Book Review: "To Try Men's Souls"

It would be interesting to go back and calculate the percentage of the books I've read this year for the "52 Books in 52 Weeks" challenge that fall into the category of historical fiction. Here's another.


Rebekah, our youngest, is still on her Revolutionary War kick. She has consumed almost all our resources here and so we have been seeking additional titles. I'd never read a book by Newt Gingrich, so we bought one called Valley Forge. What we didn't know is that it was the sequel to this book: To Try Men's Souls. So, back to the bookstore we went and purchased this additional title. 


It is the story of the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. Written as a novel, it has an interesting format that switches between different days and different characters. Since Rebekah wanted to read it, I needed to read it first because I was unsure of what to expect from Gingrich as a novelist. It didn't take long before I realized that the book would need editing before it could be put into the hands of my youngest. This will cause true bibliophiles to shudder, but I read the entire book with a black ink pen in my hand, blacking out the cursing. And there was quite a bit, though it tended to come in spurts during pages of dialogue between soldiers. I understand some would simply say this was probably accurate, but I still think it completely unnecessary. 


The story is an incredible one. The Revolution hung on a thread, the army had dwindled down to a small percentage of its high water mark for enlistments, the weather was dreadful, and everyone was discouraged by the repeated defeats at the hand of the British, or their mercenary Hessian troops. 


George Washington was being maligned by those who wanted to replace him, Congress had fled Philadelphia, and the troops were without the most basic supplies and food. Washington understood exactly how things stood and so he made a desperate and potentially last foray into enemy territory, crossing a river, creeks and miles of ice covered terrain. His men hadn't had a decent meal in days. But they followed him. Without a victory, it was all over.


The story shifts from the troops with Washington to Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense and The American Crisis. His words were credited by many with fueling the patriotic dream of an independent nation. Those words were used by Washington to encourage his troops to march for "Victory or Death." Washington had insisted that, instead of continuing to be "embedded" with the troops, Paine return to Philadelphia and publish his words, to recast the vision of a free nation.


The origin of the opening line of Paine's famous discourse was inspired one night as he stumbled upon a campfire with a few soldiers gathered around. A copy of Paine's pamphlet was carried in the pocket of a young soldier from New Jersey. Against the wishes of his family, this young man had enlisted and marched off to war with his brother and his friend. That night after he scrounged some dry firewood and a couple of carp for dinner, a heated argument broke out between this young man, Jonathan, and his brother, who was considering deserting. Paine was witness to the dispute and actually took a line from Jonathan's argument with his brother as the opening line of his next pamphlet: "These are the times that try men's souls."


The story crisscrosses back and forth, weaving the story of Paine, of Washington, and young Jonathan together in a poignant tale of suffering and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. It is a compelling read and gives a deeper understanding of the cost of freedom. 


I do not appreciate the cursing at all, but now that it has been removed, I do think Rebekah will really enjoy the story.


#43 out of 52 for the year! Onward, troops!

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