Washington and Caesar
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
George Washington’s slave Caesar escapes to fight for the British against his former master – in this action-packed historical adventure set against the spectacular background of the American Revolution.
In 1773 a new slave arrives at George Washington’s Virginia estate and is given the name Caesar. But the looming war for independence will soon bring a turn of events neither master nor slave could have predicted. Within months they will be fighting on opposite sides: Washington as commander of the Continental Army, Caesar as a soldier in the legendary Loyalist corps made up of former slaves.
In this captivating tour de force brimming with spectacular battle scenes and gripping historical detail, Caesar’s perilous rise through the British ranks is deftly interwoven with the story of Washington’s war years, leading to the day when they come face to face again – this time in uniform…
Reviews
‘A novel set against the historical backdrop of the American Revolution needs at its heart a plot strong enough to stand up against the weight of history. And in Washington and Caesar that’s exactly what you get. Cameron does full justice to the dramatic potential of his scenario, handling the battle scenes with confidence and investing just the right amount of historical authenticty. The result is a work of considerable profundity.’
Yorkshire Evening Post
About the author
A former officer in the US Navy, Christian Cameron is a novelist and military historian with a lifelong interest in the American Revolution.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This historical novel dramatizes the American Revolution from the dual viewpoints of George Washington and Caesar, Washington's "dogs boy" slave who escapes Mount Vernon to become a soldier in the Loyal Ethiopians, a unit of runaway slaves who fought alongside the British in exchange for manumission. Cameron hits on the oft-ignored and embarrassing fact that America's fight for freedom from the British never prevented even the most fervent patriot from owning slaves. The exploration of this tragic irony, however, undermines Cameron's effort. Not satisfied with establishing the point and moving into the dense military and political machinations of the ordeal itself, Cameron belabors the issue on almost every page. To the author's credit, his portrayal of George Washington, particularly in the early chapters, is compelling. He humanizes the general and presents him as a modest but self-confident gentlemen farmer who acknowledges his limitations as readily as he embraces his duty. Caesar's initial characterization as a victim of the greatest moral injustice in American history is also believable, but Cameron cultivates in him a near savant precociousness that strains credibility. The novel is meticulously accurate in its historical detail (if sometimes repetitive), but the story meanders in an undisciplined way before finally grinding to a tedious and predictable ending. FYI: Cameron is the son half of the father-son team that writes the Alan Craik thriller series under the pseudonym Gordon Kent.
Customer Reviews
Thought provoking
This is a good book. I came to it through Christian Cameron's other excellent novels concerning ancient history. In some ways this novel is better because it links better to recognisable modern concerns, though many themes in Cameron's other work span time too.
I was aware of some of the issues already because I had read Simon Schama's book, "Rough Crossings" which tells the story of how black slaves flocked to the loyalist cause in droves, how they participated and what their fate was after the war had ended, both in Nova Scotia and in Sierra Lione. Schama's book is an excellent book to read which contextualises and humanises what happened before and after the peace.
This book is not spoiled by a minor if irritating flaw which is that towards the end of the book it has been badly copy edited in terms of 'continuity' in that 'Captain Stewart' becomes 'Major Stewart' then 'Captain Stewart' again for several pages before becoming 'Major Stewart ' again. With possible further unexplained/unnecessary switches. Slightly confusing and hopefully fixable in due course. That is, he does become Major but there is a slightly confusing plot issue in that it is 'with another regiment' while the action taking place commits him to being with 'the lights' and being 'captain' but this is not easy to follow and is a detail which is unnecessary for the reader to follow or need to know. For consistency's sake better to have him as 'Major' from a certain point in the text rather than switching between ranks.