Customer Reviews

Decisive day;: The battle for Bunker Hill

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4 star:		(8)
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This is a beautifully written book, the first of three written so far by Richard Ketchum, on famous Revolutionary War battles. It tells the story of the first major military engagement of the American Revolution as does no other book I've ever read on the same subject.

The author brings to life the main characters and events of the story. He briefly introduces the major figures - British Generals Thomas Gage and William Howe, and American leaders Joseph Warren, General Israel Putnam, Colonel William Prescott, and Henry Knox - and traces the story of the conflict in the Boston area in the spring of 1775. Ketchum then sets the scene of the battle by describing how the Americans, chronically short of munitions, supplies and manpower, successfully avoided British detection and entrenched themselves on Breed's Hill (mistaking it for the higher Bunker Hill), and how the British reacted once they discovered the fortifications. Drawing on letters and other first-person accounts of the battle's participants and observers, both the American and British, Ketchum vividly describes the military action of June 17, 1775; I found myself almost able to hear the firing of guns, and smell the smoke of battle, as I read the final chapters of the book.

As an avid reader of American History, I thought I knew everything about battle of Bunker Hill; however, Ketchum's powerfully written narrative introduced me to many new facts about the people and events of this, the first major battle in America's war for independence. It is a book of outstanding scholarship, and "must read" for anyone interested in American history.

This is an excellent, fast-moving account of the first great set-piece battle of the American Revolution. Ketchum is a very good writer, and his narrative succeeds in placing the reader in the event by providing many fine details of weather, sounds, ground conditions, and the like. The whole volume covers the events of only two or three days.

One of the main themes that Ketchum brings home -- a theme common to all good histories that practice "thick description" -- is how contingent the outcome of the battle was. If the British had not sent over the wrong size ammunition for their artillery at first, or if the tide had allowed the British to land earlier, the Americans probably would have been cleared off the hill in short order. If the Americans had had just one resupply of powder from the rear, they might have held the hill and driven the British back.

Along with Fischer's Paul Revere's Ride and Galvin's The Minute Men, this is one of the best works I have read on the opening of the American Revolution.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was a most singular event. It signified a complete break with Mother England: physically, mentally, and morally. It was a point of no return, a rupture which would never be healed.

Bunker Hill was a remarkably savage battle. As battles go, it was not particularly large affair. Twelve hundred Americans fought twice as many British. Yet, as the author points out in his introduction, nearly half of the British and one third of the Americans fell. It was a slugfest from which neither side ran, one whose ramifications still define us to this day.

Richard Ketchum has written a winner. He presents both sides views and is quite sympathetic to each. His prose is clear, precise, and compact. His maps and depictions are excellent. You will not find a more complete, fairer rendering of this event. You can almost hear the sound of battle and smell the gun powder.

This is an altogether excellent effort penned by a gifted writer.

This is one of the best retellings of the bloody series of assaults on Boston that was the first pitched battle of the Revolution. Ketchum, an experienced historian, author, and editor, has skillfully woven a tale that is rich in color, yet is accurate. The author's sources are impeccable, and his research goes deep. The only account of this battle that I believe is superior is that done by John Elting, The Battle of Bunker Hill. Both sides are given their due, and you can actually picture yourself in the redoubt or along the rail fence, wiping sweaty palms and counting the rounds remaining in your cartridge box. From the initial horror of young Asa Pollard's head being crushed by a bouncing cannon ball to the unbelievable three volleys fired by John Stark's militiamen to smash and slaughter the British light infantry companies along the beach the reader is given all but a ringside seat to the carnage. The leaders of both sides from the calm, fearless Howe to the indefatigable Prescott in the redoubt are given life with Ketchum's pen bringing the noise, smoke, and horror to life. One can almost feel the balls ripping into flesh as Captain Harris falls with a seemingly mortal wound to the head and admired Major Pitcairn being fatally wounded in sight of his officer-son. The bottom line is: if it is written by Ketchum, you should not only read it, but have it in your collection. All of his work is excellent, being both informative and colorful, as well as accurate.

Richard Ketchum has written a fantastic narrative history of this important early battle of the American Revolution. For years, early American history has been one of my biggest interests and I can honestly say I've never read a book from this period that was as gripping as Ketchum's. It rivals David McCullough's "Truman" with its ability to pull the reader in, making him feel as if he's in the midst of the battle. Furthermore, he displays an intimate knowledge of both the particulars of Bunker Hill as well as 18th century warfare in general. Highly recommended.

when you can read well written, dramatic history that will keep you reading until your eyes give out. This is it right here. Well told, wonderfully worded, and vibrant in it's imagery, this book is top notch. I wish I had read this years ago. If only text books were written like this, we'd have a world full of historians.

Mr. Ketchum tells a great story, and backs it up with solid scholarship and documentation. Even the notes in the back of the book are interesting. You first meet the people, Clinton, Howe, etc., then get to the story, and what a glorius story it is. It feels real, alive, and you are a part of it. I could almost smell the air it was described so well. Mr. Ketchum also treats the battle as the Decisive Day, events lead to it and then from it, and the magnatude of the Bunker/Breed's Hill Battle is truely felt, all the way to March 17, 1776 when the Brits finally leave Boston.

Check this out: "...two parallel lines of 14 boats in single file, loaded to the gunwales with scarlet-coated British soldiers. Here was all the pageantry and color and drama of war in the 18th century manner, the face of battle that caught at men's hearts and made them see it as beautiful and majestic and terrible all at once." When you get to this in the book, it will jump out at you. You'll then understand the greatness of this book.

Don't wait, get it now. 4 nights and you'll be finished, and moved by it.

This is one of the best written books I have ever read about the American Revolution. Ketchum is a very accomplished writer. Though at times his prose is slightly confusing, overall he does a good job of conveying to his readers the desperate situation the American rebels were in. Ketchum also does a good job of placing the Battle of Bunker Hill in context of the entire war. He picks up the story about 3 weeks before the battle, and fills in the back story of Lexington and Concord. His description of the events leading up to the battle, especially the description of the night march and entrenchment of American troops is fascinating, and keeps you turning the pages. The actual battle only fills one chapter, simply because it was a very straightforward affair. Amazingly, out of about 3000 men engaged on both sides, 1500 were casualties! However, Ketchum makes it very clear that the Americans gave worse then they got, and shows how Bunker Hill would become a confidence booster for the American Cause.

My only complaint about the book is the lack of a good map of the area. Ketchum uses contemporary drawings of Boston to show the places he is describing, but these are not very accurrate and you never really get a picture of where the battle took place in relation to other landmarks. However, this does not detract from the narrative, and I strongly reccommend reading this book, for anyone of any level of interest in the era.

"Paul Revere's Ride" by David Hackett Fischer for me is a better book about the start of the Revolution but Ketchum's book is not too shabby. Having had the privileage of living in Boston's Metro-West area for 6 years, I found both to be informative and they led me to tour the sites contained in the books. Ketchum does a good job of describing the events leading up to the battle and the battle itself. I also liked his fleshing out of the main characters as well as some of the lesser known players. A good primer and priced to buy.

This is the first Revolutionary War book that I have read, so I consider myself a novice in this field. Having said that, I have a fair amount of military history and really enjoyed this book. Ketcham's account of this famous battle is detailed, well researched, well written, and easy to follow. He does an excellent job of telling the story of what happened during this dramatic battle from both the American and British perspective. Addtionally, he gives extensive background information about the key events, and players that are involved in this "high stakes" battle without boring you.

I learned a lot about the battle, and feel that I have a much better understanding, and appreciation for what took place on that fateful afternoon. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the battle, or learning more about the men who fought the Revolution, and the odds they faced.

"Decisive Day" is a superbly constructed volume detailing the events leading to, the battle itself and the impact of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Meticulous detail is spent describing in-depth the events of the battle; the sights, the sounds, the smells of that day. It truly takes you back 225 years to Charlestown and puts you smack into the middle of the battle. His attention to the real hero of the day, William Prescott, is outstanding. This book is extremely readible and isn't bogged down with any useless information. This is a great chance for anyone to learn more about the battle than just the immortal phrase "don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes."