Customer Reviews

A People Numerous and Armed: Reflections on the Military Struggle for American Independence (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)

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4 star:		(4)
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This book is not meant for the casual reader. However, if you are a serious history buff and don't mind engaging a book intellectually this is a good book to spend some time with. I had the pleasure of having John Shy as a professor at the University of Michigan. I have nothing but positive feedback on his scholarly work. The somewhat narrow scope of the book's topic and the assumed background knowledge might deter a casual reader. History buff who wants to dig deeper into Revolutionary War issues? Then this book is a good one to pick up!

This was a nice collection of intelligent and well written essays on the American Revolution. I chose this book based on a recommendation from my history teacher. It was a requirement to write a book review on it.

This book contains a great amount of information on the American Revolution. The author seems to have done much pain-staking research to bring details to life. Unlike a traditional history book, this book focuses on specific aspects of the Revolution. It brings to light much of went on militaristically and socially on both sides of the ocean during that time. If you have ever wanted to know more about the American Revolution then what you learn in College or High School US History, this book is a must have. It is written on an academic level and requires a high degree of English comprehension.

Overall an enjoyable experience.

Most military histories concentrate on explaining the what and why of campaigns and battles. I'm all for that; you can't really comment intelligently about a war if you don't know what even happened. Shy, however, takes analysis to a level few reach. He has not only figured out how to ask the most interesting and insightful questions about this war, he seemed to not have derived them until he had immersed himself fully in the history of the war. This book permanently changed how I approached and understood military history. These essays were critical to the integration of military history into the mainstream of historical scholarship. If you have only dined on battle histories, narratives, and general's biographies to this point, A People Numerous and Armed will show you that scholarship is extremely interesting.

The author, John Shy (Prof Emeritus, U of Michigan,) mentions in the preface that his experiences during the 1960s have colored his thinking about the American Revolution. His essays attempt to integrate the military aspects of the revolution with the effects that this 7 year long period of violence had on both our government and on the lives of common people.
Sample chapter headings include:
A new look at the colonial militia
American strategy: Charles Lee and the Radical Alternative
The spectrum of imperial possibilities: Henry Ellis and Thomas Pownall period of violence had on both our government and on the lives of common people.
Armed loyalism" the case of the lower Hudson valley
British strategy for pacifying the southern colonies
The military conflict considered as a revolutionary war
365 pages, index, extensive notes

Shy's essays provide valuable insights for the student of the American Revolution, especially regarding the social, political, and cultural factors that framed the nature of the war and its participants. A previous familiarity of the conflict is highly recommended before beginning this book. A good read.

This was a nice collection of intelligent and well written essays on the American Revolution. I chose this book based on a recommendation from my history teacher. It was a requirement to write a book review on it.
This book contains a great amount of information on the American Revolution. The author seems to have done much pain-staking research to bring details to life. Unlike a traditional history book, this book focuses on specific aspects of the Revolution. It brings to light much of went on militaristically and socially on both sides of the ocean during that time. If you have ever wanted to know more about the American Revolution then what you learn in College or High School US History, this book is a must have. It is written on an academic level and requires a high degree of English comprehension.

Overall an enjoyable experience.