Book Talks

Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign

by David Price

Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 7 p.m. (ET) | Virtual

Historian David Price examines a pivotal moment in the American War of Independence through an interpretive framework that focuses on five key factors: leadership, geography, weather, artillery, and contingency. Price argues that Washington’s winter victories at Trenton and Princeton were made possible by these factors, and propelled the Revolutionary cause into a lengthy war of attrition that eventuated in American independence.

David is a recipient of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Bronze Good Citizenship Medal in recognition of his work as an author, speaker, and historical interpreter at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania and Princeton Battlefield State Park in New Jersey. He is the author f several books about the Revolutionary War, including “The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776” (2023).

Register for the September 17 virtual Book Talk

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“Damn Fine Soldiers: The Epic Story of Task Force 2-7”

by Scott Rutter and Matthew Paul

Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 7 p.m. (ET) | Virtual

“Damn Fine Soldiers” is a vivid history of the U.S. Army’s 21-day campaign to Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, told through the experiences of the soldiers who fought it. The book focuses on the campaign from the perspective of commanders, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers on the ground, blending personal narrative with operational history. Drawing on firsthand accounts, official records, and two decades of reflection, it preserves the experiences of those who participated in what remains the Army’s last large-scale combined arms ground campaign. Scott Rutter served over 20 years in the U.S. Army, culminating as a battalion commander during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He is a former Fox News military analyst and currently works in the medical and defense industries. He is the president of Valor Network Inc. Matthew C. Paul is an Army officer with a combined 27 years of service in infantry and acquisition assignments, including multiple combat tours in the Middle East. His career as a former infantry commander and current acquisition project manager spans leadership in ground combat and modernization efforts across the Army.

Register for the October 15 virtual Book Talk

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“Backcountry Resistance: South Carolina’s Militia and the Fight for American Independence”

by Carl P. Borick

Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 7 p.m. (ET) | Virtual

In Backcountry Resistance, Carl P. Borick delivers a groundbreaking account of the citizen militia that defied British forces in South Carolina’s volatile Backcountry during the pivotal Southern campaign of the Revolutionary War. Focusing on rank-and-file militiamen, Borick explores how these ordinary men were recruited, armed, fed, and motivated. Drawing on underused pension records and state claims, he reconstructs their everyday realities and their battlefield experiences. He also examines the war’s devastating effects on civilians, including enslaved people and women, who played crucial roles in the struggle.

Carl P. Borick is director of the Charleston Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, and the author of “Relieve Us of This Burthen: American Prisoners of War in the Revolutionary South, 1780-1782” (USC Press, 2011) and “A Gallant Defense: The Siege of Charleston, 1780” (USC Press, 2012).

Register for the November 19 virtual Book Talk

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“Desert Empire: The 1862 New Mexico Campaign”

by Patrick Kelly-Fischer

Thursday, December 17, 2026 | 7 p.m. (ET) | Virtual

In “Desert Empire,” Emerging Civil War historian Patrick Kelly-Fischer tackle the overlooked New Mexico Campaign of 1862 by exploring the men, battles, and politics that shaped the course of the war in the Southwest and the future of the region.

Patrick Kelly-Fischer is a historian with Emerging Civil War. He graduated from Bard College in 2009 with a B.A. in Political Studies and began writing for Emerging Civil War in 2021.

Phillip S. Greenwalt was a Supervisory Park Ranger of the Shark Valley District of Everglades National Park, and a Historian-Park ranger at George Washington Birthplace National Monument and Thomas Stone National Historic Site.

Register for the December 17 virtual Book Talk

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