Sarah's Reviews > 1776

This book takes you through the year 1776, starting the winter before, with Washington's Continental Army stationed outside a besieged Boston. The British are caught inside the city, but still have access to the harbor. It takes you through the entire year, ending with Washington's crossing of the Delaware, and capture of Hessian troops at Trenton.

It's a great read, and really gets you inside the lives of both the British and American troops, officers, and generals. The author takes quotes from common soldiers in their letters to wives and friends, as well as correspondence from Washington and Howe, Greene and Knox. I learned a lot about the battles that I didn't know, or didn't remember from my grade school learning of the war. And I forgot just how long the war was, ending in 1783. The book is balanced in its views. You can see the blunders made by the Americans and the British alike. We all think of the Battle of Trenton as a turning point in the war, and indeed it was, but this was due more to the change in feeling among the troops than in any real military victory. Appearances and morale were so important, especially when your army can choose to not re-enilst and go back to their homes once the year is out.

The book also really gave me a good view of how the founding of our country has shaped its character. We were born from brutal war, devastation, disease, and a fierce desire to be "free" from the chains of England. We haven't really changed much in our overall national character. We still resist being told what to do, even by our own government. The relationship between Congress and George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the army, really set up the relationship for every president and congress since. It's interesting that our ruling govt was tried and testing not in ruling its citizens, but in fighting a war with England, in the beginning at least. It made me think about how that fact has shaped the way things are in our govt, and in our country.