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Those Damned Rebels: The American Revolution As Seen Through British Eyes Kindle Edition

by Michael Pearson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 87 ratings
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Using firsthand accounts—journals, letters from British officers in the field, reports from colonial governors in the colonies—Michael Pearson has provided a contemporary report of the Revolution as the British witnessed it. Seen from this perspective, some of the major events of the war are given startling interpretations: For example, the British considered their defeat at Bunker Hill nothing more than a minor setback, especially in light of their capture of New York and Philadelphia. Only at the very end of the conflict did they realize that the Yankees had lost the battles but won the war. From the Boston Tea Party to that day in 1785 when the first U.S. ambassador presented his credentials to a grudging George III, here is the full account of "those damned rebels" who somehow managed to found a new nation.
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  1. Print length
    456 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Da Capo Press
  5. Publication date
    July 21, 2009
  6. File size
    8361 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Seen from the perspective of George III and his hard-pressed ministers and generals, [the Revolution] is a very different struggle from the one the average American knows. This is the way history ought to be written." -- American Heritage

About the Author

Michael Pearson went to work as a reporter at the age of sixteen. He has since written plays, articles, short stories, and several nonfiction books. He lives in London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009SC9HDW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press (July 21, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 21, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8361 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 456 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 87 ratings

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Michael Pearson

Michael Pearson

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
87 global ratings
Bad print
2 Stars
Bad print
The book is interesting but the text on the inside Margin cutoff throughout the book. It’s really frustrating when entire words are missing.
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Top reviews from the United States

Gilberto Villahermosa
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Book on the American Revolution!
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2006
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"Those Damned Rebels" is another well researched, well written and compelling book on the American Revolution. While presenting the Revolutionary War from a British perspective, it succeeds admirably in stripping away some of the distortions and myths surrounding both sides.

The book also presents a realistic picture of the world's greatest power at the time attempting to put down a revolt for the understandable reason that British leaders believed that if they failed, their whole empire would collapse. There is thus a great deal in this history that resonates deeply today as Americans struggle with the future of their military involvement in Iraq.

Two aspects of this book are particularly noteworthy. The first is the tremendous resistance among the British themselves to military involvement against the North American colonies, a resistance that undermined the King's political and military commitment to quelling the American revolution. Centered in Parliament and supported by parts of the British media, such resistance provided "those damned rebels" with a great deal of political and moral support.

A second aspect is the key role played in the American victory in 1782 by allies - especially France, Spain and Holland. All provided troops, weapons and equipment and expanded the American revolt into a world war. It was a war the British had problems sustaining.

According to author Michael Pearson, it was the threatened involvement of Russia in support of the Americans that finally broke British resistance to a settlement with the revolutionaries.

This is a tremendously good read and suitable for either student or scholar of the American Revolutionary War. But there is also a great deal in America's first long war that rings true today as Americans struggle in another long war to quell a revolt in Iraq.
11 people found this helpful
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spunky
5.0 out of 5 stars engaging, well-written, a definite view of the events from the British side
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2018
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This book was actually written in 1972, and it has not been updated. However, it comes across well. The writing is definitely engaging. While I have recently read and reread my American Revolution books, I was not in the least bored. The author writes about many of the same events that I just reread in books focusing on the American view, such as battles, meetings with the rebels, and at home in Parliament, and he managed to write about them from the British view. This will stay in my bookshelf for future re-readings!
2 people found this helpful
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Dee
4.0 out of 5 stars overall very good but some noticeable flaws
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2022
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I really enjoy reading about the American Revolution from the British perspective and this book hit the spot. The only criticisms I have are that there are recurring typos that make you have to pause and figure out what should have been written, the author sometimes leaves short sentences in untranslated French which you have to pause and look up, and that at times the Author’s speculation on what he thinks may have happened blurs the line between educated opinion and being presented as factual. Overall though, a very good read!
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A new perspective and great detail
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
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This is my favorite book about the American Revolution (bought 3 to give away as gifts). The author provides a great perspective for American readers who haven't read much from the British side of the war. His narration of important battles felt almost action-packed and was much more detailed than "the British marched up a hill and won".

I think this is a great book for casual history lovers, and people looking for more serious study could use it as a starting point and guide for deeper research.
One person found this helpful
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Sitka
3.0 out of 5 stars Informative and well researched
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2017
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As an American, what I’ve learned about the Revolutionary War was only from the American perspective. I wanted to know what the war was like through the eyes of the British, and I thought this would be a good place to start.

This book was well researched using journals, letters, and government documents as its primary sources. I appreciate the hard work that went into writing this book, however, it was not well written. Sentences were often wordy, with an abundance of adverbs, and this made it a difficult read for me.

With that being said, I learned a lot from this book and it gave me a new perspective on the war. In the end I’m glad I read it.
4 people found this helpful
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Ordie1
5.0 out of 5 stars Really liked this book
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020
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I live in the U.S. but have tons of family that still live in England. After flying across the pond and having a talk with a cousin (who is a Royal British Marine) about the American Revolution he suggested I read about it from the British perspective while he read a book from the American perspective. It was Interesting to hear American heroes of the revolution labeled a traitors. They have been and always will be heroes in my book though!!! I found this book to be entertaining, easy to follow & well written. I learned things that I didn’t know & new perspectives on things I did know. Great book, great read. God Bless the U.S. & Long Live the Queen!!
3 people found this helpful
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Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars Battles come alive
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2012
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I am an enthusiastic consumer of U. S. history. This book provides the best presentations of specific battles that I have ever read. I finally understand what a momentous event the 1775 battles at Lexington and Concord were. I have also been interested in Benedict Arnold. Pearson makes the attack he lead on Canada and the subsequent battle of Valcour Island come alive, especially as a part-time sailor. Very well written. I did not find them to be dry or academic at all.

Well done.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

glynp
5.0 out of 5 stars A well balanced view
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2022
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Just what I've been looking for, a well balanced view of the conflict. I was so tired of biased American versions. Has enough detail for me to get a better understanding of the war. I am still reading and enjoying it.
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Rhys Hambley
5.0 out of 5 stars First decent literature on the Revolutionary war
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2013
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I'm a military history student at Aberystwyth university and I truly believe this is the best book on the American Revolutionary War.

Most work on the subject has a biased toward the American perspective of the war. While this book is written from the accounts and records on the British side, it maintains strict discipline to the events that occurred.
The book avoids the many propaganda efforts employed by both sides and presents many sources from both participating forces to maintain accuracy to how the battles and events transpired.
2 people found this helpful
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Mogs of Lancashire
5.0 out of 5 stars No propaganda just the facts
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2015
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A fantastic book detailing how Britain threw away her colonies. This book cuts out the American propaganda and deals with the facts, even though some are hard to read as an Englishman some 230 years later!!
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