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Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence Paperback – March 1, 2009

by John Ferling (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 880 ratings
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In this gripping chronicle of America's struggle for independence, award-winning historian John Ferling transports readers to the grim realities of that war, capturing an eight-year conflict filled with heroism, suffering, cowardice, betrayal, and fierce dedication. As Ferling demonstrates, it was a war that America came much closer to losing than is now usually remembered. General George Washington put it best when he said that the American victory was "little short of a standing miracle."

Almost a Miracle offers an illuminating portrait of America's triumph, offering vivid descriptions of all the major engagements, from the first shots fired on Lexington Green to the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, revealing how these battles often hinged on intangibles such as leadership under fire, heroism, good fortune, blunders, tenacity, and surprise. Ferling paints sharp-eyed portraits of the key figures in the war, including General Washington and other American officers and civilian leaders. Some do not always measure up to their iconic reputations, including Washington himself. The book also examines the many faceless men who soldiered, often for years on end, braving untold dangers and enduring abounding miseries. The author explains why they served and sacrificed, and sees them as the forgotten heroes who won American independence.
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  1. Print length
    696 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    9 x 1.5 x 6.1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0195382927
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0195382921
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Comprehensive and engaging...Grand stuff and sweeping themes...Ferling is particularly strong in recreating the relentless misery of the war in Georgia and the Carolinas, an essential theater that is overlooked in many popular recountings."--Washington Post Book World

"In his richly detailed battle-by-battle account of the war, Ferling succeeds where other military histories fail by providing helpful background for those who don't know their flanks from their feints. He also brings the military leaders to life, exploring their backgrounds, their dispositions, their willingness to take risks."--Christian Science Monitor

"Monographs on the military history of the American Revolution are beyond count, but Ferling (emer., Univ. of West Georgia) has put together new and old materials in a compelling way...Upon finishing the book, readers will understand how true the title is. George Washington's flaws, the intricacies of congressional relations with the army and navy, the tactics of guerilla warfare, and the horrors of the battlefield--all are presented in a readable and academically sound manner. The vignette and brushstroke fit together flawlessly. General readers and specialists alike will applaud this work. Highly recommended."--CHOICE

"John Ferling is a national resource, and Almost a Miracle is a splendid combination of subject with a superb historian writing at the peak of his powers. Ferling's brilliant book makes an important contribution to the scholarship of the Revolution while telling a gripping story that every American must know."--Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989

"Highly recommended. This very thoughtful book is informed by many years of teaching on the subject. Its judgments are balanced, mature, and enlightening."--David Hackett Fischer, author of Washington's Crossing

"No event in our nation's history is more important than the Revolution, and no historian has grasped this epic drama better than John Ferling. This fast paced narrative, anchored in exhaustive research reminds us that the American victory was never certain. A fragile, fractious coalition of thirteen weak states could easily have succumbed to Britain's might had it not been for the persistent courage and determination of the soldiers and sailors who fought in the patriot cause. Ferling is right our triumph was 'almost a miracle.'"-- William Fowler, Northeastern University and former Director of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Book Description

"Arguably the best, and certainly one of the most stimulating, single-volume histories of the American Revolution." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 696 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195382927
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195382921
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.035 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1.5 x 6.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 880 ratings

About the author

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John E. Ferling

John E. Ferling

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John Ferling is a leading authority on late 18th and early 19th century American history. He is the author of many books, including Independence, The Ascent of George Washington, Almost a Miracle, Setting the World Ablaze, and A Leap in the Dark. To learn more, please visit his website: www.johnferling.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
880 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Charles Embry
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
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Good description of the war and it's participants.
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Duckie Doc
5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2007
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I had read John Ferling's A Leap In The Dark (a mainly political look at the subject) & had also read other histories of the American Revolution & wondered if I needed another. Almost A Miracle was billed as a military history of the struggle & being that I am an avid military history fan & because I had such a good time reading the other I couldn't resist. What a fantastic experience it was!

Ferling does a great job telling the story from three points of view: the North American colonists (both revolutionaries & loyalists), the British & the French. He promises it will be a tale of suspense & in this regard he delivers. It was a see-saw struggle on all sides & the outcome was in doubt the entire 8 years ("...104 blood-drenched months"). So many choices & many of them pivotal chances missed. It is description of a seemingly endless series of "what-ifs". And a fascinating description it is. From the mud & sweat & gore of the battlefield all the way up to the perfumed atmosphere of the ministries, everything is there.

No hagiography this. No one comes out smelling like a rose. Everybody is stripped of the chrome of retrospective admiration or even hero-worship & all paint jobs have rusted at the end. Washington is shown with his strengths & weaknesses galore. He comes off very human indeed. The same goes for all the cast of characters. This is the brilliance of this description of the historical events: they are inhabited by fallible beings doing the best they could under very trying conditions.

Ferling also uses wonderful snippets of quotes from the ordinary folk who participated to add even more humanity, a difficult task considering the large cultural & language gulf separating us from those that inhabited the time.

The book gives the War in the South the appropriate role it deserves but in no way detracts from the campaigns in the North. The story naturally starts up north & moves south with the British strategy change after Saratoga. If you are unfamiliar with the war in the South then it all comes crystal clear.

As a pure military history it gets only average marks. The battle descriptions are not intricately detailed (this may be a blessing) & while most of the larger engagements are illustrated with adequate maps there are many battles that are not. Not to fret because the battles of the era where quite linear & easy to describe verbally. Most were also not very decisive anyway. The battles are not the important element in this wonderful book: it is the context of the battles that is critical & in this he does a superb job. I would have like more campaign maps but this is also minor complaint.

You know, history is all about the who, what, when, & where. This the historian must grasp adroitly. However if history in the telling is limited to those qualities it becomes quite pedantic & boring. What Ferling does in this book is tell the why & the how. By doing this he tells a story of this epic struggle on the North American continent. It reads like a novel bulging from a steroid injection of suspense. It becomes a thriller you can't leave alone. You have to know not only how it turned out but why it did!

The essence of genius is the ability to take a complicated subject & tell those of us less familiar with the subject a story that will enrapture & at the same time inform. In this regard John Ferling is at the pinnacle. He is a master & the national treasure that others have called him.

I cannot recommend Almost A Miracle enough.
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J. Hughes
4.0 out of 5 stars Another great work by Ferling
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2013
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This is the second work that I have read from John Ferling, and I have found both works to be fantastic. The history of the American Revolution can become muddied by what Dr. Bernstein calls "founders chic." It can also become burdened by an over-critical, harsh assessment of the founders which fails to interpret them in the light of their own time or world. Dr. Ferling avoids both pitfalls and while he does not shy away from the weaknesses of the characters he is writing about, he does not vilify them either. He is a moderate in his approach which makes him come across as a very even-handed historian; I think this adds to his credibility as well. Before reviewing this work it should be clarified that this book focuses for the most part on the military aspects of the revolution. I have never been a great fan of military history, strategy, and tactics, but Dr. Ferling does a great job enlivening this story. This is a great book and here are just a few thoughts on the merits of this work.

The title of the book is called "Almost a Miracle" and this is the premise that Dr. Ferling sets out to explore. How the Americans actually won the war for independence is in many ways inexplicable. We had great military leaders but they were met by formidable opponents who had superior numbers and experience. George Washington was a great commander but he spent much of the war on the run using what is a known as "Fabian tactics." This war of attrition placed him in peril that for some reason never turned against him. At least three times Washington could have easily been killed, and numerous times he could have been replaced. The decisions made by the British, the turn of the weather in Washington's favor, the downright lucky breaks of his junior officers all contributed to the big win that turned the war into the favor of the Americans. Much of the war had the Americans on the ropes and the army was always under threat of breaking down, dismantling, and mutiny. Certainly, Dr. Ferling is quick to point out the successful and genius strokes of American leaders in this war. When credit is due, he is quick to ascribe credit. However, the war did not really go very well for the Americans throughout its 7 years. The french were also a big asset to us and we could not have won it without their help; yet, it was not the French alone that turned the war. In fact, the winning of the American revolution was "almost a miracle" just as Washington had said.

Dr. Ferling moves in a very linear pattern. He starts in 1776 and discusses the campaigns as well as decisions that were made by congress during that year. Each year he stops to discuss choices that had to be made by those in power and the various possibilities that they were faced with. He gives a clear picture what the founders had to consider before waging the war on Great Britain and the decisions that had to be made were sometimes staggering. Washington lived in constant threat that his job would be taken and given to another. General Gates and General Lee were both considered, but somehow Washington hung on. While both men might have been able to out-general Washington, I am not sure that both men would have been able to out-lead him. He had to make practical decisions that did not always lend himself to favorable public opinion. General Lee might have acted on his vanity more than his good sense. Washington could be indecisive but it was when his leaders turned on him that he discovered that he must follow his own instincts. As the book continues one finds himself or herself thinking that the war is a lost cause. Large and small British victories tax the continental army to breaking point.

Dr. Ferling does a great job drawing the readers into the suspense of the story. As battles are occurring one might discover that he or she is finding themselves emotionally and mentally invested in the outcome of the story. I got swept up in the story many times and found myself feeling like I was dragging when the war progressed slow and uncertain. That is a testimony to the writing style of author in that he captures the imagination. There were moments in the book where it seemed to be dragging and that is generally to be expected in any book of its size. There is no doubt that this is a very large work on the revolution and it takes a great deal of time to make any progress. By the end of the war I was so glad that things came to an end. The Americans were literally hanging on by "a wing and a prayer." When it comes to a close he really paints the characters of the story as a little bewildered. The British had a sizable army in the north and could have easily prosecuted the war in New York. The mistake of General Clinton in not bringing Cornwallis' army to the north was the decisive blow that ultimately determined the fate of the war.

While the book focuses a great deal on Washington and his actions, there is also a fair amount about the British generals as well. Howe lost the war, in my opinion, due to being indolent and not pursuing victory more aggressively. Cornwallis was in fact the most aggressive of the generals and achieved the greatest success in his southern campaign. General Clinton was a little too cautious but overall he was a good military leader. His biggest failing seems to be that there was a breach in the leadership between he and Cornwallis. In a war of this size it is important that the leaders like each other and agree to work together for the common good. Clinton had been there so long that he likely should have been recalled and replaced by another general. Washington's strategy of wearing out the opposition took its toll on the generals who fought on the American front. You gain a real sense of the stress and exhaustion that goes along with pressing a campaign in sultry swampland of South Carolina and Georgia. The soldiers marched for days on end in the sweltering heat and faced danger on every side. The war was difficult on the Americans who were more adjusted to the climate so you can imagine what it is was like for the redcoats. Cornwallis waged the right kind of war but he was little overconfident in his abilities.

Overall, this was a great read and I can't recommend it enough. The first book I read by Dr. Ferling was entitled "Independence" and it is a great companion to the this piece. In fact that would be a great book to start with so that the background of congress will set the stage for the military campaigns that are discussed in this book. I have another work of his that I will soon be reading and I am excited about it. If you are looking to analyzes the causes of the American victory, the people who were behind it's success, and the strategies employed to win, then this book is probably for you. Again, I appreciate the even-handed way that Dr. Ferling treated the war and those involved in it. There is no hero worship but it is clear that he does genuinely respect the genius and ability of the American leaders who spearheaded the military successes of the continental army. If you are only buying a couple of books on the American War of Independence then I would strongly recommend that this be one of those books. It is not a small work so it is not for the faint of heart. It is well worth the time that you will invest in it and I look forward to taking the material I have learned and using to teach American history to my future students.
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R. R. Costas Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Balanced History of the American Revolutionary War
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2020
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There are plenty of good-excellent reviews of this book already, but I want to add my own opinion of it as an excellent re-telling of the American War for Independence. Professor Ferling uses a great mix of details of battles and personalities, but I especially appreciate the occasional chapters titled "Choices ____." Each one was an overview of the choices felt by significant geopolitical participants in the war at the start of each year. It wasn't just the colonies and England facing choices, but also the French and the Spanish, the latter two which helped the United States eventually win the war. The description of their deliberations from each group's self-interests was fascinating to me.

The author is also very fair, in my view....especially in his assessment of George Washington's leadership of the Continental Army. Although Ferling does land on the side of Washington being the "indispensable man" of the Revolution (and I agree), he wasn't without his failings and shortcomings as a military man and commander. But Ferling makes the case, that no other general could have led the army as effectively as Washington did had he lost his life early in the conflict. It wasn't just military skills---and unbelievably luck sometimes---that was needed to win the war. Administrative skills and character were just as important and Washington had no equal among the available generals in those important regards.

The sourcing and bibliography were also excellent.
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Top reviews from other countries

C R Gingell
5.0 out of 5 stars Summarising the War of Independence - none better
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2021
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An engaging, factual, concise but eminently readable account of the American war of independence
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Antonio P
5.0 out of 5 stars Great work
Reviewed in Spain on April 28, 2021
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This book is very well writen and explains the facts of the American War of Independence with amenity.
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T. Burkard
5.0 out of 5 stars The genius of George Washington...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2012
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...as a politician cannot be doubted. However, as a general his main accomplishment was to keep the Continental army from being wiped out. On more than one occasion, it was a near-run thing: for the most part, British forces were better equipped, better trained, better fed and better led. One of the few times that Washington chanced a daring attack--when he crossed the Trenton river on Christmas eve and routed the Hessian garrison--luck was on his side. But for the most part, Washington understood the need to avoid battles unless he had an overwhelming advantage. He had very little military training, but at least he understood his limitations.

The British generals in the early stages of the Revolution, Howe and Burgoyne, were competent soldiers, and they could have ended the war had they had pushed their advantages. However, Howe understood that winning the war by brutal means would entail alienating most colonists--and in any case, he was cautious by nature. Of the colonial officers, only Benedict Arnold had the drive and military skill to win battles--he played a key role in the crucial colonial victory at Saratoga--but he eventually became a by-word for treachery after selling out to the British. The only truly competent commanders--Morgan and Sumter for the colonials, and Cornwallis for the British--appeared in the last stages of the war.

Ferling has written a superb book explaining the American Revolution. As serious historians understand, a very high percentage of the colonial population were Tories, or Loyalists. When the Redcoats controlled an area, they seldom had any trouble enlisting the cooperation of the natives. Their foraging parties were occasionally attacked by rebels, but since they paid in specie (rather than worthless dollars issued by the Continental Congress), farmers were happy to sell. In areas controlled by Washington's army, many farmers just stopped growing any more than they needed to survive--if they had any zeal for the revolution, it didn't run to working for nothing. And even in cities controlled by the rebels, war profiteering was as rife as it always is when the government is spending huge amounts of money.

Ferling's title--Almost a Miracle--rather overstates the case. It is true that militarily, Washington was lucky to avoid being annihilated. However, in political terms, Britain lost the war before it even started. The Coercive Acts passed after the Boston Tea Party ensured that there would always be a nucleus of patriots, and that they would always attract wide-spread support, no matter how many colonists remained loyal. Even if Washington had been comprehensively defeated, the cause of liberty would not have died away. The rebels knew that Britain could't afford to wage an expensive war indefinitely, and that a political solution would eventually have to be found or Britain's commercial and strategic interests would suffer grievously.

And indeed, the political lessons of the American Revolution were learned in London. As Canada and the Antipodes moved towards self-government, ministers bowed to the inevitable, and worked out sensible compromises that preserved mutual interests.

This book is an extremely well-written popular history. The coverage of the battles and military campaigns is lucid, but they don't dominate the narrative. Ferling quotes letters, diaries and other written records skillfully, giving the reader a good understanding of what happened, why it happened, and why it is important. The only mistake I detected was identifying Whitehaven as a "Scottish town". However shaky Ferling's grasp of British geography might be, you would have thought it obvious that "Whitehaven" is indisputably an English name.
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Peter Kimberley
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a book for the beach
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2015
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This is the type of book that needs to be read when you are quiet and on your own . It is very deep and can be difficult to read if you do not know all the facts . Especially if you are not American . I have found it very interesting and have had great enjoyment going through all the facts even though I am still on the third chapter !!
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Rich white.
5.0 out of 5 stars My knowledge of the American war of independence was virtually nil
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2018
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I'm interested in historical warfare worldwide across the globe ,that's why rated this book a very informative read thoroughly enjoyed
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