David Smith's newest book, The Armstrong Brothers: One Pennsylvania Family's Contribution to the Victory in the American Revolution, is the story of James, John, and Hamilton Armstrong, three sons of a farmer living on the Pennsylvania frontier at the outset of the American Revolution. James and John joined the Continental Army in 1776, rose from the ranks to become officers, and served until the army was disbanded in 1783. Hamilton remained home to work the farm and protect the family. Their combined wartime experiences encompassed almost the totality of the American Revolution, from Canada in the north to South Carolina in the south and along the western frontier. Chapter 12 of the book will be of special interest to Virginians because it describes the 1781 invasion of Virginia by Benedict Arnold and the subsequent campaign to defend the state by Continental Army generals Von Steuben, Lafayette, and "Mad Anthony" Wayne that preceded Washington's Yorktown campaign. Join us for an author talk where Smith will discuss his research, writing, and the story of the Armstrong Brothers. Check out a copy of the book, and bring your questions for David Smith!
David O. Smith is a distinguished fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan policy research center in Washington, DC. He retired from government service in 2012 after serving in a senior position in the Defense Intelligence Agency. Before that, he was senior country director for Pakistan in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) in the Department of Defense. During thirty-one years of service in the U.S. Army, he served in a wide variety of field artillery assignments and spent twenty-two years dealing with politico-military issues in the Near East and South Asia. In addition to several scholarly articles and book chapters about Pakistan and South Asia, he is the author of The Quetta Experience: A Study of Attitudes and Values within the Pakistan Army, published by the Woodrow Wilson Center in 2018, and The Wellington Experience: A Study of Attitudes and Values within the Indian Army, published by the Stimson Center in 2020.
