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In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.
Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written wi... (show more)
In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.
Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.
At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter.
But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history. (show less)
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Whilst this book succeeded in its own terms, that is it gave a readable and compelling account of the events of 1776, not least the remarkable event being the dramatic turnaround between Christmas and the end of the year, for me it ultimately failed to satisfy because it assumed so much knowledge of contemporary events both before and after the year under study.
I've now read around the subject a little more, not least from Paul Johnson's comprehensive History of the American People, and h... (show more)
Whilst this book succeeded in its own terms, that is it gave a readable and compelling account of the events of 1776, not least the remarkable event being the dramatic turnaround between Christmas and the end of the year, for me it ultimately failed to satisfy because it assumed so much knowledge of contemporary events both before and after the year under study.
I've now read around the subject a little more, not least from Paul Johnson's comprehensive History of the American People, and have a much better understanding of the context of 1776. It would not have been too time consuming to have written an introduction and an afterward that would have served that same purpose.
The other great disappointment for me was the lack of clear maps. When will writers of popular history wake up to the self-evident truth that maps are not luxury items, particularly in books describing wars? The two or three plates of historical maps were of interest, but no real use in trying to track the action as Washington marched his army all over the eastern seaboard trying to hold it together and prevent its annihilation. (show less)
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Like all of McCollough's books, this one is a great story. It focuses on the start of the revolutionary war and covers the great battles of 1776. We learn that Washington was an inspiring but an aloof general at first, watching battles from a distance and living in posh mansions. He was incredibly lucky to have Henry Knox come up with and follow through on an idea to re-capture Boston from the British. The luck of the army ended in New York when several awful defeats by the British brought th... (show more)
Like all of McCollough's books, this one is a great story. It focuses on the start of the revolutionary war and covers the great battles of 1776. We learn that Washington was an inspiring but an aloof general at first, watching battles from a distance and living in posh mansions. He was incredibly lucky to have Henry Knox come up with and follow through on an idea to re-capture Boston from the British. The luck of the army ended in New York when several awful defeats by the British brought the Americans to their knees. They fled south through New Jersey and nearly were defeated that first year until Washington, perhaps seeing the end near, takes incredible risks to lead the Army himself in battle and surprise the British during the dead of winter when they least expected it. The war continued for several more years, but 1776 was the decisive year that taught Washington how to lead and convinced then nation it could wage war against the greatest power on Earth. (show less)
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Best David McCullough Book?
I got into a discussion with a friend of mine about which McCullough books was the best. I am a huge fan of 1776, but I know many are partial to his biographies (John Adams, Truman). Anyone else have any thoughts?
Tim O'Shaughnessy about 1 year ago -
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