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	1776 David McCullough Simon & Schuster, 2006 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 651 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter.

But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

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A very intelligent account of 1776

The book is slow to read, i think that is the point. McCullough wanted the readers to slow down and take the time to read what was happening in 1776. His book is not written like others, where they show a progression of facts and interpretation. McCullough would rather show us the history, then tell us the history. He relies so much on letters of the actual people, then on sources of other historians.

So on that account alone, that makes the book slower to read.

It took me a few tries to read through it, at a few points i put the book down for awhile and then picked it back up, because his writing can be overwhelming. But the more I think on it, the more I think that is what he is trying to bring out.

He writes in a very sophisticated and intelligent way, which is very contrary to how many other writers write today. I am not saying that other writers are not sophisticated or intelligent, but McCullough presents a very polished sophistication and intelligence. Which is why he is one of the greatest historians of our time.

1776 really tells the story of George Washington, so much so that I thought he should have named the book "George Washington in 1776", I hope he does write a biography of George Washington, he would be the perfect author of such a book!

The way he writes the book and shows the feelings of the people involved at the time, he shows you the ups and downs of the people involved and how it played on the situations. We sit here and the revolution is a past event and to these people it is a present event, victory has not yet happen, he makes you root for Washington, as people either desert him, show their allegiance to him and yet while his men are in dire needs of supplies. We can not help but root for George Washington, knowing he will win and yet wondering how he will arrive there, with defeat after defeat.

I think he needs to write another book called "1777" so we can see how his defeats turn into victory.

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An Essential Book To Understand our American Heritage

This book deals with the pivotal year - 1776 - in the American Revolution. While the revolution started before and American victory ended at Yorktown in 1781, this is the year in which the fate of the American Revolution hung in the balance. There was still hope in some quarters that the colonists could reconcile with Britain and King George III. But the events of this year, including disastrous losses after a surprise victory at Boston, almost doom the dreams of the colonists. An incredibly harsh winter contributed to the gloomy outlook for the Founding Fathers. The British expected a very short war but were surprised by the tenacity and zeal of the American militias. The best passages described and illuminated the character of George Washington. He publicly held aloft a torch of optimism while personal correspondence and intimate conversations conveyed his despondency and desperation. But he was the right man at the right time for this job. The most telling passage was Washington, up late at night before a battle, writing the code word for the night on slips of paper: "Victory or Death". This dedication gave us America and the world a Beacon for Freedom.

Michael Mandaville, Author - "Stealing Thunder"

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Remarkable Historical Account

To begin with, David McCullough is an America Treasure. After reading this novel it is easy to remember why McCullogh is a two time Pulitzer prize winner. This time out McCullough takes readers into the various battles led by General Washington in and around Boston and New York in the year 1776 as America's fight for independence from England wages on. Focusing on the rag tag group of soldiers that Washington had to command, as well as the suffering involved, McCullough once again weaves a masterful true story into a compelling read. That Washington persevered after setback after setback, was a testament to the stick-to-itiveness of our founding fathers. Thank goodness for their resolve. This is a great book to read notwithstanding the historical significance it provides. The bonus is that there is a lot here to learn about this pivotal time in the history of the united States.

Truly a 5 star read!

For an even more enjoyable experience, I recommend listening to the book as well. McCullough narrates the unabridged version and does an excellent job.

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1776 Indeed

David McCullough's book is a very readable account of the military campaigns of that fateful year in American history. He describes rebel soldiers dressed in rags and British soldiers looking sharp and well-rested. British generals are seen as capable but arrogant, not even bothering to learn about General Washington or solicit intelligence about the rebel plans. The portraits of the commanding American generals; Washington, Green, Knox and Lee are also persuasive. In particular, McCullough does a real service to Washington making him come alive as a person; capable of errors of judgment and impulsive behavior but much more frequently a man of natural command, great heart and perseverance.

Unlike McCullough's massive biographies of Adams and Truman, this book is limited in scope. It doesn't deal with the Revolutionary war just the battles from the fateful year. It also doesn't deal with the political issues raging during 1776. McCullough mentions how King George had pushed the notion that the Americans were fighting for independence before that was accepted by the Americans and then mentions almost in passing the Declaration of Independence signed months later. What happened in those months to shift opinion from fighting within the British system for British rights towards fighting for a completely distinct set of rights as American citizens? This is outside the scope of the book. But for me, why choose 1776 as the year to track the military battles if it is not because of the significance of the break between the colonies and Britain? While there were stirring, important battles, I'm not convinced after reading the book that any of them marked a true turning point in the war. The Americans and British didn't sign a treaty until 1783, seven years later.

The other issue that gets raised in passing but never dealt with directly is that of the social context. One question I had was whether loyalists became British troop or whether the soldiers all came from Britain. Along those same lines, how did the colonialists breakdown in terms of their loyalties? Were New Englanders more devoted to the rebel cause? Virginia? Was it not a question of colonies but of status that determined one's loyalties? How did that aspect of the struggle play out? Both in terms of Boston and New York, McCullough mentions significant number of loyalists. In Boston many of them returned by ship with the British army. In New York, while the rebels were fortifying the town, many of the citizens were loyalists. So the British when they took it over, were surrounded by sympathizers. How did the civilian population so naturally torn by their sympathies to both sides, play into the military campaigns?

Finally, I was looking for a book that defined the year more broadly than just by its military actions but by the political and social events that transformed the American cause from one of a rebellion against onerous taxation to one of fighting for liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think McCullough missed an opportunity by not delving deeper into the political and social currents of that fateful year that did so much to forge our American identity.

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As if I was there, sort of

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to history from this time period, so from that perspective, I think this book was informative and engaging. I suggest you read it if you have even an inkling of interest in the time period, because once you get into it, McCullough will take care of getting you through it with his detail and suspense. My only two warnings: 1) it takes a few chapters to get into it, especially remembering all the characters, and 2) when you finish it you're thirsting for more information about the coming battles and years. Enjoy.


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