Oliphant (Open Univ., UK) presents the first-ever full-length biographical study of an often overlooked British Army general, whose 1758 campaign against French Fort Duquesne played a pivotal role in transferring the trans-Appalachian region to the British Empire after 1763. Forbes traversed multiple locations in the 18th-century North Atlantic world, and Oliphant's scrupulous research and crisp writing offer clear insights into the variety of experiences, opportunities, and problems of British military officers entering this novel sphere of human interactions, violent or otherwise. Generously illustrated with seven maps, three figures, and four battle plans, the book situates Forbes's career in the broader context of the 18th-century British fiscal-military state and balances his achievements with the harrowing details of the physical ailments that bedeviled him throughout the latter years of his career. In contending that, in the aftermath of the French abandonment of Fort Duquesne, Forbes and Colonel Henry Bouquet dedicated themselves to honoring the terms of the settlement boundary negotiated at the Treaty of Easton in 1758, Oliphant sheds important new light on alternative possibilities that might have alleviated the subsequent outbreak of violence after these officers passed from the American scene. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- J. W. Parmenter, Cornell University, USA * CHOICE *
John Forbes: Scotland, Flanders and the Seven Years' War, 1707-1759 ... it is likely the best account of Forbes' life and career that we can have. * Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research *
Fusing impeccable research with brisk narrative, John Oliphant provides the first full-length biography of a neglected, yet highly significant, figure in British-American history. While John Forbes is best known as the resolute commander who overcame daunting obstacles to capture Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War, as this compelling and ground-breaking study demonstrates, that triumph rested upon decades of hard-earned experience. In tracing Forbess journey from penniless younger son of Scots gentry, through regimental surgeon to brigadier-general, Dr Oliphant not only offers a perceptive portrait of an innovative and enlightened soldier, but reveals the patronage networks and sometimes bizarre social rituals that characterized his professional world. * Stephen Brumwell, author of George Washington: Gentleman Warrior *
Based on extensive research in archives on both sides of the Atlantic, Oliphants authoritative study allows us to see General Forbes, a hugely important but enigmatic man, in a much broader context. * Matthew Ward, University of Dundee, UK *
