Dearborn: A Life Forged in Revolution

Dearborn: A Life Forged in Revolution is the first comprehensive biography in generations to capture the remarkable life and legacy of Major General Henry Dearborn-a Revolutionary War hero, trusted aide to George Washington, Secretary of War under Thomas Jefferson, and the enduring thread between America's founding and its survival through the War of 1812.

Unlike the polished philosophers of the Founding era, Dearborn was a man of action-a soldier of trenches and marches, of frostbitten nights and smoke-choked battlefields. From Bunker Hill and Quebec to Saratoga, Monmouth, and Yorktown, he served on the frontlines of liberty. As Jefferson's Secretary of War, he modernized the army and laid the foundations for westward defense, before returning to command during the United States' second war with Britain.

Yet his contributions did not end on the battlefield. As a congressman, diplomat, and later U.S. Minister to Portugal, Dearborn remained committed to shaping the republic through service, strategy, and statesmanship. His leadership during Maine's separation from Massachusetts and early advocacy for veterans' rights highlight a lifetime of pragmatic patriotism.

Published in honor of the 250th anniversary of the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord, this biography commemorates not only the Revolution but the young man who responded to its first call-Henry Dearborn, who took up arms on that fateful day and never set them aside until the republic was secured.

Drawing from Dearborn's personal journals, military orders, and correspondence, historian Richard Hough weaves a vivid, immersive narrative. Dearborn: A Life Forged in Revolution restores this overlooked patriot to his rightful place in American history-just as the nation marks a quarter-millennium since the fight for independence began.