authorofthings's review
Authors show too much bias and are homophobic when addressing Hamilton/Laurens. Also they quote a fictional musical in their nonfiction book. The writing style is also ridiculous in some places. I still don't understand what they mean when saying Daniel Morgan was "sleet." Ultimately this was clearing written as a cash-grab after the Hamilton musical and very poorly done.
freetobme's review against another edition
It wasn’t always keeping me awake when I listened while driving.
larry1138's review against another edition
4.0
There's honestly not much I can really say other than the fact that this is another well-written, well-researched, military history book that I thoroughly enjoyed. After consuming similar volumes like 1776 and In the Hurricane's Eye, I am now getting a very good feel of the political and military realities of the American Revolution, and it's inspiring me to read or listen to some of the more famous biographies that have sprung up and have had TV shows made of them such as John Adams and Hamilton.
Valley Forge itself focuses mostly of course on the brutal winter encampment that Washington and his army used during the winter of 1777-1778, but it does provide context to the military campaigns and political machinations before and after American forces hunkered down for the cold weather months. Across these two years, the reader is introduced to a large cast of familiar Revolutionary War characters as well as many who are not so well known. One gets the feeling, especially when discussing casualties or the experiences of particular individuals or groups (African American soldiers in particular), that the authors wish for much more detail to come about in their research. Any good historian or history buff wishes the same, and I feel that yearning for more as well while reading this book. Unfortunately, many of these details are likely forever lost to history.
But what information is present does paint a clearly authentic picture of the desperate situation Washington found himself in as the nascent rebellion in the 13 colonies nearly succumbed to the deep freeze in Valley Forge. I was shocked at how the army was in a constant state of falling apart and yet seemed to survive anyway. I believe the book explicitly states that other armies at the time would have absolutely disbanded or reorganized elsewhere. The sacrifices made at Valley Forge are an inspiration to those who study it today.
A high recommend from me for anyone interested in American history and military history. I would also like to note the somewhat humorous coincidence that for the Audible audiobook version the narrator, Jeremy Bobb, sounds quite similar to Steve Downes who is the voice of Master Chief from the Halo videogame series. I eventually adjusted but it was fun for a while to imagine the futuristic super-soldier savior of humanity reading a history book to me.
Valley Forge itself focuses mostly of course on the brutal winter encampment that Washington and his army used during the winter of 1777-1778, but it does provide context to the military campaigns and political machinations before and after American forces hunkered down for the cold weather months. Across these two years, the reader is introduced to a large cast of familiar Revolutionary War characters as well as many who are not so well known. One gets the feeling, especially when discussing casualties or the experiences of particular individuals or groups (African American soldiers in particular), that the authors wish for much more detail to come about in their research. Any good historian or history buff wishes the same, and I feel that yearning for more as well while reading this book. Unfortunately, many of these details are likely forever lost to history.
But what information is present does paint a clearly authentic picture of the desperate situation Washington found himself in as the nascent rebellion in the 13 colonies nearly succumbed to the deep freeze in Valley Forge. I was shocked at how the army was in a constant state of falling apart and yet seemed to survive anyway. I believe the book explicitly states that other armies at the time would have absolutely disbanded or reorganized elsewhere. The sacrifices made at Valley Forge are an inspiration to those who study it today.
A high recommend from me for anyone interested in American history and military history. I would also like to note the somewhat humorous coincidence that for the Audible audiobook version the narrator, Jeremy Bobb, sounds quite similar to Steve Downes who is the voice of Master Chief from the Halo videogame series. I eventually adjusted but it was fun for a while to imagine the futuristic super-soldier savior of humanity reading a history book to me.
mightync's review
4.0
The condition and the events that transpired at Valley Forge, the winter cantonment for Washington's Army, are well documented here. But the authors also give accounts of the battles at Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth Courthouse. How the American troops perform after Valley Forge compared to before, is striking. The reason: George Washington, and, to a lesser extent, Baron von Steuben. Without, the Army is a down-trodden mess, but with, morale is high and the soldiers are as disciplined as any Redcoat regular. A stirring read, and one populated with many informative footnotes that will enlighten even the most seasoned student of the Revolution.
njmatt04's review
4.0
A brisk, not very dense review of the Valley Forge winter. It covers both the run up to the winter and some of the immediate ramifications of that winter in the subsequent phases of battle. I appreciate that it illuminates a specific topic of the war that is shrouded in a lot of myth. The winter and suffering was awful, but the political hoops that Washington and others jumped through and backstory to what caused the suffering is important to understand to fully appreciate both Washington and how on earth we won our independence.
bowienerd_82's review
3.0
A pop history that is definitely cashing in on the popularity of the musical Hamilton, as it features characters from the show (Hamilton, Laurens, & Lafayette) more than their actual historical participation should really warrant, often to the exclusion of other important figures. (I love Hamilton, don't get me wrong, but it's historically inaccurate at times, and this book adds fuel to that fire.) Additionally, the authors manage to get some of the background details wrong, and gloss over anything that doesn't fit their narrative. I spotted several completely incorrect facts and a lot of fudging throughout. Far too many of the footnotes in the book refer to secondary sources rather than primary material, which is often a sign of sloppy scholarship.
Last of all, they throw around an awful lot of hyperbolic language that I suppose adds to the melodrama, but reads very oddly in a book that is supposed to be non-fiction. Their descriptions of people and events often sound like they belong in a 30s pulp magazine.
At least the book is fairly compact, it is decently organized, and I think it is probably a good gateway book to more accurate and scholarly works about the American Revolution. I should probably only give this one two stars, but since it was an easy read and I often found the hyperbole funny, I'll be generous and go with three.
Last of all, they throw around an awful lot of hyperbolic language that I suppose adds to the melodrama, but reads very oddly in a book that is supposed to be non-fiction. Their descriptions of people and events often sound like they belong in a 30s pulp magazine.
At least the book is fairly compact, it is decently organized, and I think it is probably a good gateway book to more accurate and scholarly works about the American Revolution. I should probably only give this one two stars, but since it was an easy read and I often found the hyperbole funny, I'll be generous and go with three.
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