry read of troop movements and text book style history. It is a story with real people as they struggle to live and win the independence of a new nation. From a historical standpoint and as one who loves history, I highly recommend this book. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to review this book and thank Casement Publishers for their generosity in providing it.