Battles Of The Revolutionary War: 1775-1781 (Major Battles and Campaigns ; 3) [Paperback]

W. J. Wood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Major Battles and Campaigns ; 3 | Publication Date: March 21, 1995

The Americans did not simply outlast the British, nor was the war just a glorified guerrilla action with sporadic skirmishes. Americans won their independence on the battlefield by employing superior strategies, tactics, and leadership. So W. J. Wood contends in this groundbreaking study of the battles of Bunker Hill, Quebec, Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, Cowpens, and others. For each engagement he describes the types of combatants on each side and the weapons available to them; outlines the tactics; narrates blow-by-blow accounts; and analyzes the factors that determined the character of the battle and outcome. Battles of the Revolutionary War has been designed for the "armchair strategist." Dozens of illustrations and maps, many specially prepared for this volume, contribute to the overall clarity and insight of Wood's presentation. Anyone with a desire to attain a feel for the dramatic times and colorful personalities that accompanied the birth of this country would do well to read it.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The second and third volumes in "Major Battles & Campaigns" are at opposite poles of the series format. D'Este, author of previous works on Overlord and Sicily, takes a strategic perspective, focussing on Anglo-American cooperation in the central Mediterranean. Wood's battle history of the American Revolution is tactically oriented. D'Este argues that the Allies and the Germans had essentially the same limited purpose: to keep maximum enemy forces pinned in a secondary theater. Neither of the principal Allied commanders, Harold Alexander and Mark Clark, had the character or the talent to make the Mediterranean theater more than a dead end. D'Este avoids discussing the campaign's grand strategic aspects and ignores British operations in the eastern Mediterranean. Nevertheless, his presentation is sound within its set limits. A paperback edition would be welcome collateral reading for courses in World War II. Specialists will find little new in Wood's pages, but troop movements and command decisions are presented well and perceptively critiqued. In arguing for the uniqueness of Revolutionary battles, Wood fails to delineate clear principles of selection. Neither political, strategic, nor institutional contexts are well developed. This is, however, a useful one-volume update of Christopher Ward's two-volume The War of the Revolution (LJ 9/1/52), the standard operational narrative. -- Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A fresh and eminently readable interpretation." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1st Da Capo Pr edition (March 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306806177
• ISBN-13: 978-0306806179
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, Well-Researched, Stirringly Told, July 18, 2000

By 

Kevin F. Kiley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battles Of The Revolutionary War: 1775-1781 (Major Battles and Campaigns ; 3) (Paperback)

This is one of the best books on the battles of the American Revolution. having much of the smell of gunpowder about it, the author tells a straightforward tale of courage, hardship, defeat, and, finally, victory by an army of hard-bitten Continentals who became professionals through endurance, deadly on the job training, and the leadership of some of the best combat commanders in American history.

Wood gives credit where credit is due, and woe to the leader or soldier that incurs his wrath and disdain. He pulls no punches, and his incisive narrative and wry wit are as sharp as a sabre slash. There is no beating around the bush here, and you can tell who and what he admires, and what he doesn't.

The Continental Army may have been the best, most enduring army in American history. No American army ever had to endure, both from the type of hardship to the length of wartime service, that the Continentals did. They won because of three things: Washington, their own hard-won skill at arms, and the French intervention. These three factors are brought out in evidence in this volume. This excellent piece of scholarship and tale of high deeds beongs on every enthusiasts bookshelf and should be read and reread until the lessons sink in.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A technical view of the battles of the Revolutionary War, January 7, 2002

By 

William Schatzabel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battles Of The Revolutionary War: 1775-1781 (Major Battles and Campaigns ; 3) (Paperback)

I've gone through quite a few histories of the revolution, but this book is different in that it is written purely from the military aspect. The author doesn't critique all the battles but makes a representative selection from each type of battle.

Each engagement is accompanied by detailed drawings showing the placement of troops, cavalry, and cannon. He discusses the use of terrain for each battle. In the case of the "Battle Of The Cowpens" he reflects on the purpose of the American commander in putting a river at his back was to prevent his soldiers from having an easy means of running away from the battle.

All in all, a good informative read.

41 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent description of battle fields. Superb narrative!, September 19, 1999

By 

Mehdi Ebneshahrashoob - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battles Of The Revolutionary War: 1775-1781 (Major Battles and Campaigns ; 3) (Paperback)

If you are going to read one military book in your entire life, this is the one. It got me hooked on the Revolutionary War, and allowed me to gain a better understanding of the trials and tribulations involved in forging the nation