Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution [Paperback]

Arthur Bernon Tourtellot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

In a minute-by-minute account, this popular book gives a vivid picture of what actually happened on April 19, 1775.

"Tourtellot's book is the best account we have of the day of Lexington and Concord. The actions of each individual who played a conspicuous part in the day's work are minutely traced but Mr. Tourtellot never loses the main thread of his narrative and the wealth of detail he has included gives substance and color to an exciting story."— J. C. Miller, New York Herald Tribune Book Review "Tourtellot does not let his 19th of April float up in the spring air unconnected with a past or a future. He has built in very skillfully the story of the months before that day and then sends its echoes rolling on through time—and into distant states and nations....No other book generally available performs an even remotely comparable job....Makes full use of old material, adds a good deal that has come to light in the intervening years and, standing firmly on its own base, presents magnificently for the general reader and the specialist this immortal opening chapter of our beginnings as a nation."—Bruce Lancaster, The Saturday Review "The result of thoughtful examination of the evidence and clear writing."—Walter Muir Whitehill, New England Quarterly "An absorbing and vital history, containing much newly published information about a crucial week in the history of the United States. "—J.M. Goodsell, Christian Science Monitor

Editorial Reviews

Review

An absorbing and vital history . . . about a crucial week in the history of the United States. -- Christian Science Monitor

Vivid, fast moving, splendidly detailed. . . . Presents magnificently for the general reader and the specialist this immortal opening chapter of our beginnings as a nation. -- Saturday Review

[A] brilliantly organized and convincing book. -- Times Literary Supplement [London]

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393320561
• ISBN-13: 978-0393320565
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Revolution & Founding

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, July 1, 2000

By 

radioguy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution (Paperback)

As far as I'm concerned, there are two essential books for the general reader interested in Lexington and Concord and the events of April 19, 1775. This is one of them. Tourtellot's attention to detail and his particular focus on Parker, Hancock and Adams adds some real human dimension to the standard history. He writes with clarity and insight and doesn't fall into the trap of easy characterizations. His portrayal of Thomas Gage is layered and complex, just like the man. By the way, the other essential book is David Hackett Fisher's "Paul Revere's Ride," which is a much more recent work.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sam Adams, Master of Propaganda; John Hancock, Dunderhead!, October 23, 2002

By 

Bruce Loveitt (Ogdensburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution (Paperback)

The title of this review gives you an idea why this book is such an enjoyable reading experience. Although the book gives a detailed analysis of the fighting at Lexington and Concord, and the British retreat back to Boston, it is not just another military history. Mr. Tourtellot provides such intimate detail, and he quotes from sufficient primary sources, that you feel you've come to know the famous, such as Sam Adams and John Hancock, and the everyday people that lived in Lexington and Concord and got swept up in the events of April 19th, 1775. Considering that the book is about such a serious subject, it is also surprisingly funny.....up until the shooting starts. This is certainly a case of farce turning into tragedy. If you'll pardon the pun, General Gage was such an engaging fellow that he made it clear that he wanted the Colonials handled with kid gloves. Again, up until the shooting started, the British were quite accomodating. They were very polite towards the populace, even when searching for weapons and powder. They went to one house and there was a room the owner wouldn't let them go into. She said that there was a woman in that room who didn't feel well, so the British didn't press the issue and didn't search the room. Of course, that was the one room in the house where gunpowder was being stored! The British excursion from Boston was a comedy of errors. It was supposed to be a surprise, but the Colonials knew all about it. There were endless delays in leaving Boston, which gave riders such as Paul Revere plenty of time to get to Lexington and Concord to warn people to hide weapons and gunpowder. Gage had given detailed orders on what he wanted done. For example, he wanted the soldiers to take confiscated musket balls, put them in their pockets, and drop them in dribs and drabs in ponds and streams. The soldiers actually found very little, since the inhabitants had plenty of time to hide things, but instead of dropping things in small quantities the soldiers pretty much dumped whatever they found in just a few areas.....making it easy for the Colonials to retrieve most of what was confiscated! You could say there was a lack of brainpower on the "hometeam" side as well.....such as tearing up the planks of a bridge leading out from Boston so that the British could not cross it, but then leaving the planks stacked up in plain sight.....so the soldiers just had to nail them back down and they were back in business! A running gag throughout much of the book is the relationship between Sam Adams and John Hancock. The author portrays Adams as a shrewd propagandist, a man who spent 10 years trying to stir up a rebellion and finally knew the big chance when he saw it. Hancock is portrayed as none-too-bright, vain, wealthy and easily manipulated by the psychologically astute Adams. Adams and Hancock were so sure the British were after them that they acted like two crooks on-the-run. Mr. Tourtellot's thesis, from going through the primary sources on the British side, is that the British couldn't have cared less about capturing the "dynamic duo." They just wanted to confiscate some cannon and gunpowder...period! To support his appraisal of Hancock as dunderhead, Mr. Tourtellot gives many examples. However, the funniest is probably when Adams and Hancock are in hiding in Lexington on the morning of April 19th, and suddenly they heard the sound of gunfire. This is what Adams was waiting for! He knew this could be used to unite the Colonies, finally, in a drive towards independence. Adams said, "Oh, what a glorious morning is this." Hancock's reaction was that he thought it was a strange time to comment on the weather! Adams (you have to wonder whether he smacked his head in exasperation) clarified the situation: "I mean what a glorious morning for America." Adams and Hancock, convinced that the British were coming (for them!) moved on to their next "safe house." Hancock had a messenger take a note to his aunt and fiancee, asking them to come and join him. Lest you think that Hancock by now might have had an inkling as to the importance of the day's events, he made sure he included in the note the following: He directed them "to bring the fine salmon that they had had sent to them for dinner." Of course, once the fighting starts, Mr. Tourtellot does not make light of matters. The British retreat towards Boston is recorded in harrowing detail...they were surrounded by superior numbers and were fighting for their survival. They sent out flanking parties to deal with snipers and the flanking parties did what they needed to do...such as burning down homes that they suspected were being used by snipers and killing able-bodied, though unarmed men, on the assumption that they were rebels. Not a bad assumption, really, when you understand that even men in their sixties and seventies were lurking in the woods, taking potshots at the British. One remarkable part of the book is where the soldiers came upon 78 year old Samuel Whittemore, who had just killed a couple of Redcoats. They shot Whittemore and beat him severely. They were satisfied that they had "killed the old rebel." Amazingly, Mr. Whittemore lived another 18 years....not dying until the ripe, old age of 96! Mr. Tourtellot also deals with the aftermath of the battle....showing how Sam Adams and others got maximum propaganda value from the day's events, exaggerating British atrocities (which were in actuality extremely rare) in order to set the Colonies on the road to independence and to influence opinion back in England. I consider this book a welcome and necessary addition to my collection of books dealing with the American Revolution.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iconic treatment of the birth of a nation, November 22, 2000

By 

Stephen M. Bainbridge "www.professorbainbridg... (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution (Paperback)

The events of April 19, 1775, in Lexington and Concord obviously are central to the American story. In this marvelous work of narrative history, Arthur Tourtellot provides a seminal account of those events. As a visiting professor at a Boston university during the 2000-2001 academic year, I have had the good fortune of living in Lexington. I have spent many hours wandering the Minuteman National Monument, Battle Road, and the Lexington and Concord greens, with Tourtellot's book in hand. The area is quite different today then it was in 1775, of course. On the one hand, the towns obviously are much bigger. On the other hand, however, many of the cleared farm fields of 1775 are now covered with second growth forest. One cannot, for example, easily see North Bridge--let alone town center--from Punkatasset Hill. Nonetheless, Tourtellot's careful narrative makes the scene come alive. His clear telling of the story makes it possible for one to follow the action quite closely.

One of the most interesting aspects of Tourtellot's text is emphasis on the intersection of religion and politics in understanding the motivations of the population of Lexington and Concord. In particular, he puts Rev. Jonas Clarke (Lexington's town minister) at the center of the stage. As Tourtellot persuasively argues, it was Clarke's influence that led to Captain Parker's otherwise rather puzzling decision to take a stand with 60 or 70 men against hundreds of British regulars.

In sum, very highly recommended.