Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around the World (Praeger Illustrated Military History) [Hardcover]

Brendan Morrissey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2004 | ISBN-10: 0275984540 | ISBN-13: 978-0275984540

The Battle of Bunker Hill and the burning of Charlestown were the first major battles of the American Revolution. Brendan Morrissey describes how the sparks at Lexington and Concord ignited the smouldering resentment of the Colonists into the flame of a rebellion. Colonist militia were pitted against British Redcoats in a series of struggles which led the British to evacuate Boston and to George Washington taking command of the fledgling American army. He looks at the forces involved: the regulars of the British Army, the Royal Navy and the American militia and 'minutemen'. The opposing commanders are also examined and the book is laid out in order to clearly show each of the phases in this early part of the American War of Independence: Lexington and Concord, Bunker/Breed's Hill and the American siege of British held Boston. Finally, the author investigates the reaction in Great Britain, Europe and America to the rebel success.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Bringing History to Life collection is made up of Osprey's all-time favourite titles, re-released with striking new covers - selected titles also include visitor information sections. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Brendan Morrissey trained as a lawyer before working as a PR consultant and writer in the defence industry, principally with British Aerospace. He has a long-standing interest in military affairs and Anglo-American relations. Brendan has written several titles on this subject for Osprey, including Campaign 67 Saratoga 1777, and Campaign 47 Yorktown 1781. He is married and lives in Surrey, UK. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275984540
• ISBN-13: 978-0275984540
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,792,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything Anyone Needs to Know About the Opening Campaign of the American Revolutionary War!, March 13, 2007

By 

Gilberto Villahermosa - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around The World (Campaign) (Paperback)

How can anyone not love the Osprey series of books?

Whenever I'm researching a military campaign or would just like to know a more about what happened historically, I turn to the Osprey series of publications. They are well organized, written, and illustrated and provide the reader with state-of-the art maps and graphics.

This particular volume provides the essentials on the Battles of Concord/Lexington and Breed's (Bunker Hill). Author Brendan Morrissey covers the following:

- The Road to War (Colonial America and Colonial policies)

- The Seat of War (Boston in 1775)

- The Opposing Commanders

- The Opposing Armies

- Lexington and Concord (19 April 1775)

- Breed's Hill (17 June 1775)

- The Seige of Boston

- Aftermath

- The Battlefields Today

- Chronology

- A Guide to Further Reading

- Wargaming the Boston Campaign

In short, this neat book contains everything anyone needs to know about the opening campaign of the Revolutionary War that set the stage for a British defeat eight years latter.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Short History, March 17, 2009

By 

Kim Stacy (Savannah, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around The World (Campaign) (Paperback)

Brendan Morrissey is an exceptional historian. He has the talent and scholarship to take the complex history of the battles of the American Revolution and summarize them into a compact, accurate, unbiased and immensely readable short format for the Osprey Campaign Series. His chose of artwork strongly supports the text and often includes uncommon artwork and illustrations. He consults with the major experts and keeps a neutral perspective concerning the combatants. I have all of his books in my collection.

Col. Kim R. Stacy, Savannah, GA, USA

His contribution to the Osprey Campaign Series includes:

Monmouth Courthouse 1778: The Last Great Battle in the North (Campaign)

Saratoga 1777: Turning Point of a Revolution (Campaign)

Quebec 1775: The American Invasion of Canada (Campaign)

Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around the World (Campaign)

Yorktown 1781

The American Revolution: The Global Struggle for National Independence

On to Victory: Guilford Courthouse and Yorktown 1781 (The History Channel, American History Archives)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good to see a British viewpoint of a "sacred" American event, February 13, 2009

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around The World (Campaign) (Paperback)

Virtually all the history of the American Revolution one is taught in the elementary grades and in high school in this country emphasizes the "heroic" aspects of the struggle. All the textbook accounts, too, are written very much from the American viewpoint. It's therefore very interesting to read a history of the beginnings of the war, from Concord to the siege of Boston, written by a British expert and giving equal time to the British point of view. Morrissey is not an academic historian but is a recognized military history expert who has also written texts on Saratoga, Quebec, and Yorktown. He begins here with the immediate background: Parliament's colonial policies, politics in New England, and Gage's dilemma in trying to prevent the conflict many could see coming. He examines the personalities and backgrounds of the senior military figures on both sides, and the frequent friction between the prim New Englanders and the unmannered frontier riflemen. Then he goes into detail in examining the nature of the soldiers on both sides -- infantry, cavalry, artillery, and irregulars. The battle maps are very detailed, as are the order of battle lists, and the color plates depicting the uniforms and weapons of units on both sides are up to Osprey's standard -- though there aren't as many as usual, and they're scattered through the text. An altogether excellent treatment of the key series of events in U.S. history that not enough people understand, or even really know about.