The programs youll see on booktv this weekend. For a complete television schedule. Go to booktv. Org. Booktv, 48 hours of nonfiction books and authors. Television for serious readers. And now we kick off the weekend with Nathaniel Philbrick on the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. [inaudible conversations] good evening, everyone. Good evening. That was good. That was very good. [laughter] thank you all for being here. Im the president of George Washingtons mount ver. No we are delighted to have you for this installment of the ford evening book talks, and i begin by thank the Ford Motor Company for their Enduring Partnership with mount vernon. Theyve done a great deal for us including endowing this book talk series. I am personally pleased to welcome back Nathaniel Philbrick. Its his third time hes visited mount vernon in as many years. I asked to introduce him because whenever i do that, im struck by his bone fee bonafides as a true renaissance man. He has an m. A. In American Literature from duke. He was an allamerican sailor while at brown university. He worked as an editor at sailing world magazine, and he wrote and edit canned several sailing books including passionate wind, and yachting a parody. [laughter] he is the author of play mayflower as well as in the heart of the sea. In 2010 he published a book called the last stand. It won a New York Times it was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times notable book and its been adapted into a tenpart tv series. It is being adapted as we speak into a tv series, and he was also a consultant on the pbs American Experience film custers last stand. So the good news for everyone here this evening is at a moment he turned his prodigious talents to the american revolution. And he published in 2013, bunker hill a city, a hill, a revolution, which he came and spoke about several years ago. It won the 2013 new england book award for nonfiction, the 2014 distinguished book award of the society of colonial wars. And the rights to the book have been acquired by warner brothers, my former employer, for a film adaptation that Ben Ben Affleck may direct. Stay tuned on that one. He has written for vanity fair, the New York Times book review, the wall street journal, the l. A. Times and the boston globe. Hes appeared on today show, on dateline, on pbs American Experience, on cspan and npr which actually leads me to say were delighted to have cspan here this evening to film the lecture. Nathaniel philbrick hails from pittsburgh. He credits his ap u. S. History teacher for recognizing his nascent talent and encouraging him to write. So her prescience is part of the reasons we welcome Nat Philbrick here this evening. Its titled valiant ambition George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the fate of the american revolution. So please join me in welcoming Nat Philbrick. [applause] well, thank you, curt, and its really great to be here at mount vernon. This is just such a special place be youve been researching and writing George Washington. And a little sidebar, thats yachting a parody, and yachting was spelling with two as and no cs. [laughter] to be here in mount vernon after writing in this book, it begins with washington in new york after a as a huge armada of british warships and transports a arrives in new york harbor. More than 400 ships, more than 40,000 sailors and soldiers. Thats more people than in philadelphia, than the largest urban center in america. Its like the war of the worlds in which this amazing force arrives at your doorstep. Washington had been there at the siege of boston which i write about in my earlier book, bunker hill. But this was different. King george had responded with a real will. And washington wasnt, had never led a big army in a big battle before. This was new for him. And it would test his talents. And it was after finishing bunker hill that i realized i just have to follow this guy into where hell lead me in the revolution because i was so fascinated with washington. Hes not a statue. We hi of him as the careful pragmatist, the perp we see on the dollar the person we see on the dollar bill. But early on in his military career, he was wired to be aggressive. Time and time again he wanted to attack the british that were then in boston, and his council of war repeatedly would say, no, its just too risky. But he wanted that bold stroke to try to finish this war because he realized this was, america was hardly a country at all, especially in 1775, even with the declaration of independence in july of 1776. It was now supposedly independent, but it was barely being held together. Washington was well aware how tentative his army was. It didnt have enough armaments or gun powder, all these things. And now in new york its completely different. Hes up against it. It would not go well for him in new york. The battle of long island, he would be outgeneralled by william howe, forced to retreat from the high ground in brooklyn heights, across the east river to new york. Eventually, forced to retreat from new york into the harlem heights. And this gave the british a toehold on the base of the hudson river. And much of my book is about, is set on water, believe it or not. Because at the the hudson river was part of what i call a corridor of water that spanned the length, the breadth of the country at this section. It would, if you took the hudson river to the south and the riverlike expanse of Lake Champlain more than 300 miles to the north, you had a corridor of water that went all the way to canada. Now, we drive around in our multilane highways, and often you see a fort positioned by a river or a lake and you wonder, you know, why . Whats the strategic importance . Well, the fact of the matter is in the 18th century you could not transport people, provisions with any kind of speed or regularity unless it was by water. The road system was not there. And so whoever possessed this corridor of water would be in a position to cut off new england from the rest of the statements. And so from the rest of the states. So it was absolutely critical that america maintain some control of this or the war would be over. And with the loss of new york, the british now had the toehold on this corridor of water. And by september 15 with the americanss evacuating from new york, there was one group of soldiers that stood between the british is and taking Lake Champlain to the north, and that was Benedict Arnold. Now, my interest in Benedict Arnold goes way back. It began with my mother. My mother was a renegade. For one thing, she smoked a pipe [laughter] which as a teenager, it was tough to take in a restaurant when mom would light up. [laughter] after dinner. And she had no problem telling someone what she believed even if she knew they wouldnt didnt want to hear it. And one of her heroes was Benedict Arnold. [laughter] now, mom being mom, i kind of dismissed that in my teenage years. But after finishing bunker hill, i realized i wanted to get at a part of the revolution the war of independence that i knew relatively little about. For one thing, i write these books not because im an expert in the field, but because im curious about the subject. I wanted the know i knew there was a story there that i hadnt really learned in High School Even though my ap u. S. History teacher was a wonderful woman and really ignited my interest in history. But, you know, we grow up thinking of the revolution as heroic militiamen banding together to defeat british tyranny. And we think of the battles as steppingstones to our inevitable victory at yorktown. But the fact of the matter is the revolution went on for eight long years. And instead of this seemingly relentless course to victory, it stagnated terribly even after the french came into it, after the victory at saratoga. Things just wound down. There wasnt the money to pay for the army. Congress was highly suspicious of the military because in every previous revolution in which a republic was the hopedfor end result, the military had ultimately coopted the civil government and either a dictator or an emperor would take over x. So they were rightly concerned about the military. So the Continental Congress was, had real control over washington. I think we think of him as, you know, operating, you know, being the one whos controlling this revolution. But, in fact, he had to report to the congress. And i hate to say it, but a Dysfunctional Congress is nothing new. [laughter] and washington had to deal with. And so, and one of the things that happened during this eightyear slog was that instead of fighting the british, we americans began to fight among ourselves. It was under the, it was patriot versus loyalist to a certain extent, but in large swaths of the hulledson river valley Hudson River Valley to the north of britishoccupied new york, the Long Island Sound and the coastal new jersey, it devolved into this ugly cat and dog fight. Former neighbor going after neighbor. And it just was, it was just something that was horrible to live through. And afterwards people really didnt want to remember it in those terms. And so i wanted to get at this. But how to, how to find a way to dramatize it, how to find a personality to get at what i felt was the dark side of the revolution that i hadnt appreciated. Enter mom with Benedict Arnold. [laughter] because, you know, i grew up thinking to be called a Benedict Arnold, oh, my gosh, that was the worst possible thing you could be. Hes, like many historical figures, hes become caricature. Hes just the worst thing on earth as far as americans can think of. But the fact of the matter is, in the beginning of the revolution he was our best general. And washington really respected him for that. And its interesting, washington was wired, had an aggressive temperament by nature. He would learn to tame it for the good of his country. But in Benedict Arnold, i thought i think he saw a Kindred Spirit to a certain extent. That if washington had been ten years younger and not is saddled with the crushing not saddled with the crushing responsibilities of command, he could have been on battlefield and winning the kinds of victories that Benedict Arnold was racking up. Was its amazing because its amazing. He learned at lexington and concord, and hes been an awe post care and seagoing merchantman. Hes got a small fleet of ships that go down to the caribbean, up the coast to the st. Lawrence river to quebec and montreal. He knows all about this water, corridor of water, and he says, you know what . We need to take ticonderoga at the southern end of Lake Champlain. Theres all sorts of cannons there that we could use, and its a key to maintaining control of this vital portion of our country. So he ends up turns out ethan allen and some others have the same idea, and its Benedict Arnold and ethan allen that storm fort ticonderoga. After that he, washington assigns him while washington is mired in what will be a nine month siege in boston, he sends Benedict Arnold on an, over a crazy overland expedition to try to get to quebec. Because the british have been caught kind of unaware by the outbreak of the revolution. They have very small forces in montrealing and quebec. Montreal and quebec. We can take those two cities early before reinforcements arrive, well have canada and be in a much better position. And so montgomery is sent up Lake Champlain and takes montreal. Its up to Benedict Arnold to read ragtag band up the we knob scot river, not down, in the fall. Its getting very cold, and the river is a virtual torrent. I followed Benedict Arnolds trail into interior maine to quebec. Up there, up north theres still nothing up there. [laughter] if theres a street name, it says arnold. [laughter] he led his men up there. Its just an incredible story on its own. And hes there with daniel morgan, the great virginian rifleman. I mean, its aaron burr. Its an amazing cast. And they make it. They get to quebec. And after that amazing feat, he would be known as the american hannibal which is, you know, he was a hero. He was not they finally would storm quebec at the end of the year in a snowstorm. Montgomery, who was, had teamed up with him by that point would be killed in the early going. Benedict arnold would be badly injured when a bullet ricochet got his left leg, and it would not succeed. But it was still an amazing, amazing feat. He would eventually be reassigned in montreal and be a vital element in leading the retreat from canada back down Lake Champlain. And chapter two of valiant ambition takes us 360 miles north of new york to the Lake Champlain right near the Canadian Border where its Benedict Arnold with a fleet of about 15 vessels, many of them hacked from the trees surrounding the southern end of Lake Champlain, galleys and gondolas. These are, basically, floating platforms for cannons. And hes put this fleet together in record time. And general Horatio Gates whos in charge of the Northern Army at fort tie cobbed row georgia ticonderoga is his boss in all of this. And he has sent arnold up there with this fleet. And the british now have new york. And now there is a general, the british general carlton is leading this vast armada down Lake Champlain. They have actual threemasted ships with, you know, they have schooners, they have thousands of soldiers, they have more than 20 gun boats. And theyre all headed in arnolds direction. Its october. Its getting its so cold he they can see snow in the adirondack mountain on one side and the Green Mountains on the other. Theyre up there all alone. Its only a schooner that goes back and forth, you know, 100 miles down Lake Champlain. Its their only connection to fort ticonderoga. Hes up there waiting. And he knows that its going to be a northerly breeze that blows the british down Lake Champlain. And so he comes up with a brilliant plan. I didnt know Benedict Arnold was a mariner. This was a surprise to me, a wonderful surprise. And what made it even more potential is guess where i learned how to sail . Lake champlain. [laughter] and little did i know that i was sailing on other side of the lake and on the east side. On the west side a few miles below whats now platts burg, new york, is valcore island. And it contains a little bay inside. And arnold knew that if he would take his little fleet and hide it inside the bay and wait for the british to sail past and then reveal himself, basically wave and say here we are [laughter] the british would then have to sail against the wind to attack his small fleet. Now, a threemasted british ship with 18 cannons is an awesome force. But it cant sail against the wind. And its really the maritime e equivalent of taking the high ground. And it would work beautifully. The british, with this huge armada, would sail down. Articled would arnold would, you know, wave to them. Theyd turn around saying, aha, weve got him, you know . Were between him and his escape route. Well destroy what the americans called the mosquito fleet, appropriately enough. And so what would unfold is just a tremendous sea battle on Lake Champlain. Arnold had lined up his 15 vessels across the entrance to the bay. I was up there with my wife in a pontoon boat circling it and working it all out. And at the Smithsonian Museum of american history, they have one of the vessels, the philadelphia, that was eventually sunk during this battle. You can go down and see it. Its amazing. But so this fleet was all piled up. And so they were, his vessels were all lined up. Arnold was in the center of his line, and they waited for them. And sure enough, even the schooners had a hard time making it up. Only the gunboats were able, because they had oars, could get close enough. So they would line up, and they would just start wailing on one another, firing cannons back and forth. Arnold was at the bow firing his, and he even took a pot shot at general carltons flagship and nearly took him out on the quarter deck. And it was just, and it was eight hours of just going at it. Philadelphia hahas at the smithsonian thats at the smithsonian would eventually sink, and eventually night would come, and arnold had fought them to a draw. I mean, he had his fleet was a mess. Many men had died. But it was a miracle. He had done it. But the british were confident with once they had them trapped in this small bay. And so what they did was create their own line just below arnolds so that there was of no way more him to escape, and they were going to get him in the morning. Well, arnolds has a arnold has a counsel with his officers, and one of the officers says, look, the only way were going to get out of this is if we sail to the north, go around the top of the bay and the island. N