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Special Operations in the American Revolution Paperback – August 20, 2020
Purchase options and add-ons
"What is unique about this book is the perspective. To a modern-day reader, special ops conjure images of highly trained and exotically equipped soldiers leaping out of helicopters and Zodiac boats to wipe out terrorists... In an era when warfare was supposed to be gentlemanly and follow certain rules, did Washington and his contemporaries embrace special operations? The answer would seem to be, ‘Yes.' Even if they didn't use the term 'special ops,' they were willing to employ elite reconnaissance units, spies and partisan bands. Washington didn't have SEAL Team 6. But he made good use of what he had.” —The National Interest
When the American Revolution began, the colonial troops had little hope of matching His Majesty's highly trained, experienced British and German legions in confrontational battle. In this book, renowned author, and former U.S. Army Colonel, Robert Tonsetic describes and analyzes numerous examples of special operations conducted during the Revolution.
Table of Contents
Prologue
1 The Capture Of Fort Ticonderoga
2 The New Providence Raid
3 Knowlton’s Rangers
4 Whitcomb’s Rangers
5 John Paul Jones’ Raids On Britain’s Coast
6 Partisan Warfare In The Northern Theater
7 The Rise Of Partisan Warfare In The Southern Theater
8 The Whaleboat Wars
9 George Rogers Clark’s March To Vincennes
Epilogue
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCasemate
- Publication dateAugust 20, 2020
- Dimensions6 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
- ISBN-101612008933
- ISBN-13978-1612008936
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Price | $20.37$20.37 | $10.45$10.45 | $13.97$13.97 | $12.23$12.23 | $10.98$10.98 |
Military | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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American Revolution | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Special Operations | ✓ |
Editorial Reviews
Review
Kepler’s Military History
“…overall a really excellent book. It really screams out as an excellent source for wargames scenarios as well as just a good read about the extraordinary actions of ordinary men during wartime. The book will appeal to those interested in the Revolutionary War and also to those interested in the history of Special Forces operations. So a real winner all round!”
Wargamer
"Tonsetic is a skilled and knowledgeable historian who provides a well crafted important study of a relatively neglected aspect of the Revolutionary War....Highly recommended"
Choice
"...a satisfying combination of the well-known, such as the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, to the relatively obscure, such as the exploits throughout much of the war of Patriot Benjamin Whitcomb and his rangers in the area between Fort Ticonderoga and Montreal."
The Journal of America’s Military Past
"This was an excellent book; it was well-researched, entertaining, and fun to read, and it provided a unique perspective on the methods used to win the War of Independence. The author described in great depth the events preceding the battles, and how these small special operations units were vital to the American cause. This is a great book for the neophyte historian or any casual reader."
City Book Review
"well-written, easy to follow work that does an excellent job telling many small stories of the American Revolution."
Military Heritage
"What is unique about this book is the perspective. To a modern-day reader, special ops conjure images of highly trained and exotically equipped soldiers leaping out of helicopters and Zodiac boats to wipe out terrorists. . . . In an era when warfare was supposed to be gentlemanly and follow certain rules, did Washington and his contemporaries embrace special operations? The answer would seem to be, ‘Yes.' Even if they didn't use the term 'special ops,' they were willing to employ elite reconnaissance units, spies and partisan bands. Washington didn't have SEAL Team 6. But he made good use of what he had.”
The National Interest
"In Special Operations during the American Revolution, Robert Tonsetic instructively showcases militia raids and attacks against the British in the Revolutionary War and makes suggestive comparisons to present-day Special Operations. His engrossing book will appeal strongly to both undergraduates and general readers"
Michigan War Studies Review
"Serving as a wonderful resource for both minor and major skirmishes and operations during the course of the Revolutionary War, the book includes 9 maps and 23 illustrations—with a selection of photos taken from the author’s own camera lens."
The Colonial Review
"Many of the operations Tonsetic touches upon are often overlooked in the literature of the war."
The NYMAS Review
The individual chapters offer very useful introductions to the various raids and operations covered, many of which are minor actions that could make ideal scenarios for small battles or large skirmish wargame. […] Recommended for wargamers already interested in the American Revolution seeking further scenarios for their miniature forces.
Miniature Wargames
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Casemate (August 20, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1612008933
- ISBN-13 : 978-1612008936
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #537,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,093 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #4,230 in American Military History
- #13,574 in World History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Robert Tonsetic was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1964, he entered the Army as an infantry lieutenant. After completing Special Forces training, he deployed to Thailand as an advisor to Royal Thai Army Special Forces. During the Vietnam War, he served as a light infantry company commander & as an advisor to Vietnamese Ranger & Airborne units. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star for extraordinary heroism during the 1968 Tet & May Offensives. In 1970, he returned to Vietnam, and served as a senior advisor to South Vietnamese Ranger and Airborne battalions earning the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the U.S. Bronze Star for Valor. He retired from the Army at the rank of Colonel after a 27 years of service as an infantry and Special Forces officer. After completing his Doctorate in 1996, he taught at the graduate level at the University of Central Florida. In 2014, Colonel Tonsetic was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame. He currently resides on Maryland's eastern shore where he continues to write.
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I visited Ticonderoga, Crown Point and Lake Champlain recently (and live only miles from the Saratoga Battlefield in New York) and this book really gave life to many of the leaders of the Patriot cause. They were well sourced and researched.
All that said... The best feature of this book is that it is easy to read and avoids the over dense citations that become a major pitfall of many historical texts. I did not find myself falling asleep in the middle of a chapter, but would stop when I hit the end of it. Since I read mostly at night, that is the sign of an engaging work.
I did finish the book looking for more, which was a good sign.
If you liked the movie The Patriot, he tells the back story of Francis Marion and southern campaign of the Revolution (the movie was not exactly historically accurate, but some of the characters are based on real people). It is a good historical backdrop for all the Hollywood drama.
He also gives us insight into the struggle between the American Colonists who supported independence and those who wanted to remain part of Great Britain. This is so overlooked in many history books. Colonists were fighting neighbors, not just the British.
Overall a very good book. I am glad I waited for the order to be filled.
Tonsetic does deserve a better publisher/editor, however. While the writing is excellent, some of the obvious typos look a lot like some of my drafts - missed punctuation, missing capitalization, etc. Once or twice it is not an issue, but in some sections it was almost a distraction (I'm a staff weenie ...). Perhaps those issues are unique to the Kindle version I read, though I doubt it. That is my rationale for 4 vice 5 stars.
Top reviews from other countries
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the American Revolutionary War (AKA The American War of Independance) or the history of special operations. The book should be of particular interest to wargamers, many of the operations described would lend themselves to scenarios for skirmish or regimental level rules. I have already added the author's other book on the AWI to my wishlist.