kurtwombat's review against another edition
4.0
History parades before us in many forms—quite often corrupted. Was Dolly Madison the wife of the fourth President of the United States or a baking company known for its ZINGERS? Gradually time calcifies the perception of history until the shape of it is all we see. And we get used to it—even rely on it as a short hand. Partly because of this I had assumed I had a decent general knowledge of the Revolutionary War. I have wanted to read something by David McCullough for some time. Having both 1776 and his John Adams bio on the shelf I pondered. I chose 1776 thinking the briefer time frame under consideration might allow me to walk before I learned to run with a new (to me) author. I assumed as I read that I’d be checking off familiar moments in history paying closer attention whenever John Adams was mentioned as a kind of prep for the more substantial book to come. I was surprised as I read 1776 that it all felt completely new to me. Events don’t unfold in domino fashion and even when they appear to, the fascination is derived from just how easily everything could have been different. McCullough does a marvelous job of breathing life into history we think we know. 1776 is certainly not the whole war but it is that part of the war that defined how the war would play out. The author unfolds the participants on both sides of the Atlantic revealing how they would rise or fail to rise to the coming war. Attention is given equally to weather of a given day, the perceptions of a soldier or baker or general, and the decisions of those wielding the most power. The thoroughly rendered details inform the world from which springs history broken from its calcification and allowed to breath. The pivotal character amidst all this is of course Washington who was clearly not the same man at the end of the year as he was at the beginning. America was not the same place by the end of that year. And thankfully I do not have the same view of the Revolutionary War that I did when the book began.
bri_noyes1's review
4.0
I hadn’t realized how BAD circumstances were for the continental army were and how utterly discouraging things were. New appreciation for the many miracles, bravery, and leadership during that year of history.
rebeccatc's review
4.0
This is a smoothly written, concise history of the military events of 1776. It covers the British being driven out of Boston, Washington's defeats in and retreat from New York, and finally his victories at Trenton and Princeton. The point of view is largely from Washington's perspective, with only occasional glimpses of the correspondence he received from Philadelphia to hint at the political events of the same year. McCullough does a good job of interweaving correspondence from Washington and other generals with that of those from the lower ranks to show their experiences. It really showed how Washington's army and Washington himself were incredibly inexperienced but also undeniably brave. I took away one star only because the book could have used some diagrams. I have difficulty keeping locations and troop movements in mind based on a narrative, and the contemporaneous 18th century drawings that are included in the book were very hard to read.
ezravasq's review
2.0
This book was far more concerned with specific information about battles than what I was looking for. I was hoping it would give a broader history of the revolutionary war, with more emphasis on politics and significant world events.
lakecake's review
4.0
David McCullough writes a great history book. They read like a novel, not your typical dry recitation of facts.
statman's review
4.0
I love David McCullough for his history books and this is a good one of his. It is a little shorter than some of his others (like Truman or John Adams) but it is full of information. It is essentially the story of Washington's army beginning with the siege of Boston to his miraculous victories at Trenton and Princeton. It covers the war during the year of 1776 and doesn't go beyond that. There were definitely highs and lows to the campaign and McCullough does a good job of capturing the major characters on both sides of the beginning of the Revolutionary War.