Jim's Reviews > 1776

David McCullough is a great writer. He could make repairing a refrigerator sound like the most fascinating and most important event in American History. 1776 is no different. Here he is a storyteller. There is absolutely nothing new or revelatory in this book. Every event he recounts and every source he cites has been well known to historians for decades. His purpose here is not to break new interpretive ground, but to tell the story of the American Revolution during the year 1776 in the most compelling way possible. And as usual he succeeds. The book looks at events between George Washington’s assumption of command over the Continental Army in June 1775 outside of Boston, through to the Battle’s of Trenton and Princeton at the end of 1776. This was a crucial time for the American cause, “the winter of our discontent” as Thomas Paine dramatically termed it, when American hopes were at their bleakest, and McCullough is right on identifying it as such. I do have some issues with the book however.

McCullough is the master of artificially dramatizing certain events or situations, making them seem more important in relation to other events than they really are. This makes for compelling reading and can make subsequent events seem more important in reaction to the highlighted event. A lot of authors do this, and it is of course a staple of fiction writing. It does give a false impression of historical events however. In this case, McCullough takes every instance of doubt expressed by officers and men concerning the state of the Continental Army to give the impression it was on the point of dissolution from the Battle of Brooklyn forward. This serves to make the climactic event in the book, the Battle of Trenton, seem all that more improbable and dramatic. There is no doubt the army was in a desperate state, but had it been as destitute as the impression McCullough gives, they would have dissolved and the Battle of Trenton would not have occurred. It makes for great reading (or listening) however.

1776, like most of his books, are written from an American perspective. McCullough is not unfair in his portrayal of the British, Hessians or Loyalists, often praising them throughout. He also criticizes the George Washington, Nathaniel Greene and others for their numerous mistakes. However, the arc of the story, and the reason he highlights the successes and failures of those involved in the way he does, is purposely done to provide a dramatic and uplifting “American” story at the end. He could have written a book just about the New York campaign, which for the Americans was an unmitigated disaster from beginning to end. Rather he chose the entire year so he could use the New York campaign as the setup for the glorious victories at Trenton and Princeton. There is nothing wrong with this; he is not trying to write an objective history of the war. He wanted to provide compelling reading, which he does. And this does serve a worthwhile purpose. If it gets those previously indifferent about history to take an interest in it, well then it did its job. It’s just something to be aware of as your are reading it.

If you are looking for a new or unusual interpretation of the American Revolution, or are looking for an aspect of the war you had not seen before, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a rip roaring yarn about the founding of our country, there is no one who can provide that better than David McCullough!

Note: I listed to the unabridged audio version of this book. Aside from the content a really good narrator is often essential to make these compelling. McCullough has one of the best voices for this ever, and he does narrate this story which really enhances its quality.