Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of IndependenceOxford University Press, 4. jun. 2007 - 704 strani In this gripping chronicle of America's struggle for independence, award-winning historian John Ferling transports readers to the grim realities of that war, capturing an eight-year conflict filled with heroism, suffering, cowardice, betrayal, and fierce dedication. As Ferling demonstrates, it was a war that America came much closer to losing than is now usually remembered. General George Washington put it best when he said that the American victory was "little short of a standing miracle." Almost a Miracle offers an illuminating portrait of America's triumph, offering vivid descriptions of all the major engagements, from the first shots fired on Lexington Green to the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, revealing how these battles often hinged on intangibles such as leadership under fire, heroism, good fortune, blunders, tenacity, and surprise. Ferling paints sharp-eyed portraits of the key figures in the war, including General Washington and other American officers and civilian leaders. Some do not always measure up to their iconic reputations, including Washington himself. The book also examines the many faceless men who soldiered, often for years on end, braving untold dangers and enduring abounding miseries. The author explains why they served and sacrificed, and sees them as the forgotten heroes who won American independence. |
Iz vsebine knjige
Zadetki 1–5 od 82
Stran 17
... officers were exalted. Those who served for a year or two earned the right to ever after be addressed by their military title and deferential neighbors often turned to them as natural leaders in church and civil life. In New England in ...
... officers were exalted. Those who served for a year or two earned the right to ever after be addressed by their military title and deferential neighbors often turned to them as natural leaders in church and civil life. In New England in ...
Stran 18
... officers were likely to have had any prior military experience, and not infrequently the field officers were as callow as their men. George Washington, for instance, first entered an army at age twenty-two in 1754, and was named its ...
... officers were likely to have had any prior military experience, and not infrequently the field officers were as callow as their men. George Washington, for instance, first entered an army at age twenty-two in 1754, and was named its ...
Stran 19
... officers to bluster that the colonial soldiers were the “lowest dregs” of humanity and “the dirtiest most contemptible cowardly dogs” imaginable. Some believed the American officers were no better than the men, and a few blasted ...
... officers to bluster that the colonial soldiers were the “lowest dregs” of humanity and “the dirtiest most contemptible cowardly dogs” imaginable. Some believed the American officers were no better than the men, and a few blasted ...
Stran 37
... officers, almost to a man, were devoid of military experience, and the company level officers were in command of neighbors and chums from home. Not a few enlisted men looked on this as the adventure of a lifetime, a chance to play ...
... officers, almost to a man, were devoid of military experience, and the company level officers were in command of neighbors and chums from home. Not a few enlisted men looked on this as the adventure of a lifetime, a chance to play ...
Stran 42
... officers who were often older and more experienced soldiers. He had also learned to mold an army. Seeking to model the Virginia Regiment on those in Europe, young Washington had imposed a harsh discipline on his men, and in time he ...
... officers who were often older and more experienced soldiers. He had also learned to mold an army. Seeking to model the Virginia Regiment on those in Europe, young Washington had imposed a harsh discipline on his men, and in time he ...
Vsebina
1 | |
13 | |
THE WAR IN THE NORTH 17761779 | 73 |
THE WAR IN THE SOUTH 17801781 | 407 |
AMERICAN VICTORY 17811783 | 521 |
Abbreviations | 576 |
Notes | 578 |
Bibliography | 653 |
Index | 663 |
Druge izdaje - Prikaži vse
Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence John E. Ferling Omejen predogled - 2009 |
Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence John Ferling Omejen predogled - 2007 |
Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence John Ferling Omejen predogled - 2007 |
Pogosti izrazi in povedi
Adams allies American Revolution April army’s Arnold arrived artillery attack battle believed Benedict Arnold Boston Britain British army Bunker Hill Burgoyne Burgoyne’s campaign Canada Carleton Charles Charles Willson Peale Charleston Clinton Colonel colonies colonists commander Congress Continental army Cornwallis Cornwallis’s d’Estaing defensive enemy enemy’s England fight fire fleet force France Franklin French Gates George Washington Germain Greene GW to Hancock Henry Hessian hope Horatio Gates Howe’s ibid Independence Indian invasion Island Jersey July June Ketchum King’s knew Lafayette Laurens Lee’s London Lord North Loyalists Manhattan March miles military militia militiamen months Morgan navy nearly never North officers ordered PGW:RWS Philadelphia Philadelphia Campaign prisoners Quebec rebels redcoats regiments retreat Revolutionary River Rochambeau sailed Saratoga Schuyler Sept ships siege soldiers South Carolina Southern Strategy Sullivan Ticonderoga Tories Trenton troops United Valley Forge Vergennes victory Virginia Ward weeks William winter York Yorktown