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In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown (The American Revolution Series) Hardcover – Illustrated, October 16, 2018

by Nathaniel Philbrick (Author)

4.7 1,236 ratings

Book 3 of 3: The American Revolution Series

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"Nathaniel Philbrick is a masterly storyteller. Here he seeks to elevate the naval battles between the French and British to a central place in the history of the American Revolution. He succeeds, marvelously."--The New York Times Book Review

The thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War from the New York Times bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower.

In the concluding volume of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick tells the thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War.In the fall of 1780, after five frustrating years of war, George Washington had come to realize that the only way to defeat the British Empire was with the help of the French navy. But coordinating his army's movements with those of a fleet of warships based thousands of miles away was next to impossible. And then, on September 5, 1781, the impossible happened. Recognized today as one of the most important naval engagements in the history of the world, the Battle of the Chesapeake—fought without a single American ship—made the subsequent victory of the Americans at Yorktown a virtual inevitability. A riveting and wide-ranging story, full of dramatic, unexpected turns, In the Hurricane's Eye reveals that the fate of the American Revolution depended, in the end, on Washington and the sea.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Philbrick], an accomplished popular historian…excels when writing about sailors and the ocean. He vividly renders the interplay of skill and chaos in naval combat by massive fleets, as well as the fury of hurricanes...In the Hurricane’s Eye delivers on the author’s promise to 'put the sea where it properly belongs: at the center of the story.'"—Wall Street Journal

"Nathaniel Philbrick is a masterly storyteller. Here he seeks to elevate the naval battles between the French and British to a central place in the history of the American Revolution. He succeeds, marvelously. He can relate in a word or two what others might take a chapter to expound...As a writer, I’m envious of Philbrick’s talents, but as a reader, I’m grateful."—The New York Times Book Review

"A tension-filled and riveting account of the alliance that assured American independence...Philbrick is a master of narrative, and he does not disappoint as he provides a meticulous and often hair-raising account of a naval war between France and England."—The Washington Post

“Nathaniel Philbrick’s masterful new look at the American Revolutionary War’s end days isn’t quite revisionist history, but it comes close. With both hands, he grabs the reader’s head and turns it towards the sea…. It’s a startling take on a familiar history that one might expect from this author.”—NPR.org

"Told with all the zest and eloquence [Philbrick’s] millions of readers have come to expect. Philbrick is right to observe that this epic afternoon of cannon fire on the coastal sea-lanes is largely overlooked in popular accounts of the Revolution; In the Hurricane's Eye is exactly the kind of rousing narrative account it deserves.”—Christian Science Monitor

"A stirring but clear-eyed read."—The Guardian

"Packed with revealing information and high drama, In the Hurricane's Eye is a must-read for any aficionado of the American Revolution.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

"The final installment of Philbrick’s bestselling trilogy about the American Revolution covers the suspenseful final year of the war...Philbrick brings this turning point of American history to life with his obvious passion, expertise and superb storytelling skills."—NBC News

"Eminently satisfying and thoroughly engrossing...Philbrick has written another masterwork of narrative history with flowing prose and exciting descriptions of the events leading up to the climactic Battle of Yorktown in 1781."—The Providence Journal

"Philbrick is a consummate storyteller. He adds a human element to the granite statues of our national narrative, without toppling those statues. He shows the famous, the infamous, and the unknown foot soldiers in the light of their own personalities."—Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror

"A gripping narrative about the year that won the Revolutionary War.” —The New York Post

"Clear, vivid, and often revealing, In the Hurricane’s Eye returns the maritime elements of American victory in the Revolution to center stage. [Philbrick's] ability to find instructive quotations from the primary sources and the small details that introduce verisimilitude has been well-established in his writing on American history, and this new book does not disappoint."—War on the Rocks

“Magnificent… Philbrick’s writing is just superb, and while he manages to incorporate many marvelous and little know stories and vignettes, the book reads almost like a Tom Clancy thriller, with political intrigue, international machinations, and suspense keeping the pages turning even if the reader is already basically familiar with the story…This book will delight, educate, and entertain while it brings to light the genius, chance, and sacrifice that finally brought about America’s independence.”—NY Journal of Books

“A fast and often dramatically written account…Philbrick marshals his extensive research smoothly.”—The Dallas Morning News

"A well-researched and well-written book that offers a thrilling account of sea battles in the age of sail, as well as land battles and a portrait of the amazing historical characters who led and fought the battles of the American Revolution.”—The Washington Times

"A thoroughly enjoyable account of the moment that allowed the United States to morph from rebellious territory into an independent nation. It is another Philbrick masterpiece that will engage and entertain readers for generations...Philbrick’s exhaustive research into the events leading to Yorktown cast new light on Washington’s value as a strategic military planner and his understanding of naval warfare."—HistoryNet

"Provides significant lessons as we seek to understand the complex international world we face today...Yorktown is another reminder that big doors can swing on seemingly small hinges."—Bloomberg Opinion

"A vivid, richly detailed account of the final battles that educates and entertains while it also makes very clear the colonists’ risks and sacrifices that led to America’s independence...Nathaniel Philbrick’s writing is impeccable. The book incorporates many little-known vignettes about the war and reads like a thriller."—Missourian.com

"A great read. In true Philbrick style, it features a flowing narrative with engaging details and interesting anecdotes about America’s struggle to gain its independence while providing insight into Washington’s brilliance as one of the leading military commanders of his era.”—The Patriot Ledger

"A gripping account of the campaigns of 1781."—Chapter16.org

“Engrossing…a compelling, detailed look at the jigsaw puzzle of events that led to the end of the war.”—Brown University Alumni Magazine

"A tense, richly detailed narrative of the American Revolution...Philbrick reprises the protagonists of his last history of the War of Independence in a meticulously researched recounting of the events leading up to the colonists' victory at the Battle of Yorktown...Philbrick, a sailor himself, recounts the strategic maneuvering involved in the many naval encounters: ships' positions, wind direction and strength, and the "disorienting cloud of fire and smoke" that often imperiled the fleet."—Kirkus Reviews

"Readers of Revolutionary War history will be enrapt by the blow-by-blow detail of this lively narrative, which is supported by countless letters and journal entries from key participants."—Library Journal

"Another insightful and accessible account…This thought-provoking history will deepen readers’ understanding of how the U.S. achieved its independence.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Philbrick manages to impart the immediacy of breaking news to his descriptions of marches, skirmishes and battles...He places the reader in the midst of the fray."—Bookpage

"All readers interested in the Revolutionary War, and especially fans of naval history, will find Philbrick's fresh account rewarding, right through the epilogue."—Booklist

Praise for Valiant Ambition:

"Clear and insightful, it consolidates his reputation as one of America's foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction." —The Wall Street Journal

"May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age--a volume that turns one of America's best-known narratives on its head."—The Boston Globe

"A suspenseful, richly detailed, and deeply researched book"—The New York Review of Books

"History at its most compelling: political machinations, military jostling and outright treachery. And Philbrick's vivid writing brings the whistling cannon balls and half-frozen soldiers to life (and death) in vivid detail."—The Seattle Times

"The near-tragic nature of the drama hinges not on any military secrets Arnold gave to the British but on an open secret: the weakness of the patriot cause....Arnold's betrayal still makes for great drama, proving once again that the supposed villains of a story are usually the most interesting."—The New York Times Book Review

"Philbrick wants his readers to experience the terror, the suffering and the adrenaline rush of battle, and he wants us to grit our teeth at our early politicians who, by their pettiness and shortsightedness, shape military events as profoundly as generals and admirals do. Finally, he reveals the emotional and physical cost of war on colonial society. He succeeds on all fronts."—The Washington Post

Praise for Bunker Hill:

"A masterpiece of narrative and perspective."—The Boston Globe

"A tour de force."—Chicago Tribune

"Popular history at its best--a taut narrative with a novelist's touch, grounded in careful research."—Miami Herald

"A story that resonates with leadership lessons for all times."—Walter Isaacson, The Washington Post

About the Author

Nathaniel Philbrick is the author of In the Heart of the Sea, winner of the National Book Award; Mayflower, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Valiant Ambition, winner of the George Washington Prize; Bunker Hill, winner of the New England Book Award; Sea of Glory; The Last Stand; Why Read Moby Dick?; Away Off Shore; and Second Wind.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

The Land and the Sea

For five years, two armies had clashed along the edge of a vast continent. One side, the Rebels, had the advantage of the land. Even when they lost a battle, which happened more often than not, they could retire into the countryside and wait for the next chance to attack.

The other side, the Empire, had the advantage of the sea. With its fleet of powerful warships (just one of which mounted more cannons than the entire Rebel army possessed), it could attack the Rebels’ seaside cities at will.

But no matter how many coastal towns the Empire might take, it did not have enough soldiers to occupy all of the Rebels’ territory. And without a significant navy of its own, the Rebels could never inflict the blow that would win them their independence. The war had devolved into a stalemate, with the Empire hoping the Rebels’ rickety government would soon collapse, and with the Rebels hoping for the miraculous intervention of a powerful ally.

Two years before, one of the Empire’s perennial enemies, the Rival Nation, had joined the war on the Rebels’ behalf. Almost immediately the Rival had sent out its own fleet of warships. But then the sea had intervened.

When France entered the American Revolutionary War in the spring of 1778, George Washington had dared to hope his new ally would put victory within reach. Finally, the British navy’s hold on the Atlantic seaboard was about to be broken. If the French succeeded in establishing what Washington called “naval superiority,” the enemy’s army would be left open to attack from not only the land but also the sea. But after two and a half years of trying, the French had been unable to contain the British navy.

First, an inexplicably protracted Atlantic crossing had prevented French Admiral d’Estaing from trapping the enemy’s fleet in Philadelphia. Shortly after that, d’Estaing had turned his attention to British-occupied New York only to call off the attack for fear his ships would run aground at the bar across the harbor mouth. A few weeks after that, a storm off the coast of southern New England had prevented d’Estaing from engaging the British in the naval battle that promised to be a glorious victory for France. Since then, a botched amphibious assault at Savannah, Georgia, had marked the only other significant action on the part of the French navy, a portion of which now lay frustratingly dormant at Newport at the southern end of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. By the fall of 1780, amid the aftershocks of devastating defeats at Charleston and Camden in South Carolina and Benedict Arnold’s treasonous attempt to surrender the fortress at West Point to the enemy, Washington had come to wonder whether the ships of his salvation would ever appear.

For the last two years he’d been locked in an unproductive standoff with Sir Henry Clinton in and around British-occupied New York. What fighting had occurred had been, for the most part, in the South, where British general Cornwallis sought to build upon his recent victories by pushing into North Carolina. Between the northern and southern theaters of the war lay the inland sea of the Chesapeake, which had enjoyed a period of relative quiet since the early days of the conflict.

All that changed in December of 1780, when Clinton sent his newest brigadier general, the traitor Benedict Arnold, to Virginia. Having already dispatched the Rhode Islander Nathanael Greene to do battle with Cornwallis in the Carolinas, Washington sent the young French nobleman whom he regarded as a surrogate son, the Marquis de Lafayette, in pursuit of Arnold.

Thus began the movement of troops that resulted nine months later in Cornwallis’s entrapment at the shore-side hamlet of Yorktown when a large fleet of French warships arrived from the Caribbean. As Washington had long since learned, coordinating his army’s movements with those of a fleet of sail-powered men-of-war based two thousand miles away was virtually impossible. But in the late summer of 1781, the impossible happened.

And then, just a few days later, a fleet of British warships appeared.

The Battle of the Chesapeake has been called the most important naval engagement in the history of the world. Fought outside the entrance of the bay between French admiral Comte de Grasse’s twenty-four ships of the line and a comparable fleet commanded by British Admiral Thomas Graves, the battle inflicted severe enough damage on the Empire’s ships that Graves returned to New York for repairs. By preventing the rescue of 7,000 British and German soldiers under the command of General Cornwallis, de Grasse’s victory on September 5, 1781, made Washington’s subsequent triumph at Yorktown a virtual fait accompli. Peace would not be officially declared for another two years, but that does not change the fact that a naval battle fought between the French and the British was largely responsible for the independence of the United States.

Despite its undeniable significance, the Battle of the Chesapeake plays only a minor part in most popular accounts of the war, largely because no Americans participated in it. If the sea figures at all in the story of the Revolutionary War, the focus tends to be on the heroics of John Paul Jones off England’s Flamborough Head, even though that two-ship engagement had little impact on the overall direction of the conflict. Instead of the sea, the traditional narrative of Yorktown focuses on the allied army’s long overland journey south, with a special emphasis on the collaborative relationship between Washington and his French counterpart the Comte de Rochambeau once they arrived in Virginia. In this view, the encounter between the French and British fleets was a mere prelude to the main event. In the account that follows, I hope to put the sea where it properly belongs: at the center of the story.

As Washington understood with a perspicacity that none of his military peers could match, only the intervention of the French navy could achieve the victory the times required. Six months before the Battle of the Chesapeake, during the winter of 1781, he had urged the French to send a large fleet of warships to the Chesapeake in an attempt to trap Benedict Arnold in Portsmouth, Virginia. What was, in effect, a dress rehearsal for the Yorktown campaign is essential to understanding the evolving, complex, and sometimes acrimonious relationship between Washington and Rochambeau. As we will see, the two leaders were not the selfless military partners of American legend; each had his own jealously guarded agenda, and it was only after Washington reluctantly—and angrily—acquiesced to French demands that they began to work in concert.

Ultimately, the course of the Revolutionary War came down to America’s proximity to the sea—a place of storms and headwinds that no one could control. Instead of an inevitable march to victory, Yorktown was the result of a hurried rush of seemingly random events—from a hurricane in the Caribbean, to a bloody battle amid the woods near North Carolina’s Guilford Courthouse, to the loan of 500,000 pesos from the Spanish citizens of Havana, Cuba—all of which had to occur before Cornwallis arrived at Yorktown and de Grasse sailed into the Chesapeake. That the pieces finally fell into place in September and October 1781 never ceased to amaze Washington. “I am sure,” he wrote the following spring, “that there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs than those of the United States.”

The victory at Yorktown was improbable at best, but it was also the result of a strategy Washington had been pursuing since the beginning of the French alliance. This is the story of how Washington’s unrelenting quest for naval superiority made possible the triumph at Yorktown. It is also the story of how, in a supreme act of poetic justice, the final engagement of the war brought him back to the home he had not seen in six years. For it was here, on a river in Virginia, that he first began to learn about the wonder, power, and ultimate indifference of the sea.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking; Illustrated edition (October 16, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525426760
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525426769
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.42 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.29 x 9.26 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #213,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #161 in American Revolution Biographies (Books)
- #385 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #555 in US Presidents

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Nathaniel Philbrick

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Nathaniel Philbrick

Life at a Glance

Born

1956 in Boston, Mass.

Educated

Linden Elementary School and Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pa.; BA in English from Brown University in Providence, RI, and an MA in America Literature from Duke University in Durham, NC

Sailing

Philbrick was Brown's first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978; that year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI; today he and his wife Melissa sail their Beetle Cat Clio and their Tiffany Jane 34 Marie-J in the waters surrounding Nantucket Island.

Married

Melissa Douthart Philbrick, who is an attorney on Nantucket. They have two children: Jennie, 23, and Ethan 20.

Career

After grad school, Philbrick worked for four years at Sailing World magazine; was a freelancer for a number of years, during which time he wrote/edited several sailing books, including Yaahting: A Parody (1984), for which he was the editor-in-chief; during this time he was also the primary caregiver for his two children. After moving to Nantucket in 1986, he became interested in the history of the island and wrote Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People. He was offered the opportunity to start the Egan Maritime Foundation in 1995, and in 2000 he published In the Heart of the Sea, followed by Sea of Glory, in 2003, and Mayflower, due in May 2006.

Awards and Honors

In the Heart of the Sea won the National Book Award for nonfiction; Revenge of the Whale won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; Sea of Glory won the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize and the Albion-Monroe Award from the National Maritime Historical Society. Philbrick has also received the Byrne Waterman Award from the Kendall Whaling Museum, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for distinguished service from the USS Constitution Museum, the Nathaniel Bowditch Award from the American Merchant Marine Museum, and the William Bradford Award from the Pilgrim Society.

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Richard Scott

Engrossing, fun, readable history

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018

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“In the Hurricane’s Eye” is another successful history, here pointing out the role and importance of the sea to the Revolutionary War. Many of us who are lovers of water and sometimes sailors have read all of Philbrick’s books with affection, will find this equal if not better than most.
The study of wars and battles usually are associated with depictions of the great men who overcame lesser generals or admirals. Modeled after Julius Caesar. Most
American history textbooks note the importance of the French to the success of the thirteen colonies. We were not exposed to the day to day travails in survey courses and most courses were more devoted to the political and economic issues. Here following “Bunker Hill” where the role of the mob and the hatred of neighbors, loyalists versus patriots we can also smell the gun powder marvel at the ingenuity of generals like Nathaniel Greene and foot soldiers like Olney, who were remarkable in their skills and courage.
And like “ Valiant Ambition” we learn the complexities of character of all the combatants. As a Melville devotee Philbrick realizes that all heroes mix moral strengths with dastardly foibles. As Arnold was vilified as a traitor he was previously gloried as a strong leader. His fall from grace is now being understood as part of the confusing part of life in a difficult time. His vehemence as a dastardly member of the British army caused such hatred in the Colonial soldiers to drive them to succeed.
As we have learned from popular art and biography Alexander Hamilton combined overarching intelligence and courage with overbearing arrogance. In this text the meeting of the normally placidly demeaned Washington in a stairway he found as others knew that the general had willed his public persona to be calm. The equally proud and headstrong Hamilton quit. He returned and got his wish to command a group in an assault on a redoubt at Yorktown with a display of fierce courage.

The book is filled with short vignettes showing the character of many of the players, heroes as well as villains. From this we understand that the fortunes of war are often the results of good decisions, but more often poor decisions. Naval battles in large sailing ships as described by Patrick O’Brien are rough, but here we see a shift in the direction of the wind can have a big part in who wins, and the now well understood hurricanes in the Caribbean are fierce and can change the course of history.
Most important the book is readable, exciting and educational. I am not sure if tenured historians can appreciate Philbrick’s histories,but I am aware of a few learned dissertations on Arnold recently. American history is now approached with a broad view coupling great men with descriptions of the poor, underfed and the well coifed French aristocrats. Hair was important to these leaders as it is to some politicians.
I heartily recommend this as a reintroduction to the last phase of the Revolutionary war.

48 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Philbrick is an excellent author.

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024

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Excellent book just like Philbricks other two books in his Revolutionary War series. I enjoy reading just about anything written by Philbrick and this book is no exception. I highly recommend this book.

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Stonewall

Great narrative but a few error points and an omission.

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2021

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This is a great narrative of a known tale. As others have stated, the coverage of naval operations was more thorough. Also, the discussion of the role of Francisco Saavedra, a Spanish emissary, to help get the French fleet moving north was missing in other version. As also stated, Philbrick repeatedly criticizes Washington for owning slaves but I think he could have considered the times to truly appraise Washington's behavior as slave owner (worse, better?). The errors in chapter 9 involve geography and are surprising given the detailed coverage of the overall book. Philbrick writes Yorktown is at the end of the peninsula when it is in fact over 15 miles from the end of the peninsula (Hampton and Newport News are at the end). Next, he says the British also occupied the "town" of Gloucester. They in fact occupied Gloucester Point. The "town" of Gloucester is the area around the courthouse many miles to the north. In addition, there is only an indirect reference to the battle of the Hook in Gloucester which penned up Tarleton at the point further denying the British food during the siege. The last point is the maps of the battle omit redoubts 9 and 10. Since these are significant to the primary focus of the book, it was a negative. Overall, well worth the read especially if you have never read a book dedicated to the battle.

4 people found this helpful

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William J. Bahr

Two (if) by sea!

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2018

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Wishing to update my own book “George Washington’s Liberty Key,” I very much enjoyed Philbrick’s outstanding book, where I found lots of “Wow, I didn’t know thats!” While the book is wide-ranging in Revolutionary War coverage, it essentially covers: 1. Washington’s leadership (including deception) in getting his (French included) men to Yorktown before Clinton knew what was up. 2 (hence my headline). the events at sea (hurricanes, sea strategy, a Spanish diplomat, etc) which led to that crucial but lesser known aspect of what resulted in Cornwallis’ surrender and the Americans winning the Revolutionary War.

If the author ever updates his book, here are some recommendations: 1. page 20. “1790 Overmountain Men” are probably just 900-1000 men, about the same size as the British force. 2. page 30 and elsewhere. Portsmouth. Unfortunately, on the inside covers the map includes Norfolk but does not include Portsmouth, just a little south. 3.
page 261. King George III said, “[If] he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” Actually, as reported by Rufus King in 1797 about what George III allegedly told Benjamin West: "that act closing and finishing what had gone before and viewed in connection with it, placed him in a light the most distinguished of any man living, and that he thought him the greatest character of the age.” 4. page 273. “…his son George Washington Lafayette scattered soil from Bunker Hill over his casket.” My research shows that King of the French Louis-Philippe was hostile to a celebratory funeral for Lafayette. As a result of rushed services, the soil from Bunker Hill did not make it to the burial, but was sprinkled later over Lafayette's grave. 5. page 279. “Thomas Jefferson overheard him say,…‘he had made up his mind to remove and be of the Northern [portion].” Actually, this was hearsay, Jefferson’s speaking with Edmund Randolph, who heard Washington say this. 6. page 19 and elsewhere. “King’s Mountain” should be Kings Mountain. 7. Throughout the book, Philbrick occasionally takes what some might argue as unfairly harsh views of George Washington's actions regarding slavery. As balance, I would recommend reading another excellent book "Ties That Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves," which details the immense friction Washington experienced on positive movement coming from family, friends, community, and state.

This all said, I very much enjoyed Philbrick’s well-written book. Very highly recommended!!

Check out one of William J. Bahr’s books: George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul , a best seller at Mount Vernon.

13 people found this helpful

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Victoria

Engaging and Informative

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2023

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Great primer on the final phases of the revolutionary war period. Very easy and engaging read.

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Top reviews from other countries

Richard Parent

The insight of George Washington leading to the victory of Yorktown.

Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

It seems that the author used a lot of knowledges and anecdotes that he discovered while working on other books on the American Revolution. Very interesting reading indeed.

Donald Macmartin

The real story behind the war of independence

Reviewed in Canada on September 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

Interesting piece of history, well written but you have love detail

Rick Klemenc

a good read

Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2019

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