Customer Reviews

GUNS OF INDEPENDENCE: The Siege of Yorktown, 1781

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Based on a bicentennial era Park Service publication intended for park employees, this updated version gives us the most complete account yet of the decisive siege. In the first scholarly treatment of the siege in decades, the author uses numerous sources neglected in other studies, including archeological studies from the 1930s and 40s, and accounts by participants, foreign and domestic. Unmatched in detail and scholarship, and chocked full of insight and information not found anywhere else, this book is a valuable addition to any Revolutionary War enthusiast's library. After a brief overview of the events leading up to the campaign, Greene gives a detailed view of the thinking of the commanders and the decisions they faced, the methods of 18th century siegecraft, the progress of the siege, and little known events that had an important impact. The reader will see the campaign in a whole new light, and understand it like never before. Indeed, you cannot fully understand Yorktown until reading this book. The book's excellent maps and battlefields photos not only help explain the siege, they beg the reader to pack his bags and go for a visit. Only some minor flaws and lack of a map of the initial Allied approach keep the book from a five star rating.

The Guns of Independence is one of the finest campaign/siege studies this reviewer has read on the Revolutionary War. The volume covers the blunders committed by the British commander Lord Cornwallis and the, for once, amazing cooperation between the Allied forces under George Washington.

Of special interest is the attention given the physical operations conducted during the siege of Yorktown. The author details the types of artillery used and the construction of entrenchments, redoubts and battery positions. Photographs of the reconstructed fortifications help the reader visualize the action. In additon, references to archaeological excavations are not only fascinating, but give the reader a look at the detail involved in siege warfare.

The author has done a superb job of research and his writing, though a bit stiff at times, keeps the reader interested. The nuts and bolts of the volume are solid with crisp, clear, well-produced photographs and informative, nicely constructed maps. This volume provides a solid education in the actions at Yorktown in September/October 1781, and for those interested in the siege, this is the volume to read.

As stated in blurbs for the book, this is a scholarly work, which means it has not been written as a narrative. Most books on the Siege of Yorktown spend a great deal of time setting stage by recounting the events and politics in play during 1781, which came together at Yorktown. Because the pacing of the siege is rather slow, the narratives concentrate on the events leading up and following the Siege itself, perhaps giving a glimpse of the siege with a few personal episodes that are meant to signify the entire siege.

Jerome A. Greene's approach is instead been written as a factual presentation of the progression of the military actions of the seige. The basis of the book was a treatment that Mr. Greene actually put together almost thirty years ago to assist the Colonial National Historical Park at Yorktowk during the observance of the bicentennial in 1976. Mr. Greene has revisited the material and updated it for this publication. The structure of the book does mostly follow in chronological order, but there a few jumps within the chronology of the siege when talking about a particular element, such as artillery or certain fortifications.

The book spends little time on the background of the war and quickly brings the parties together at Yorktown. He then goes into detail about fortifications, and the distribution of forces on both sides. Mr. Greene assumes the reader has some basic knowledge of sieges, because he does not stop to define each term used to describe siege elements. It is recommended that the reader familiarize oneself with siege terminology and basic strategy before tackling this material, so that the reader can concentrate on how siege techniques were carried out at Yorktown.

Mr. Greene clearly spent a great deal of time researching the events of the battle from the varied number of American, French, German, Hessian and British sources that he cites. He also illustrates the confusion of war by citing several versions of events when a clear concensus could not be reached from the primary sources. He breaks up the recounting of facts and figures with some personal moments drawn from those varied sources, such as a sapper's surprise encounter with General George Washington and a recounting of how an argument between Henry Knox and Alexander Hamilton was settled by a British shell.

The book is full of additional details, such as the artillery numbers and amount of ammunition expended, a lengthy breakdown of the the chain of command for American, French and British forces and descriptions and maps concerning the fortifications. The supplemental information (170+ pages worth not including an index) following the 330 pages of text further enhance the reasons for adding the book to one's collection. The five appendices are the following: Modern Photographic Gallery (22 images), Washington and Cornwallis Correspondence (copies of five letters from October 17-18), The Articles of Capitulation (copy of the official surrender document), The Archaelology of the Grand French Battery Complex and The Artillery at Yorktown. The book includes bibliography and a vast number of endnotes (fully 90 pages in the galley), so a reader can continue their own research.

If one is looking for greater detail of the Siege of Yorktown, then this book is highly recommended to not only be read, but added to one's collection for repeated reference.

Highly regarded scholar of the Western Frontier Indian Wars, Jerome A. Greene has applied his wealth of knowledge in military operations, his impeccable research skills, and his fluid prose style to this excellent book on the siege of Yorktown, 1781. I recommend reading the extensive and informative appendix which covers the archeology of the Yorktown Battlefield as well as the equipment and stategies necessary to operate an effective siege and military victory.

I enjoyed the book Guns of Independence: The Siege of Yorktown, 1781. This book provides great detail on the weapons and layout of the battle as well as the context in which the battle took place. The event was serendipitous for the Americans. The description of the American allies' significant role in this battle was well explained. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the American Revolution and anyone with an interest in the details of battles on the American continent.

On any level you choose, this book is a winner. It is extensively researched (witness its 5 appendixes covering a whopping 50 pages, endnotes covering 90 pages more, followed by a 21 page bibliography), but is as readable and enjoyable as a novel.

The author is scrupulously fair toward both sides in the struggle, and blends both the down-to-earth happenings in the siege with the higher-level strategic ramifications for both sides of the events at Yorktown before, during and after the shots were flying.

Unlike so many accounts of siege warfare, "The Guns of Yorktown" not only addresses cleaarly why the particular aspects of the siege happened as they did, but "how" these events took place, their advantages and disadvantages, and illustrate the finer points of literally the "pick and shovel" aspects of the battle, all the while never losing the reader's attention with tedious over-description.

This fine book is replete with maps and diagrams which supplement the text, and all are quite easily readable.

Mr. Greene's counterpoint anecdotes and tales from a cross-section of participants on either side of the struggle was quite humanizing and interesting, and their stories were carried into their later lives in the seven-page Postscript immediately following the book's final chapter.

I recommend this fine work to anyone who enjoys the study of the Revolutionary War, siege warfare, or military history in general. This book is a sure-fire hit.

Most scholars of the American Revolution concur that the single most decisive engagement for General George Washington and his troops was the siege of the British forces at Yorktown , Virginia, in the fall of 1781. America had been at war with England for six years when Washington was able to trap Cornwallis on the tip of the narrow peninsula, resulting in a military action that would result in Cornwallis' surrender on October 19, 1781 and effectively end the war in North America, thereby securing American national independence. The Guns Of Independence: The Siege Of Yorktown 1781 by historian Jerome A. Greene provides the reader with an informed and informative examination of the siege and the participants involved on both sides of the conflict. Drawing upon extensive archival research and a personal archaeological study of the battlefield, Greene has written the definitive study of the Yorktown siege, making a seminal and very strongly recommended contribution to American history. No academic or community library American Revolutionary History reference section can be considered complete without the inclusion of The Guns Of Independence.

This is a fantastic narrative of the decisive Yorktown siege. Greene delved into exhaustive research, including primary sources and new archeological evidence to base his work on. It was a can't-put-down recounting of events that led to the creation of the greatest nation on earth. I strongly recommend this book for any students of the Revolutionary War.

I wouldn't consider this a great "page-turner" book, but by the time I was done reading it I had a thorough knowledge of what happened at Yorktown.

Although this book has some parts that contain fatiguing detail that is best if glossed over, I found it to be very informative. I had little knowledge of the Yorktown Battle prior to reading Guns of Independence. After completing this book I have a much better understanding of the physical layout of the battlefield, the sequence of events and the personalities involved. I plan to visit the battlefield this coming October and will benefit greatly from what I have learned from having read this. My appreciation of the contribution made by the French to the final victory at Yorktown is forever changed. We could never have prevailed without the contribution made by their naval and land forces. The superior equipped and trained French artillery was critical to the successful outcome. I recommend searching the internet for printable maps of the battlfield, one of which I found on the National Park Service Yorktown website. The maps in the book are helpful but if you are reading it on Kindle the print will be very small. Having a map is critical to understanding content of the book.