Post by chre on Jan 20, 2009 18:50:11 GMT -8
1776 by David McCullough
www.amazon.com/1776-David-McCullough/dp/0743226720/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232504884&sr=8-1
Amazon.com Review
Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance.
the amazon review pretty much sums it up nicely. if anyone here wants to learn more about possibly the most important year in american history, check this book out. it has lots of great direct sources it references (from Washington's personal correspondence to the diaries of soldiers on both sides), and even though it's non-fiction, it's very easy to read. highly recommended!
www.amazon.com/1776-David-McCullough/dp/0743226720/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232504884&sr=8-1
Amazon.com Review
Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance.
the amazon review pretty much sums it up nicely. if anyone here wants to learn more about possibly the most important year in american history, check this book out. it has lots of great direct sources it references (from Washington's personal correspondence to the diaries of soldiers on both sides), and even though it's non-fiction, it's very easy to read. highly recommended!