Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 125

REVIEW ESSAY

commissions and tribunals, the author presents the
options available to Washington in his dealings with
Arnold’s alleged accomplices.
Seething with rage over the trusted Arnold’s dastardly deed, and extraordinarily fearful of a deeper
plot, Washington sought swift and severe punishment.
With revisions to the American Articles of War of
1775, Congress gave the commander in chief the
power to try “foreign and American citizens” charged
as spies. Joshua Hett Smith, an American citizen, was
subsequently tried under courts martial and acquitted
of aiding and abetting Arnold. Smith’s coconspirator,
Capt. John André, a British citizen and officer, did not
share the same fate. Under the ad hoc system of a military tribunal, André was sentenced to death by hanging. Drawing from Washington’s personal writings, the
reader feels his personal anguish and pity for André.
However, Beirne is quick to point out that Washington
was not being cruel, rather pragmatic. He needed to
present a strong front against such treachery in order
to win the war. He executed André for the good of the
nation.
In yet another relatively unknown dimension of
Washington’s wartime actions, he ordered the ruthless
extermination and annihilation of specified domestic opponents. Beirne exposes his readers to a rarely seen side
of Washington as he directs patriot Gen. John Sullivan
and 5,000 troops to eradicate the warring NativeAmerican Seneca nation. The narrative thus throws light
on the overlooked, often ghastly realities of atrocities
committed during the period of frontier warfare.
Beirne then masterfully introduces Washington’s
final dilemma: preservation of citizens’ rights amid a
revolution. More distinctly, since the Loyalists were
considered American citizens, quashing their rights
ran afoul of their republican principles, but suppressing
the opposition to the revolution was vital to the very
survival of the new nation.

Beirne employs riveting historical accounts of intrigue, including a June 1776 assassination plot against
Washington, to illustrate the commander in chief ’s
predicament. This Loyalist scheme, masterminded by
Governor William Tyron and New York City Mayor
David Mathews, would have jeopardized the entire
revolution if successfully accomplished. A third conspirator was Thomas Hickey of Connecticut, a soldier
and former guard for Washington. Though scheduled
for trial in civilian courts, Tyron and Mathews escaped
prosecution. Hickey, tried by military tribunal, was
found guilty of treason and became the first American
to hang in the name of the Revolution.
This episode defines Washington’s enlightened
approach to republican justice in times of rebellion. He
routinely referred citizens to civilian courts, reinforcing the procedures determined by the civilian government, and let the chips fall where they may. Beirne
concludes his commentary in a circuitous manner as
he returns to his original premise. The thorny issues
Washington confronted and resolved were no different
than those faced by presidents today. Precedents he
established during war, codified in the Constitution,
became the model for subsequent commanders in
chief.
Blood of Tyrants: George Washington and the
Forging of the Presidency is superbly written. Beirne’s
carefully selected historical accounts and events come
alive with emotion thanks to his wonderfully animated
writing style. His inclusion an d colorful descriptions of
many of Washington’s contemporaries and detailed
discussions of their motives help create vivid mental
images that place the reader alongside Washington as
he grapples with these four emerging dilemmas. This
book depicts a distinguished leader who struggled with
dilemmas comparable to his modern day peers.
Today’s leaders would be wise to learn still more from
Washington.

Lt. Col. Harry C. Garner, U.S. Army, Retired, is an assistant professor at the U.S. Army Command and General
Staff School Intermediate Level Education (ILE) Campus, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in
public administration from James Madison University and a B.S. in international relations from the University of
Alabama. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
He served in a variety of command and staff positions in the continental United States, Germany, and Bosnia.

MILITARY REVIEW  November-December 2014

123