Daniel Morgan and his Riflemen won so many battles during the American Revolution because they worked as a team. Their legendary feats required they be able to count on one another, day in and day out. The difficult and often dangerous things they accomplished required the same kind of solidarity of purpose, pursuit of a common goal, and fellowship I experienced as a U.S. Marine.

Completing this book required that same kind of teamwork—and demands my gratitude.

In the 1980s, I was befriended by a WWII veteran, former Congressman, and at the time, Secretary of the Army, John O. Marsh. He was the first to encourage me to start this project. My only regret is not having done so sooner or worked faster so I could have handed him a copy of what he started long ago and before he left us to be with our Lord in February this year.

It still would not be started—and certainly not finished—but for all the research—first by Katie Roberts and subsequently by the wonderful folks Nathan Stalvey leads at Clarke County Historical Association; the librarians at Anderson House, Headquarters for The Society of the Cincinnati; the countless Park Rangers at the battlefields and places the Riflemen and others in this book fought, traversed, and lived; even my guide in Quebec who was kind enough to speak English instead of French!

As they have since the last century, Bob Barnett and Michael O’Connor at Williams & Connolly have once again ensured the words I write—like the rounds fired by Morgan’s Riflemen—are on target. Their work with Anthony Ziccardi’s team at Post Hill Press has forged an alliance as important to this mission as the one we had with France during the Revolution!

The maps used by Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen on the way to their first fight in the American Revolution were wholly inadequate. But the ones George Skoch prepared for this book are spot-on! It has been an absolute pleasure to work with George as a cartographer and artist on the magnificent maps and end sheets in this book.

Many of the characters inside this work—including Morgan—suffered from wounds and the privation of war in service to our country. Describing all they endured is a reminder of the extra­ordinary work Tom Kilgannon and his team at Freedom Alliance do every day to help the current members of our Armed Forces, Veterans, and their families. That’s why they are in this book.

Every military operation—like those Morgan’s Riflemen engaged in during the Revolution—have scores of participants who must perform tasks essential to the mission for it to be accomplished. And those tasks require organization, teamwork, and leadership, not just management. This book is no different.