The War Before Independence
1775-1776
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
The United States was creeping ever closer to independence. The shot heard round the world still echoed in the ears of Parliament as impassioned revolutionaries took up arms for and against King and country. In this captivating blend of careful research and rich narrative, Derek W. Beck continues his exploration into the period preceding the Declaration of Independence, just days into the new Revolutionary War.
The War Before Independence transports readers into the violent years of 1775 and 1776, with the infamous Battle of Bunker Hill – a turning point in the Revolution – and the snowy, wind-swept march to the frozen ground at the Battle of Quebec, ending with the exciting conclusion of the Boston Campaign. Meticulous research and new material drawn from letters, diaries, and investigative research throws open the doors not only to familiar figures and faces, but also little-known triumphs and tribulations of America’s greatest military leaders, including George Washington.
Wonderfully detailed and stunningly layered, The War Before Independence brings America’s early upheaval to a ferocious boil on both sides of the battlefield, and vividly captures the spirit of a fight that continues to inspire brave hearts today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Beck follows 2015's Igniting the American Revolution: 1773 1775 with another rich and accessible popular history of the early Revolutionary period. He opens about a month after the violent confrontation between the British and Americans at Concord. Covering the battle of Bunker Hill, the siege of Quebec, and the end of the siege of Boston, Beck's narrative offers plenty of vivid details that bring the conflict to life. Lay readers with only a general familiarity with this period of the war will find some surprises, including Dr. Benjamin Church, the chairman of the rebels' Committee of Safety, turning traitor, and the lord mayor and aldermen of London sending a petition to King George III accusing him of tolerating despotic rule over their fellow subjects in America. After being designated commander-in-chief, George Washington struggled to instill discipline in his troops, an irony that stemmed from the "rhetoric of the Revolution itself," which was a "concerted effort of social insubordination" that did not mesh well with the army's dependence on its members' adherence to the obligations of rigid military ranks. Beck occasionally lapses into purple prose and has a fondness for unnecessarily emphasizing dramatic moments, but he tells the story well. Illus.
