This is CBS I in the World. I'm John Bachelord, Professor Joseph Ellis. The new book is The Cause.

And this is a view of the war fast forward because they're the people participating in this war thinking about it all the time.

They don't even see it as a war. It's seen as a rebellion in London. It's seen as the cause in Boston.

However, in other cities, New York, Philadelphia, Charleston have different opinions and we'll touch upon them as we go forward.

There is a battle though that will determine everybody's early thinking. That's Bunker Hill, where the British are badly beaten up though they win the day by driving off the militia.

Now comes George Washington to take command and he wants he sees he's vision is for an army, a disciplined army.

The British make a decision to withdraw from Boston as guns as cannon arrive that they've they've founded Fort Taikanderoga and hauled over the mountains.

The commander understands that he must leave how the William how of the how brothers remains behind and he is ordered or the decision is made by London.

George Dermain is now Secretary of State for the colonies to move to New York and moving to New York, Washington has an opportunity at some point at some point to move to New York as well to hold New York. So the expectation now is that there's going to be a battle.

Professor here is the wonderful insight that I gained from your book. New York becomes the battlefield for the payoff for both the how brothers and George Washington.

More interesting to me is George Washington before the house arrived back with a fleet to dominate the story. Why does George Washington believe New York is important?

Why does he move his forces from Boston where they're quite secure to Long Island?

He moves it because he knows in the American Congress knows that that's the place to British are going to focus on an attack.

They know there's a British strategy to take New York whose car bar is invaluable for the British Navy, but it will be the headquarters.

And then a British Army coming down from Quebec will meet a British Army coming up from New York in the Mohawk Valley and seal off New England.

And then the two armies together march across New England, devastate everything and maybe we'll blow up the seas. And that's their strategy for victory.

So Washington takes his 10,000 troops, which is then supplemented by another 20,000 militia from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Connecticut to defend this archipelago.

Notice New York is a set of islands and any military assessment of the terrain should have informed Washington that this was an indefensible position.

He receives that information, but the truth is he doesn't think he has any choice. He believes in civilian control and military.

He's got to defend New Long Island and then Manhattan. And so he proceeds to try to do so. And in the process almost loses the war in the first month of the actual combat.

George Washington wants an army, a disciplined army. This is his thinking of the future. Why? What did it mean to him?

He recognized that the delusion that militia could compete successfully with British regulars was its fact that delusion.

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