1776

The American rebels' victory over Britain seems so inevitable now, 200+ years in the future and after years of mildly patriotic schooling. This book makes it brutally clear that not only was the American victory NOT inevitable, it in fact was a goddamn miracle that the cause lasted beyond the first year.

Incredible the amount of detail author David McCullough is able to muster to flesh out this very compelling story of the struggle of 1776. I learned a lot, and developed a much deeper appreciation for some of the key battles and skirmishes of the American Revolution. From a literary perspective, the story wanes between pages of slightly too much detail to moments of sheer tension and enlightenment. McCullough tells a very human story, focusing on the known facts surrounding key characters, like Nathanael Greene, Charles Lee, Henry Clinton, Charles Cornwallis, William Howe, and George Washington. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in the period.

The information contained in this book interesting though only a snapshot of what I was thinking might come from it. About halfway through I realized this was just going to cover 1776 (with a brief play of some events of 1775 in the beginning). The last pages race through some key events and spoilers leading up to the British surrender, which leaves me with a feeling that the book had reached its intended word count and then the author tried to finish it quickly.

That said, it's obvious that the presented material had extensive research. There are many quoted letters to present opinions in (mostly) the words of first account witnesses. The author does take some liberties to add or comment on words or phrases, though it is in an aide to the modern reader unfamiliar with phrases or abbreviations of the time.

On the whole, it's a good book. But I do not think this is a great book.

Absolutely loved this book. McCullough's narrative skills are very good and keeps you engaged. I also didn't think a book of only a few hundred pages would have enough material for me to learn stuff that I don't already know but I was quite wrong. He shows tons of diary scripts from both American and British soldiers to show you exactly how they felt and what happened. I always enjoy history straight from a historical figure's hand. He was also very descriptive on battle scenes to give more enlightenment on how terrible war really is.

From the beginning of the war to the appointment of General Washington as the Commander in Chief, through Washington's defeats and limited victories I was unable to put this book down. “1776” made Washington more real than he has ever seemed to me. Taking the legend of Washington and showing his humanity, his weaknesses and his strengths, made me realize how great a man he truly was. To see a leader so connected to a cause that he never gives up, even when all odds are against him and retreat and surrender seem to be his only options.

We all know how this story ends, but I am amazed at how little we truly know of the beginning and middle. A must read for anyone in leadership, as well as anyone interested in American or Military History. I now see why it was on the Chief of Staff of the Army's reading list.

Enjoy!

I was a little hesitant at first to read this, because if really did not come to me as a solid recommendation, but after taking the time to sit down with it one afternoon I loved it. The research and the details are all amazing. I had difficulty in a couple of instances getting into it. I feel that this is not because of the book, but because I do not read about history casually normally. I am accustomed to the pick-up-put-down of in class reading. Overall an amazing read with astonishing attention to detail and most importantly character.

When it comes to a book, be it non fiction or fiction, I tend to try to go into a review as cold as I can. I may go as far as to read other book reviews, but that is usually when I am in the middle of, or have finished a book and I have no idea what to make of it. In the case of 1776, I knew very little about the book. I could infer that it would be about the American Revolution during the year 1776, and it would mostly focus on the forming of the Declaration of Independence during that year...and I was half right.

This book actually takes a look at the battles and struggles that both George Washington and his British counterparts had to face that year. McCullough actually does an excellent job at painting both sides of the conflict and showing each side's strengths and weaknesses. While the British had better trained and paid troops, for example, both sides suffered from a lack of experienced men. The average British soldier was better accustomed to army life, and had would do every task with, if not pride, then a certain sense of duty and understanding why a task had to be done. They were used to cleanliness, preparing proper camps, and working away the menial, non-fighting hours of camp life. Then there was Washington's army, which suffered problems with disease, insubordination, drunkenness, and lack of proper clothing and equipment. Men deserting from their post was commonplace, as was being drunk on duty. In fact, it is a miracle that Washington managed to accomplish anything at all, given what he had to work with. This novel also gives an excellent look into the relationships between various continental and British officers, and how it affected the command structure. It is most definitely an excellently researched book.

Yet, it does have a few problems. I think that McCullough is a better writer of political elements than he would be battle scenes. While the writing he did about the relationships between commanders was interesting, and I think was his strength, his writing tended to lack when it came to describing battle scenes. This is by no means an easy task, but it still got a bit confusing over who was going where with what troops, especially without a map. It isn't a huge deal, it just makes me excited to see what his book John Adams will be like.

A second larger point was trying to read the book with all of the quotes interspersed in his writing. They are placed so often within the text that I would become frustrated as to why I didn't just read the actual words of the man in a journal, instead of McCullough's. It can create a kind of quote fatigue where I was wishing for the author's own commentary on the topic. I think that this effect is lessened, somewhat, through the audiobook, which is read by the author, and is done very well.

As I finished this book, I think that McCullough is a great author and historian. This is a text that has appeared on many different best history book lists, and it is not hard to figure out why. I have read in other reviews that this is not his best book, and, even though I haven't read anything else by him yet, I can understand where they are coming from. Yet, I am excited to see what this author holds in store for his other historical installments. I give this book a four out of five. If you are a student of history, perhaps you should consider picking this up.