Placing a War’s Military Moments Into Their Proper Context

In ‘From Trenton to Yorktown,’ author John R. Maass uses the Revolutionary War as the backdrop to demonstrate what makes a military moment a ‘turning point.’

Published just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, this new book will help readers understand the war's pivotal moments.

What is a “turning point” in a war? Which conflicts within a specific war can accurately be considered a “decisive battle”? This is the focal point of John R. Maass’s new military history book “From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War.”

In his introduction, Maass suggests that these terms have been overused, even at times quite haphazardly. This overuse of “turning point” and “decisive battle” has resulted in not only diluting their proper definitions, but also diluting actual turning points or decisive battles, as well as overemphasizing and overestimating moments and battles during a war that are neither a turning point nor decisive. To demonstrate the proper use of such terms, and therefore place such moments in their proper perspective, Maass has utilized the American Revolutionary War as his syllabus.

Maass’s teaching abstract has enabled him to not only prove his point, but do so in a manner that is entertaining from a military standpoint and educational from an American history standpoint. The author has taken five moments from the Revolutionary War to demonstrate exactly what is required to be considered a “turning point.” These moments and battles are the battles of Trenton and Princeton (1776 and 1777, respectively), the Battle of Saratoga (1777), wintering at Valley Forge (from 1777 to 1778), the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781), and the Battle of Yorktown (1781).

Painting of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse by H. Charles McBarron. Public Domain

What Are the Consequences?

As Maass’s examples illustrate, it is not always a battle that proves to be a turning point during a war, such as the winter at Valley Forge. Nor is it always a victory that proves to be a decisive battle, such as his selection of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. What seems most important, according to Maass, is the consequence of the battle or moment. This, as just mentioned, is not strictly dictated by the outcome of a battle. As the old adage suggests, one can win the battle, but lose the war.

The consequences stem from what transpires from the moment, and how significant that consequence is. Maass demonstrates how the surprise attacks and quick victories at Trenton and Princeton, during the winter of 1776 to 1777, resulted in enabling the Continental Army to continue the war. At the time, the army had suffered a string of defeats, morale was at a significantly low ebb, enlistments for thousands of soldiers were due to expire in the coming weeks, and the trust in Gen. George Washington’s leadership had begun to weaken. The result of these battles completely altered all of those negatives, and was therefore less about the victories themselves and more about the consequences of those victories.

Concerning the nonengagement of Valley Forge, the Continental Army suffered through a harsh winter (though, as Maass clarifies, not as harsh as some historians like to suggest), sickness, and an extreme lack of provisions (food, clothing, and shelter). Thousands deserted or died from disease and exposure during these winter months, though the vast majority of Washington’s army remained together. The consequence of headquartering at Valley Forge was taking the opportunity to drill the soldiers to the point of becoming a professional army (or at least as professional as possible). When Baron von Steuben, the Prussian military officer arrived at headquarters, he was placed in charge of drilling and training the officers and soldiers. What resulted was a confident and better prepared army that could conduct maneuvers more seamlessly and would, therefore, be less likely to panic in the face of the British. The winter had profoundly transformed the army.

A Choice for Debate

Maass’s selection of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse is possibly the one choice that American Revolution enthusiasts and military history buffs may attempt to debate. The battle was not a victory, but a defeat, although it was, in the same vein as the Battle of Bunker Hill, a victory that felt like a defeat. The British, under the commander of Gen. Lord Cornwallis, suffered an approximate 25 percent casualty rate, leading one British member of Parliament to suggest that “another such victory would ruin the British Army.”

But what about the Battle of Kings Mountain or the Battle of Cowpens, which occurred during the same campaign (known as the Southern Campaign)? Maass discusses these and their importance to the overall conflict. His reasoning, however, for choosing Guilford Courthouse rather than Kings Mountain or Cowpens as the turning point was not about the win/loss outcome on paper, but the consequence of the battle. It was the Battle of Guilford Courthouse that forced Cornwallis to retreat and maneuver toward Virginia, and, ultimately, Yorktown, where his final defeat would take place. This immediate consequence of retreat and then the longer-term consequence of arriving in Yorktown would spell the end not only of Cornwallis’s army, but of Britain’s willingness to continue the war.

A Cause to Reconsider

It should be understood that Maass is not attempting to shortchange any specific battles or moments from the Revolutionary War. He is simply trying to ensure that historians and readers alike place such moments in their proper context and therefore assess the complexities of war with more care.

“From Trenton to Yorktown” is not an attempt to thoroughly detail each of these moments in the war. Maass admits that an attempt at doing so would require a much larger book. What Maass does provide, however, is enough information and detail to introduce the reader to the major, and some minor, players involved in the specific conflict; the geographic location and how the geography proved beneficial or detrimental to either side; some of the maneuvers conducted by the combatants; the personal perspectives from military officers and political leaders on both sides; and, most importantly, the overarching results of such moments.

Maass has written an enjoyable and informative book, which should cause readers to consider or reconsider their views on what defines a “turning point” or a “decisive battle.”

‘From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War’ By John R. Maass Osprey Publishing, Feb. 11, 2025 Hardcover: 272 pages

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