The Battle for New York

By Barnet Schecter

Book Overview

The Battle for New Yorktells the story of how the city became the pivot on which the American Revolution turned: from the political and religious struggles of the 1760s and early '70s that made the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802713742
• ISBN13: 9780802713742
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Walker Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 2.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.5" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Occupied New York

People, including Franklin (father and son), the Howe brothers (William and Black Dick), the DeLanceys, the Livingstons, George Washington and Lord Stirling (a soi-disant Scottish peer AND an American patriot!); and geography, Hell Gate, Sandy Hook, Flatbush and Gravesend are the stars of Barnet Schecter's masterly study of New York in the American Revolution. In this 400+ page impeccably sourced book, we also learn about the first combat submarine (the Turtle) and other fascinating details like the peace conference on Staten Island and the noble death of Nathan Hale. I especially liked the maps which combine historic details with modern landmarks which helped enormously in picturing the action.Schecter is an up and coming historian; I look forward to reading his latest work on the 1863 NYC draft riot during the Civil War.

The Battle for New York City

Mr. Schecter has done a fabulous job of describing the American Revolution as it took place within the present-day boundaries of New York City. The Battle for the City is set forth in all of its very exciting but unfortunately little known details. Other amateur Revolutionary War historians may have known, as I did, that the "Battle of Long Island" (the traditional name is rather confusing since it was fought entirely within present-day Brooklyn) and the subsequent capture of Manhattan were pivotal events in setting the course of the war, but all of the accounts I had read before seemed to gloss over the specifics of the engagements. Probably because we (the Americans) lost so ignominously. The author does not hide from the serious mistakes made by General Washington and the other Patriot generals, but he also brings to light the many heroic engagements that the American forces fought in this campaign, at locations scattered all across the city -- on Staten Island, in Brooklyn, in the Bronx, on Manhattan and just outside the city at White Plains (I'm sure something important happened in Queens too but I can't recall what now). In particular, I found Mr. Schecter's description of the delaying action fought by a small unit of Americans when the British tried to outflank the Continental Army in the Bronx to be very stirring. I had never known anything before about that particular engagement, and after reading about it I wanted to enlist in Glover's regiment even though I'm 225 years too late! In addition to the pivotal campaign, Mr. Schecter vividly captures events in the city preceding the British invasion in 1776, as well as the long years under British occupation before the final evacuation and General Washington's triumphal reentry into the city at the end of the War. The author also provides detailed itineraries for touring the surprisingly many Revolutionary War sites that can still be seen in the expanse of New York's 19th and 20th Century sprawl. I am looking forward to touring the city soon and trying to find all of these sites! I'm not from New York but Mr. Schecter's book had me riveted from the introduction to the last footnote. My wife gave me this book for my birthday last year, and I am overjoyed that she did! The only caveat I have is that if you are looking for details about the many equally fascinating events that occurred in Upstate New York during the Revolutionary War, they're not here. Having said that, this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in not just the big picture, but also the details, of the American Revolution.

siege of new york was critical

hard to imagine british troops landing near the UN. never knew what "fort lee" was named after. the list of mystererious names and places for those of us who grew up in the area goes on and on. this book filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of history around the new york area. if you were going to read 1 book on the american revolution, i would recommend this one. extremely enjoyable read!

Brilliant, entertaining account of a close to home battle

As a born and bred New Yorker I was fascinated to read about the close to home battles fought in the early days of the Revolution. Those concrete NYC masses were once bucolic fields and small hamlets. Battles were fought where we now have massive bridges and urban sprawl. Schecter tells the story with an engaging style of a novel. He does not overwhelm us with tactics or military details. He tells a more personal account of the men and women who fought in this battle. What is also interesting is how the loyalties were clearly split among New Yorkers. This was not a revolution of unanimity. The British Loyalists felt that their attachments to the crown were as patriotic as the cause of the revolutionaries. Well done Mr. Shecter.