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John F. Luzader
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Saratoga: A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution Kindle Edition

by John Luzader (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 88 ratings
An in-depth account of the 1777 campaign that would determine the fate of the British invasion from Canada and America’s quest for independence.

The crushing British defeat at Saratoga prompted France to recognize the American colonies as an independent nation, declare war on England, and commit money, ships, arms, and men to the rebellion. John Luzader’s impressive Saratoga is the first all-encompassing objective account of these pivotal months in American history.

The British offensive—under General John Burgoyne—kicked off with a stunning victory at Fort Ticonderoga in July 1777, followed by a sharp successful engagement at Hubbardton. Other actions erupted at Fort Stanwix, Oriskany, and Bennington. However, serious supply problems dogged Burgoyne’s column and, assistance from General William Howe failed to materialize. Faced with hungry troops and a powerful gathering of American troops, Burgoyne decided to take the offensive by crossing the Hudson River and moving against General Horatio Gates. The complicated maneuvers and command frictions that followed sparked two major battles, one at Freeman’s Farm (September 19) and the second at Bemis Heights (October 7). Seared into the public consciousness as “the battle of Saratoga,” the engagements resulted in the humiliating defeat and ultimately the surrender of Burgoyne’s entire army.

Decades in the making, former National Park Service staff historian John Luzader’s Saratoga combines strategic, political, and tactical history into a compelling portrait of this decisive campaign. His sweeping prose relies heavily upon original archival research and the author’s personal expertise with the challenging terrain. Complete with stunning original maps and photos, Saratoga will take its place as one of the important and illuminating campaign studies ever written.
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  1. Print length
    682 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Savas Beatie
  4. Publication date
    October 6, 2008
  5. File size
    9.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"…outstanding military history and a great read."
James Durney, Author

“…a must have book for anyone interested in learning more about our American Revolutionary War.”
Lone Star Book Review

“…provides a very balanced account of the campaign…includes excellent maps to follow along with the battles…an excellent account and analysis of the Saratoga campaign of 1777.”
Collected Miscellany

About the Author

A veteran of World War II and graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Texas, John Luzader worked for the U.S. Department of Defense as a research historian. Transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, he conducted research for the preservation and interpretation of the Saratoga National Historic Park. Luzader planned and researched museum and outdoor exhibits for twelve national historical parks and served as the NPS’s central history office staff historian for the colonial and revolutionary periods. He lives with his wife Jean in a West Virginia retirement community.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0047T7JUY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Savas Beatie (October 6, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 6, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 9.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 682 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 88 ratings

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John F. Luzader

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
88 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book meticulously researched and informative, with one review describing it as an excellent multifaceted scholarly study. Moreover, the book is well-written and worth the time to read, with one customer noting it captures the opinions and thoughts of the leading protagonists. However, the writing style receives mixed reactions, with several customers finding it haughty.

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22 customers mention "Research quality"22 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's meticulous research and informative content, with one customer highlighting its thorough analysis of the Saratoga campaign.

"...to a better understanding of events as a whole and was a necessary addition to the book. I think it important to understand that Bennington, Ft...." Read more

"...But Luzader claims that gates was a good tactical general, but the subsequent Carolina campaign finds gates putting all his continentals on the..." Read more

"Book recommended by older son as good reading and a book to begin my study of revolutionary war! Know we raised such a well educated boy!!" Read more

"...on such matters as the Gates/Arnold controversy, post-battle Parliamentary inquiries, and a running assessment of memoirs by various participants...." Read more

15 customers mention "Readability"11 positive4 negative

Customers find the book well written and readable, with one customer noting its wonderful detail.

"...The campaign, all of it, is well presented...." Read more

"...The Good: Everything else. The book is very well written and accessible for an amateur historian...." Read more

"...Maps are well done...." Read more

"...examples of historical writing which is interesting, informative and readable, see Walter Isaacson or David McCullough." Read more

14 customers mention "Value for money"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the time and effort to read, with one customer noting it is useful for both specialists and general readers.

"...Reading this book is very much worth the effort." Read more

"...But, as I said, this book really is a must read, and part of that is the spurces that he uses. The campaign, all of it, is well presented...." Read more

"Book recommended by older son as good reading and a book to begin my study of revolutionary war! Know we raised such a well educated boy!!" Read more

"...one is to strike the balance while simultaneously creating a good read, useful to specialists and general readers alike...." Read more

3 customers mention "Personality profile"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the personality profiles in the book, with one mentioning how it captures the opinions and thoughts of the leading protagonists.

"...It captures the opinions and thoughts of the leading protagonists as much as possible given the 246 years that have transpired since then...." Read more

"Superb battle descriptions!! Easy to follow with great character development and the author puts you right there on the battlefield." Read more

"A very thorough analysis of the battle. I enjoyed the personality profiles of all the major players. Excellent maps to view the action." Read more

3 customers mention "Story relevance"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's story relevant, with one mentioning it is packed with heroes and heroines on both sides.

"...It is a story packed with heroes and heroines on both sides, including Benedict Arnold, whose reputation today would be very different had a German..." Read more

"...Certainly, some of this is useful and relevant to the story, but I think there was way too much of this, and not enough about the military side of..." Read more

"A great story told very badly...." Read more

4 customers mention "Writing style"0 positive4 negative

Customers criticize the writing style of the book, noting its haughty tone, and one customer mentions issues with word breaks on almost every page.

"...There are problems with word breaks on almost every page, and in some cases the number of flaws seriously interrupts the flow of reading...." Read more

"...Also, the maps are a little hard to read with writing inside of the maps being fuzzy...." Read more

"...The spacing was in the wrong places. Many words were broken, and some broken words were combined with adjacent words...." Read more

"...The research was apparently thorough. The writing however is archaic and stilted...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • P. R. Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Account of the Battle of Saratoga
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book to be very informative. It covered not only the battle of Sept. 19th and Oct. 7th but also Bennington and Ft. Stanwix. I learned a great deal about the many personalities surrounding the series of events that led to the surrender of Burgoyne on Oct. 17th. The bravery and determination of American troops at Saratoga was a major factor in the ultimate victory but I also came away wondering why the British undertook the invasion from Canada at all. The supply lines from Canada were long and challenging. To deliver supplies to the British once they were on the west side of the Hudson involved a long upstream trek of the Richelieu River, a portage at the Richelieu Falls, a second portage of about three miles up to Lake George from Lake Champlain and then 16 miles overland to the Hudson. This was compounded by the lack of coordination between General Clinton at New York City and General Burgoyne. After reading this book, I consider the British undertaking an over confident gamble that, if successful, would have looked brilliant but in truth an effort agains the odds.
    I thought the book was constructed well and presented events in a logical manner. I found the detail about the displacement of Schuyler by Gates and the quarrel between Arnold and Gates a bit cumbersome, but it added to a better understanding of events as a whole and was a necessary addition to the book. I think it important to understand that Bennington, Ft. Stanwix and the Saratoga battles were connected and all contributed to the eventual downfall of the British. None of the many other books I have read about the American Revolution presented this so clearly. To understand the success of the American Revolution requires a clear picture of the contribution made by the victory at Saratoga. Reading this book is very much worth the effort.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • wylie smith
    4.0 out of 5 stars excellent research, but Luzader pushes a couple of points too hard
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Let me be clear: this book is a must read for anyone interested in the Saratoga campaign. Luzader quotes several sources that I have not seen before and delineates the facts and factors of the campaign. Luzader points out the problems with letting the Continental Congress appoint off icers which led several officerswho were passed over in the promtion process, Arnold and stark among them, resigning, or threatening to resign, in disgust. But Luzader also, rightly, points out that any other system would have been flawed as well in a Congress whose members lobbied for each;s own home state.
    Luzader also delivers the facts on British problems communications going from one side of the Atlantic to the other. But the main reason that I demoted my rating one star is that Luzader bends over backwards to explain - and excuse - the actions of principals like Germain. He does not judge Germain harshly for failing to send orders to Howe (because Germain was impatient to move on to another activity instead of of waiting to make sure the letter to howe was signed and dispatched).
    Luzader is clearly a partisan of Gates - to the disparagement of Schuyler, Arnold, and others. Luzader's reappraisal of Gatesis a breath of fresh air in a scholarly world where gates is the whipping boy. But Luzader claims that gates was a good tactical general, but the subsequent Carolina campaign finds gates putting all his continentals on the right and all the militia on the left, a folly that made the battle of Camden one of the worst defeats of the war. Luzader should have stuck to deflating the negative criticism of gates rather than inflating his (non-existent) virtues. The decision by gates to allow Burgoyne's army to sail back to England in the Convention showed fear of a British column that was not actually coming. Congress overruled gates which led to a nadty spat with Britain which gates, a good planner, should have seen coming.
    But, as I said, this book really is a must read, and part of that is the spurces that he uses. The campaign, all of it, is well presented. Luzader, while spending the time to describe the battles, never stints on showing us why the timing for the British was off schedule. Luzader does give short shrift to Schuyler who, like Gates, was a great organizer, but not a great battlefield presence. Both gates and Schuler excelled at organizing men and supplies which gave Gates the men needed to stop Burgoyne. Burgoyne made mistakes, although Luzader is correct to challenge the idea that using Lake George would have been a better option. But Burgoyne seemed somewhat blinf to supply problems right down to his surrender. Luzader captures this well.
    Please excuse my dwelling on some of Luzader's ideas. It is only because everything else in the book was a real treat to read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • James J. Gillen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book well researched and written
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Book recommended by older son as good reading and a book to begin my study of revolutionary war! Know we raised such a well educated boy!!
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  • Richard F. Miller
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Model Campaign Study
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    In constructing narratives military historians are always challenged by the need to balance overwhelming details. What, and just as importantly, how and where to include detail? And what to omit without sacrificing accuracy or completeness? The mark of a good military historian is the ability to strike this balance; the mark of an excellent one is to strike the balance while simultaneously creating a good read, useful to specialists and general readers alike.

    I'm delighted to say that Mr. Luzader has struck precisely these notes in Saratoga. More than this--his use of routinely overlooked sources, specifically those of German mercenaries allied with Burgoyne--has resulted in some fresh perspectives on an iconic battle. In addition, Luzader has blended, then interpreted existing scholarship on such matters as the Gates/Arnold controversy, post-battle Parliamentary inquiries, and a running assessment of memoirs by various participants. Thus, the book will likely stand as a general reference to both the battle and its prequel.

    I would recommend this book to any writer seeking a model for a campaign study.

    Richard F. Miller,
    Author, Harvard's Civil War: History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry; A Carrier at War: On Board the USS Kitty Hawk During the Iraq War; In Words and Deeds: Battle Speeches in History
    6 people found this helpful
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