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Stock image - cover art may vary
| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0743226720 |
| ISBN-13: |
9780743226721 |
| Publisher: |
Simon & Schuster |
| Release Date: |
June, 2006 |
| Length: |
400 Pages |
| Weight: |
Unavailable |
| Dimensions: |
9 X 6.1 X 1 inches |
| Language: |
English |
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1776
by David McCullough
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| $3.97 |
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Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, event... Read moreEsteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance. Some of the strongest passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded portraits of the Georges on both sides of the Atlantic. King George III, so often portrayed as a bumbling, arrogant fool, is given a more thoughtful treatment by McCullough, who shows that the king considered the colonists to be petulant subjects without legitimate grievances--an attitude that led him to underestimate the will and capabilities of the Americans. At times he seems shocked that war was even necessary. The great Washington lives up to his considerable reputation in these pages, and McCullough relies on private correspondence to balance the man and the myth, revealing how deeply concerned Washington was about the Americans' chances for victory, despite his public optimism. Perhaps more than any other man, he realized how fortunate they were to merely survive the year, and he willingly lays the responsibility for their good fortune in the hands of God rather than his own. Enthralling and superbly written, 1776 is the work of a master historian. --Shawn Carkonen The Other 1776 With his riveting, enlightening accounts of subjects from Johnstown Flood to John Adams, David McCullough has become the historian that Americans look to most to tell us our own story. In his Amazon.com interview, McCullough explains why he turned in his new book from the political battles of the Revolution to the battles on the ground, and he marvels at some of his favorite young citizen soldiers who fought alongside the remarkable General Washington. The Essential David McCullough John Adams Truman Mornings on Horseback The Path Between the Seas The Great Bridge The Johnstown Flood More Reading on the Revolution The Great Improvisation by Stacy Schiff Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis Read less
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No Dustjacket
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7
4.4
Customer Reviews
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The Winners Keep Rolling Along |
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Posted by Avid Reader on 07/03/2005 |
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I am beginning to wonder how David McCullough can continue to produce such important, informative and sheer entertaining works. This does not approach the magnificent JOHN ADAMS but it does shed light on a subject on which the American populace is woefully ignorant: The American Revolution.
More particularly it is the story of one year of that long war, the most important and most tenuous of the entire campaign. One is simply astounded at the feats of the revolutionaries - fighting without shoes, clothes, pay or guns, taking on the most powerful force on the planet, sticking to their principles in spite of a cascade of setbacks. The story is, of course, about individuals since in the end, it is the action of the few that determine the outcome of history. One notes the youth of the colonists, their fervor and beliefs in a country not yet in existence.
McCullough goes out of his way to be not only fair but also just. His biography of King George is notable for its historical accuracy and its reliance on facts and not legend. The lives of the major characters - British and the American - are detailed. This is also a book about leadership and in particular that of George Washington, the linchpin of the Revolution. It is fair to say that it would have been a lost cause without him at the helm. It was certainly not his strategic skill that shone - his mistakes, errors and misjudgements are legend.
Three qualities stand above all others when one reads about the exploits of the Father of the Nation. The first is his courage and steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds. The second is his ability to recognize and rely on superb aides. The third is his willingness to dare, to cross the river in the middle of the night, to attack on Christmas Day, to know when to run and when to fight. Reduced to a rag-tag army of 3,000, he led the rebels to major victories over the Hessians and over the British at Trenton. These two events rekindled the fire of hope in the colonists and enabled them to endure year after year of almost unbelievable hardship.
McCullough presents his characters as they were and yet it seems they are larger than life: Adams crossing the Pyrrenes as an old man, Franklin negotiating and always trying to promote "his fair land", Hale giving his life, Washington leading the troops and Jefferson and the others knowingly risking their lives by signing the Declaration of Independence. A magisterial story by an author at the apex of his powers.
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Posted by John D. Cofield on 05/30/2005 |
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David McCullough's already stellar reputation as an erudite but highly readable historian will be further burnished by his latest offering. 1776 is the story of the year every American knows, but doesn't really understand. While we all know the significance of July 4, 1776, few recognize that the act of declaring independence was only part of a larger story of struggle, defeat, and near catastrophe during that turning point year. McCullough provides fascinating descriptions of battle after battle lost, of scruffy Americans withering under fire from the most efficient and best trained army in the world, and of despair turning to elation as the Americans turned on and crushed their foes at Trenton and Princeton.
One of the many fine features of McCullough's work is his ability to draw portraits of men we revere as almost god-like (like Washington) that help us see them as actual humans, flawed but nevertheless exceptional. Another fine trait is McCullough's even handedness. One of the best sections of the book comes at the beginning with a description of King George III's declaring the colonists to be rebels. McCullough shows us the King and his ministers not as the bumbling fools of legend but as the honorable, patriotic, leaders they were, blinded by their inability to understand the colonial point of view and certain that they were upholding the rights of free Britons by putting down the American rebels.
1776 also pleases by liberally quoting from the letters and diaries of numerous American soldiers, so that the reader gets a sense of what life was like for the "grunts" as well as the leadership. That aspect is what I will remember longest about 1776, the story of those grimy farmers and small businessmen who weren't really sure they wanted to be there, and who didn't really trust or like their fellow soldiers from other colonies, but who put up with the dirt and the starvation and the danger because they trusted General Washington and were willing to fight for a vision they didn't fully understand but nevertheless valued. A great book to read on Memorial Day or the Fourth of July or any day when you want to remember the past and be proud.
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Posted by C. Hutton on 05/24/2005 |
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David McCullough is known as a sterling storyteller of American history with two Pulitizer Prizes for Biography ("John Adams" 2001 and "Truman" 1992) and a National Book Award ("Mornings on Horseback" 1981). What many readers may not realize is that he is a researcher par excellence as evidence by the ten years he spent reading original documents, interviewing and travelling to relevant sites for "Truman." Now he utilizes some of his previous background research for "John Adams" to tell the tale of the crucial year of the American Revolution. "1776."
Most Americans are familiar with the Christmas Eve crossing of the Delaware River to win the Battle of Trenton and to close out 1776. Mr. McCullough describes the more unfamiliar stories of the American siege of Boston in driving out the British army and the British victory in driving the Revoluntionary army from New York City.
His real strength is as an editor, in choosing which historical stories to include and to exclude, for his 284 page narrative (with 100 additional pages of supporting documentation) could easily have been thrice its current length. In fact, David Hackett Fischer's "Washington Crossing" (2004) and William Dwyer's "The Day Is Ours" (1983) are both over 400+ pages in reciting only the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. The reader should be aware that "1776" is merely an introduction to that year, for the actions of the other Founding Fathers (and Mothers) are barely mentioned.
"1776" is fun to read as the 229th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches. Mr. McCullough makes clear how close the American Revolution came to failing that year. British overconfidence and Washington's determination (for his battlefield experince as a military commander was nil) were the difference. The reader is directed to "Patriots" (1988) by A.J. Langguth for the best overall view of the American Revolution (1761-1783).
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A timely and gripping narrative... |
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Posted by Robert Busko on 05/24/2005 |
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There are certain periods of history that never seem to become tired or dull regardless of how often they are written about. It seems that each new investigator finds some thing new to write about. The American Revolution is a case in point. A quick check of books in print will convince you.
David McCullough's 1776 is a terrific investigation into the beginning of the American Revolution. Is it perfect? NO. It does have some missing pieces. But these minor defects are just that...minor. If you look at the complete work, I think you'll find that what 1776 lacks is made up for by McCulloughs ability to deliver the main facts on time and in a way the reader can grasp.
As in John Adams, McCullough again finds the ability to make the main characters jump off the page. Washington, a figure that history has rightfully made larger than life is once again a human man, tortured with doubts and always mindful that disaster is just around the corner. I especially like the treatment that McCullough give King George III.
As a reader, I always like reading a book that moves along. McCullough's narrative does that quite well. In fact, some of the flaws that other reviewers have rightfully pointed out seem to spring from this style of writing.
Well researched and paced for the non-historian, 1776 is a winner. When all is said and done, you'll find that 1776 is worth the time you'll spend reading it.
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Timely narrative about America's struggle for independence |
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Posted by Michael D. Trimble on 05/24/2005 |
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What topic could be more current than independence or the passionate desire that all men have for freedom? David McCullough brings his considerable literary talent to the fore in describing the fascinatingly pivotal year of 1776. Just one year in an eight year long armed conflict with Great Britain, but a year packed with precedent and momentous events that united the thirteen disparate colonies in a common cause.
This book focuses almost entirely on the actual armed struggle rather than the politics of that struggle. Very little is mentioned about the Continental Congress or any of the debates that took place there. All those men and their giant personalities remain on the periphery and instead we learn a great deal more about General George Washington, General Nathanael Green, Colonel Henry Knox, and to a lesser extent the commander of British forces, General William Howe. McCullough's narrative shows us--time and time again--the very human qualities and frailties possessed by these men. In the best of circumstance, war is basically a sustained period of unspeakable suffering, but for these patriots it was a time exacerbated by extreme inexperience, unseasonably harsh weather, shortages of food, muskets, gunpowder, clothing, shoes, and even pay. Poor knowledge of proper field sanitation and personal hygiene created perfect conditions for the growth and spread of deadly diseases. Smallpox flourished and actually plagued Washington's army without ceasing. Fully aware of these handicaps, Washington and his men were tasked to defeat a professional military force that bettered them in ever respect. The British land and sea forces were in fact the most powerful and successful military in the world at that time.
In spite of these overwhelming adversities, the men in this ragtag army gave all that they had for the cause of liberty and in the process these soldiers went from ordinary to extraordinary. This is a uniquely informative and compelling novel from one of America's premier historians. It is in fact a timeless story that deserves constant retelling and David McCullough has done wonderfully with this rendition.
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