1776 by David McCullough Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of 1776
Book Review: A Landmark Year for the United States
Summary: 4 Stars
"History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are." ~David McCullough
I am sure at one time I was taught about the Revolutionary War; however, my memory is so terrible that I remember very little about it. This book focuses on what happened in the year 1776. The signing of the Declaration of Independence is a footnote in this book; this book focuses on General Washington and the military events that shaped the war that year.
The book has three major sections: the siege of Boston, the fortification and loss of New York, and the long retreat and American victories in Trenton and Princeton. Some of the things I found interesting about the book include the following:
- I found the British perspective of the war very interesting. They had spent a lot of time and money on this colony. There were British who wanted to squash the American rebels and there were others that understood the magnitude and difficulty of it. I really enjoyed this prophetic quote before the war from John Wilkes, Lord Mayor of London, "We are fighting for the subjection, the unconditional submission of a country infinitely more extended than our own, of which every day increases the wealth, the natural strength, the population. Should we not succeed...we shall be considered as their most implacable ememies, an eternal separation will follow, and the grandeur of the British empire pass away."
- The startling differences between the American forces and the British forces in training and health. The Americans were always sick and underclothed. Washington was always dealing with troops just up and leaving. The British were well trained and well led, while the Americans were a ragtag group of farmers fighting with very few trained leaders.
- I didn't realize that the British hired German Hessians to battle with them. They were known to be exceptionally cruel and merciless to the American rebels.
- I didn't realize the number of British loyalists there were during the Revolution. Many left for Canada after the war was over.
- The history of three of the American Generals (Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Henry Knox). Everyone knows about Washington but I found it interesting in how he could be courageous and charismatic one minute and indecisive the next. The odds were against him and he knew it. I didn't know that he was one of the richest men in the country when he married Martha. It is interesting to read about the courage of Greene and Knox and the cities and forts that were named after them: Greensboro, NC; Greenville, TN; Greenville, SC; Knoxville, TN; Fort Knox (KY); and Fort Knox (ME). For some odd reason I find it interesting to understand how cities are named and who they are named after. I also found it interesting that Knox was remembered as a tyrant and that Col. Pynchon in Nathanial Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables was based on him.
Overall, I found the book educational and enjoyable to read. I would highly recommend it for anyone that wants to have a better understanding of how we became the independent nation we are today.
Book Review: A MUST FOR EVERY AMERICAN!
Summary: 5 Stars
David McCullough is at his best in 1776. His narrative is extremely skilled, precise, and eloquent. He is not only a great historian, he is a master of the literary arts. He is able to bring to life a most critical time in American history with compelling narrative befitting the greatest literary masters. This book reads like a grand and epic novel! This should be required reading for every high school student in America!Book Review: A National Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
David McCullough has again exceeded all expectations in his latest book, "1776." Like most historical narratives, the reader often knows the ending well in advance. In "1776", every reader had to have expected that McCullough would close his book describing Washington's daring yet gallant crossing of the Delaware and the Continental Army's subsequent triumph at Trenton. Nevertheless, as I approached the end of the book I found myself anxiously awaiting that moment ... I literally read-on with bated breath.
David McCullough does a masterful job of describing with ease the events as they unfolded chronologically. Though as he does so, he more importantly provides acute analysis into the psyches of the main players. As much as this book was a narrative about the Continental Army from Bunker Hill, to Dorchester Heights, to Long Island and the Battle of Brooklyn, down through New Jersey and ulitmately victory at Trenton, the book could have as easily been a biography of sorts about His Excellency, George Washington.
McCullough's portrait of Washington is not unlike others that have been popularly written. Expectedly, the book portrays our first president as a man of faith and stellar, quasi-consecrated leadership. At the same time though, McCullough is careful not to deify the General and provides keen insights into Washington's probable feelings of self-doubt and diffidence, especially after the nearly catastrophic and ego-piercing defeats at Brooklyn and Fort Washington. Furthermore, McCullough exposes the fact that those close to Washington, General Charles Lee and Joseph Reed, lost much confidence in the General after the Continental Army's retreat across the Hudson and down through New Jersey.
With all of this provided as a backdrop though, a true picture of George Washington - his character, his dominion, his authority - is brought into sharp focus through McCullough's description of the Army's treacherous but euphoric victory over the Hessians at Trenton. I could literally picture Washington's animation and feel his exuberance when in the face of a potential call to retreat, he exclaimed to those under his command, "It's a fine fox chase, my boys!" One can only imagine the scene of chaos that filled the streets on that early winter morning; yet it is easy to picture General Washington sitting atop his horse, jubilantly inciting his troops to action. At the same time, because of McCullough's adroit description of the sometimes lackadaisical and even distracted British Commander, William Howe, one can only imagine Howe's consternation when learning of the defeat of the hired Hessian helpers.
Having mentioned Commander Howe, I also appreciated McCullough's determination in devoting a large portion of the book to characterizing British personalities and actions. Too few authors of the Revolutionary Period spend enough time measuring what was going through the minds of the British, the "enemy" at the time. Considering the fact that many living in the colonies during this period considered themselves loyal subjects of the King, it seems logical that a book describing the events of 1776 would adequately delve into British sentiment regarding the "rebels'" declaration of independence and the skirmishes and all-out war that followed. After all, the foot soldiers in the Continental Army were closely related, literally, to loyalists throughout the colonies.
In illustrating the overall British ethos, especially that of the King's Army, McCullough repeatedly denotes periods during the war where the Continental Army was and should have been on the cusp of ruin but for the seemingly high-minded haughtiness of the British leaders; most notably the aforementioned Commander Howe. Howe is painted as a somewhat apathetic and listless commander, severely lacking the killer instinct possessed by so many other leaders of the time on both sides. McCullough interestingly notes the stark difference between Commander William Howe and both his brother, Admiral Lord Richard Howe, and General Henry Clinton. Had General Clinton's thinking been adopted, the Continental Army probably never would have reached Dorchester Heights in the dead of night and thus would probably never have made it out of Boston.
In "1776", David McCullough has closely matched the superiority "John Adams" and his numerous other historical works. David McCullough truly is a "master of the art of narrative history." Like both of the late Stephen Ambrose and the late David Halberstam, David McCullough has become, in my mind, a national treasure.
Book Review: A Story Driven Epic
Summary: 5 Stars
Like in his biography of John Adams, McCullough takes historical accounts and weaves them into a seamless enthralling story. The volume has a knack for getting into the detailed nitty gritty elements of the war without becoming boringly bogged down. Excellent insight is provided on the decision making processes of Washington throughout the year.
It should be remembered though that this is a military history. The title is a little misleading, since this is not a book about events in America's Revolution during 1776 as a whole, but rather an account of Washington's army. Only minor attention is paid to going-ons in Philadelphia, so I feel 1776 is best read accompanied by a knowledge/book of the revolutionary era in more general terms.
Overall, another superb page turner for American History aficionados by McCullough.
Book Review: A Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
David McCullough is a national treasure... and so is this book. You learn just how close we came to losing our battle against the British during this perilous time in our history.
As luck would have it, I had a monthly flying schedule that included trips to New York's La Guardia airport when I was reading this book. The standard arrival from the south (I was flying from Miami) has you descend past the statue of Liberty, north along the Hudson, east around Yonkers and south to land on runway 22. As I made this trip, I often used the imagery provided by McCullough's vivid account to imagine what it would have been like to see all those British ships waiting to invade the city. I also remember his description of the retreat of Washington's Army through what is today Harlem and try to imagine how the two Armies could have been so close to each other and yet not seen each other. I have tried to create the same powerful imagery in my own novel, "Delta 7." Hopefully, I have succeeded.
McCullough also does a masterful job of recreating the turmoil facing Washington and the important leaders of the time as they struggled against meager financing, short-term volunteer fighters, weather, and a well-trained and equipped English Army.
A great read!
John Cathcart
Author, Delta 7