| 1776 | 
 enlarge | Author: David Mccullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  654 reviews
Sales Rank: 1025
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1
ISBN: 0743226720
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.3
EAN: 9780743226721
ASIN: 0743226720
Publication Date: June 27, 2006
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Amazon.com Review
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, 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 | 
Washington's General by Terry Golway | 
Iron Tears by Stanley Weintraub | 
Victory at Yorktown by Richard M. Ketchum |
Product Description
In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. 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.
| Customer Reviews: Read 649 more reviews...
 How We Won Our Freedom May 24, 2005
356 out of 388 found this review helpful
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).
A timely and gripping narrative... May 24, 2005
224 out of 245 found this review helpful
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.
 Worthwhile, but flawed May 24, 2005
65 out of 78 found this review helpful
I have no doubt that David McCullough's stirring new narrative, 1776, will be a bestseller. McCullough is a brand name and media outlets will love to have him appear. And 1776 is a particularly compelling read when you can hear Pulitzer Prize winning McCullough's deep, PBS voice. After the phenomenal sales on JOHN ADAMS, booksellers will be delighted to display copies of this well written, but flawed, book.
1776 (the book) opens in 1775 with `the other' George, in London. The king and his government had had enough of the traitorous instigators who had turned into more than just provincial rabble rousers. Blood had been spilled at Lexington and Concord and the unacceptable losses of his troops at the battles for Breed's and Bunker Hills had convinced King George III it was time to reel in these ungrateful and misguided subjects. McCullough's early chapters are entertaining and enlightening as we learn the political maneuvering in the halls of Parliament and the court. As 1775 moves through the New England fall months, we are introduced to some of the principles that will carry through the title's main events. As a literate nation from the start, we are blessed with a good deal of historical writing about all our wars. Our better historians are the most skilled in deciphering the morass of material and presenting a digestible story. Deftly tapping the letters, memoirs, colonial gazettes and other source materials, McCullough proves, once again, that his is one of our better historians. We can almost hear the voices of the patriots, the provincials, the Tories and their proud British soldiers.
The problems with 1776 (the book) begin when the problems began for the Continentals in 1776 (the year). While McCullough's cadence and narrative style are maintained throughout 1776 (the book), there are important issues that are completely ignored in 1776 (the year). The second half of this $32.00, 290 page (of text) book seems rushed. While we do hear, on a number of occasions, General William Howe's proclivities toward his married mistress, there is no mention of Gen. Howe and his Brother Lord Admiral Richard Howe's disagreements toward London's hawkish policies against the colonies and how this may have affected their actions. We learn of how the British radical, Thomas Paine was a `bestselling' pamphleteer with publication of his "Common Sense". We learn not of what effect the publication of his "American Crisis" (Certainly one of most important calls to patriotism in American history and a compelling reason why Congress relinquished control of the army to Washington). We read of how the dreaded Hessians were merciless in their treatment of prisoners, but we do not learn of why they were with the British in the first place. After all, it was the Hessians that lost the battle of Trenton. Who were these boys? We hear of how the British `ravaged' the New Jersey women and its countryside, but we get no sense or mention of the tremendous impact of the raiding Hunterdon County militia had on the British's New Jersey outposts and it's effects on the future battle at Trenton.
Even more disturbing in what has so much promise to bring such and important topic to light for, I am sure, hundreds of thousands of readers, is that there are some facts that are simply left out or even wrong. On page 178, William Alexander Lord Sterling is captured after a gallant stand in Brooklyn. On page 254, he reappears back in action, with the Continental Army, at New Brunswick, with no explanation of why he is no longer a guest of his British captors. (He had been exchanged, by Gen. Howe, 7 Oct 1775 for Governor Mountford Brown of Florida and the Bahamas). On page 189, (Gen.) "Mifflin then ordered General Edward Hand to form up the regiment...". Colonel Edward Hand of the Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment was not promoted to the rank of Brigadier General until 1 April 1777. On page 253, McCullough writes that British General Cornwallis pursues the Continentals from Newark to (New) Brunswick, a distance of "fifty" miles. Hey, in New Jersey, we know our turnpike exits and the colonial village of New Ark to colonial (New) Brunswick is thirty two miles. Not a big deal, but such a simple fact to be inaccurate.
Finally, on page 272 (don't worry, I won't spoil the ending) McCullough writes of Washington in his Buckingham (PA) headquarters reviewing the plan of attack on Trenton that, by even British accounts, saved the cause for liberty, avoided the destruction of the beaten and ragtag Continental army; "With Greene and a few others...." On the eve of this most critical battle and we don't get to know who's in the room talking about the plans for engagement?
I don't fault McCullough for these shortcuts. Along with JOHN ADAMS, McCullough has written a string of fine histories on the Jonestown Flood, the Panama Canal, and the Brooklyn Bridge, to name a few. But he has never written a military history that will be read by so many. In 1776, he has written a fine book, with a few small errors. My recommendation is to listen to the audio of David McCullough's 1776. Then read David Hackett Fischer's WASHINGTON'S CROSSING, winner of last year's Pulitzer Prize now out in paperback. I would also recommend WINTER SOLDIERS by Richard Ketchum and THIS DAY IS OURS! by Bill Dwyer (this book is out of print). All three of these books cover the same subject. They have more detail and are also well written.
PS. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a former employee of the publisher of 1776. The last thing I would want to do is to harm the business fortunes of my many friends who still work there. But I am first a reader, first a book buyer, and first respect the minds and wallets of my countrymen.
Timely narrative about America's struggle for independence May 24, 2005
48 out of 52 found this review helpful
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.
An improbable victory May 25, 2005
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
For McCullough standards this is a surprisingly short book but nonetheless an important one and very inspiring. Rather than it focusing on battles it exposes us to some of the cross currents of the day and the true heroes of the American Revolution: the common citizen.
This book does include some actual armed combat but its main focus is in no way the battles of the war. It does some give insight on the politics of the day. As American and British diplomats tried to reach a compromise, things in the Americas continued to decline until war was practically unavoidable. King George is shown in a less harsh light than how he is usually portrayed in modern times and McCullough brings up such neglected facts as that a third of the members of the British Parliament were against the war.
Spotlighted are Green, Knox, and of course George Washington, as well as the British commander, General William Howe.
Washington here makes for an interesting study. Washington himself is shown as courageous, a true leader, initially an inept tactician and very much of an aristocrat. The New England Yankees the Virginian Washington comes to commmand are portrayed as a group of undisciplined rabble and Washington is found having to deal with a clash of cultures. However if initially a failure at strategy and tactics Washington is shown as a quick learner and made use of such techniques as night time assaults. However the main focus of this book is the American infantry man. The Americans were plagued by poor sanitation Small Pox and various other miseries and depravations.
Countering this though is the tenaciousness of the citizen solider and the inventiveness of the average American.
Quite revealing and a testament to the American character.
Highly recommended.
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