The single year that nearly ended the American Revolution, and the men who kept it alive
The year of American independence
David McCullough tells the story of the American Revolution's most dramatic year, from the siege of Boston to Washington's desperate crossing of the Delaware. He follows both sides: General George Washington and his ragged Continental Army, and King George III, his generals and the professional British forces sent to crush the rebellion. It is a story of defeats, escapes and remarkable endurance.
Who will enjoy it
History lovers and anyone who wants a vivid, story-driven account of how the American Revolution nearly failed.
What you will get
A gripping, beautifully told history that reads like a novel, showing how close the Revolution came to collapse and how ordinary soldiers and leaders kept going.
1776 Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Nonfiction · American Revolution · George Washington · Military history
Length
386 pages · ≈ 11 h
More about this book
The book opens in London, with King George III addressing Parliament about the rebellion in America, and then crosses to the American camp outside Boston. There George Washington, newly appointed commander of a disorganized army of farmers and tradesmen, besieges the British. With the help of Henry Knox, a young Boston bookseller who hauls heavy cannon from Fort Ticonderoga through winter snow, he fortifies the heights above the city and forces the British to leave.
Then the tide turns. Washington moves to defend New York, where the British arrive with a huge fleet and well-trained troops under General William Howe. The Americans are beaten in Brooklyn, escape across the East River in a nighttime evacuation, and lose battle after battle as they retreat across New Jersey. Enlistments run out, soldiers desert, and Washington's own confidence wavers. McCullough uses letters and diaries from both armies to show the commanders, including the capable Nathanael Greene, and the everyday soldiers. The year ends with the daring crossing of the Delaware and a surprise attack at Trenton that revived the cause.
Vivid and accessible, with maps and color plates. About 386 pages in paperback.
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