An Artist in Treason : The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson
By Andro LinklaterThe first modern biography of the greatest traitor--and one of the most colorful characters--in American history.
Patriot, traitor, general, spy: James Wilkinson was a consummate contradiction. Brilliant and precocious, at age twenty he was both the youngest general in the revolutionary Continental Army, and privy to the Conway cabal to oust Washington from command. He was Benedict Arnold's aide, but the first to reveal Arnold's infamous treachery. By thirty-eight, he was the senior general in the United States army--and had turned traitor himself. Wilkinson's audacious career as Agent 13 in the Spanish secret service while in command of American forces is all the more remarkable because it was anything but hidden. Though he betrayed America's strategic secrets, sought to keep the new country from expanding beyond the Mississippi, and almost delivered Lewis and Clark's expedition into Spanish hands, four presidents--Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison--turned a blind eye to his treachery. They gambled that Wilkinson--by turns charming and ruthless--would never betray the army itself and use it to overthrow our nascent democracy--a fate every other democracy in the Western hemisphere endured. The crucial test came in 1806, when at the last minute Wilkinson turned the army against Aaron Burr and foiled his conspiracy to break up the U nion. A superb writer and superlative storyteller, Andro Linklater captures with brio Wilkinson's charismatic ability to live a double life in public view. His saga shows, more clearly than any other, how fragile the young republic was and how its strength grew from the risks its leaders faced and the challenges they had to overcome.
show more
Book details
- Hardcover
- 392 pages
- English
- 0802717209
- 9780802717207
About Andro Linklater
andro linklater was Read More about Andro Linklater
More Books By Andro Linklater
People who bought this also bought
25 days to christmas: a journey to the true joy and meaning of christmas
Used Book
3 Books in 1: Potluck/Weeknight Meals/Old-Fashioned Bake Sale Cookbook
Used Book
Hot, Flat, and Crowded 2.0 : Why We Need a Green Revolution--And How It Can Renew America
Used Book
Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different: A Biography by Karen Blumenthal
New Book
The Prentice Hall Guide to Evaluating Online Resources with Research Navigator: Science
Used Book
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Collaboration (with featured article Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership, by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis)
New Book
Webster's Geographical Dictionary: A Dictionary Of Names Of Places with Geographical And Historical Information And Pronunciations
Used Book
...and the Horse He Rode in on : People Vs. Kenneth Starr
Used Book
Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion book by Richard E. Boyatzis and Annie McKee
New Book
Conversations with Menuhin : A Celebration on His 75th Birthday
Used Book
The Un-Discovered Islands : An Archipelago of Myths and Mysteries, Phantoms and Fakes
Used Book
Reader's Digest Cooking Smart for a Healthy Heart (Delicious Recipes for Life)
Used Book
Attached : Are you Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? How the science of adult attachment can help you find - and keep - love
New Book
They Marched into Sunlight : War and Peace, Vietnam and America October 1967
Used Book
Better homes and gardens easy skillet meals (Better homes and gardens books)
Used Book
The Official Guide to Christmas in the South: Or, If You Can't Fry It, Spraypaint It Gold
Used Book
HBR's 10 Must Reads for New Managers (with bonus article ?How Managers Become Leaders? by Michael D. Watkins)
New Book