The Revolution at Sea - Global Conflict and the Fate of the Americas
An extraordinary, behind-the scenes perspective on the American Revolution. Yes, there were great land battles - Brandywine, Saratoga, Yorktown. But, the war at sea was global, fought at huge expense by England, France and Spain. Sam Willis's recent (Feb, 2016) "The Struggle for Sea Power: A Naval History of the American Revolution" paints great fleets in constant battle across vast oceans and an American Navy, mostly privateers struggling to survive.
Top Recommendation for February
The Struggle for Sea Power, by Sam Willis (2016 - 616 pp)
A remarkably informative, entertaining and often humorous look at the global forces at work during the Revolution and the critical role and vast expense of sea power. (2016 - 608pp)
Super interesting and fun book, and quite humorous with a very tounge-in-cheek style. Learned a lot I didn’t know about the politics in England offinancing a massive fleet. The Colonies were indignant at being taxed, which the Brits desperately needed to do to finance and win a global world war. The French barely were scraping by…a miracle they were able to cobble together a fleet for Yorktown.