Revolutionary War (2)
(Chronological listing of key events commencing with general period overviews)
Washington's Crossing, David Hackett Fischer (2006 – 576 pp)
Washington’s daring Christmas night crossing of the Delaware, and the battles of Trenton and Princeton that changed the course of the war.
Adopted Son, by David A. Clary (2008 - 592 pp)
Touching, poignant portrayal of the father-son relationship that blossomed between Lafayette and Washington and was so critical to the war effort.
The Philadelphia Campaign Volume I, Brandywine and the Fall of Philadelphia, by Thomas J McGuire (2006 - 442 pp)
Washingon's greatest defeat and largest battle with 17,000 British troops outmaneuvering 20,300 Colonials at Brandywine to take Philadelphia.
Brandywine, The Battle that Lost Philadelphia, but Saved a Nation, by Michael Harris (2008 - 528 pp)
A more in depth look at the historic Battle of Brandywine, the military actions that took place and how the battle turned on a failure of intelligence to detect a British flanking attack
Battle of Paoli, by Thomas J. McGuire (2000 - 288 pp)
Debunking of the myth of an actual massacre at Paoli where Anthony Wayne was surprised by a stealthy British night bayonet attack but lived to fight again.
The Philadelphia Campaign: Volume II, Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge, by Thomas J. McGuire (2007 - 276 pp)
Detailed accounts of the final British victory at Germantown, the siege and capture of Fort Mifflin, Battle of Whitemarsh and final retreat to Valley Forge.
The Battle of Oriskany, by Paul A Boehlert (2013 - 144pp)
One of the bloodiest battles of the revolution fought in the Mohawk Valley of NY between Patriot and Loyalist forces supported by Oneida and Mohawk Indian allies and a precursor to the Battle of Saratoga. Patriot leader Gen NicholasHerkimer and 500 of his force died.
Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History, Roy and Leslie Adkins
(2018 - 480 pp)
A page turner that vividly recounts the titanic, but little known, behind-the-scenes struggle between England, France and Spain that so dramatically influenced world events during the American Revolution
Saratoga: Turning Point of the American Revolution,
by Richard M Ketchum (1997 – 448 pp)
A fascinating, inspiring account of the British invasion from Canada and disastrous defeat of an overly-confident Burgoyne at Saratoga. Great Maps.
Valley Forge, by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin (2018 - 464 pp)
Emotional historical fiction of the famous winter survival at Valley Forge of 12,000 Continental troops, their training under a German Commander and emergence as an effective fighting force. .
The Drillmaster of Valley Forge, by Paul Lockhart (2010 - 352 pp)
Excellent portrayal of de Steuben and his fortuitous, critical arrival at Valley Forge just in time to train Washington's army for the great battles yet to come.
Monmouth County: The Battle that Made the American Army,
by Joseph G. Bilby and Katherine Bilby Jenkins (2010 - 304 pp)
One of the few books on Monmouth, one of the war's largest battles. A newly trained Continental army fought 12,000 British troops retreating to New York to a draw. A strategic win for Washington.
Camden 1780: The Annihilation of Gate's Grand Army (Campaign),
by David Smith (2016 - 292 pp)
Complete rout and humiliating defeat of the Continentals under the 'Hero of Saratoga', Horatio Gates, by Cornwallis at Camden, SC north of Charleston.
A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens, by Lawrence e. Babits
(2000 - 231 pp)
A critical turning point of the war in the South. Continental troops at Cowpens brilliantly lured and routed British and Loyalists led by the hated General Tarleton.
The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution, by John Oller ( 2016 - 400 pp)
Excellent new bio of Francis Marion, "The Washington of the South", who frustrated British attempts to capture him and harried the dreaded Banastre Tarleton to distraction.
The Road to Guilford Courthouse, by John Buchanen (1999 - 452 pp).
Terrific account of the tense, fruitless chase by Cornwallis of Nathaniel Greene's illusive Continentals and the fateful British retreat from Guilford Courthouse to Yorktown
Washington's General: Nathaniel Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution by Terry Golway (2006 - 368 pp)
Great, short bio of Nathaniel Green, one of the true heroes of the Revolution and the general who outfoxed and outmaneuvered Cornwallis to win the war in the South.
Victory at Yorktown, By Richard M. Ketchum (2004 – 368 pp)
Dramatic coverage of Washington’s army’s remarkable overland trek from New York and Cornwallis’s ignominious defeat at Yorktown.
Brilliantly told, behind-the scenes politics, machinations in drawing in the French fleet to ensure final victory. All within the context of a world struggle at sea between England, France and Spain.
The Struggle for Sea Power, by Sam Willis (2016 - 608pp)
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.
The First Salute, by Barbara W. Tuchman (1989 - 368 pp)
Award winning history of the naval war at sea from first recognition of an independent America by the Dutch to the French fleet at Yorktown.
An American Crisis: The Dangerous Two Years after Yorktown,
by William F. Fowler, Jr
Yorktown in 1781 was the final battle, but the American Revolution continued for another perilous two years before the final treaty. Unrest among Washington's officers and men 1783 led to his famous, speech to them in Newbergh, NY.
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