Analysis Of Ketchum s The Fall And Winter Of 1776

Ketchum begins in the fall and winter of 1776 in describing the events of the campaign. At the time, the future of the Revolution was in serious doubt---men were freezing, starving, and the Continental Army was dissolving around General Washington. More than anything else, he needed a victory. Ketchum displays to the reader how exactly the colonials got into such a distressing situation in the first place. Traveling back to 1774 and 1775 Ketchum explores the reason behind why and how the entire situation occurred in the first place. The motivations of both the English crown and the colonials are explored throughout the book. For example, the motivations of King George III are explored in the section â€Å"Everyone Who Does Not Agree With Me Is A Traitor†. Ketchum describes the early life of George III which would motivate his latest moves against the colonies. George III felt he had to almost be â€Å"more English than the English themselves†, to paraphrase---the honor of England and the crown were his preeminent concerns. Ketchum also described the wide variety of ailments, mostly hereditary ones, which plagued the king. Put these together and it’s no surprise he was less than willing to listen to the pleas of his colonial subjects. Ketchum also went into a good deal of detail as to the workings and motivations of the British government at the time. Finally, he lists the events leading up to the actual winter of 1776, the conditions on the ground and then goes over the actual