Customer Reviews

Saratoga 1777: Turning Point of a Revolution (Campaign)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the author of "Saratoga 1777" I thought I would add to the review by William C Roege Jnr, to give further help to anyone thinking of buying it. [NB: I had to provide a rating in order to get the review accepted, so I have repeated Mr Roege's 3 stars - personally, I'd say 4 was fairer, but then I'm biased!]

1) Mr Roege is correct in observing that the book is written from "the other side of the hill." My main objective with this book and my others on Boston and Yorktown - I hope to cover all the campaigns of this conflict in due course - is to show the war from a British perspective (as opposed to a British bias). More recently, this conflict has been covered almost exclusively by American authors, who often make false (if understandable) assumptions about how and why British commanders and politicians did what they did. The Revolutionary War generated some amazing mythology, much of it still widely accepted on both sides of the Atlantic, and I do try to debunk some of these myths by offering alternative interpretations and accounts of events to set the reader thinking (even if he/she does not agree with my views).

2) If some of the sentences were too complex, I apologise - that is my fault, as well as the editor's, although I suspect some of it may just be a trans-Atlantic "thing" (two nations separated by a common language and all that). Or maybe my vocabulary and syntax have been influenced by the more verbose and complex sentence structures of 18th century writers - I certainly didn't write like that 20 years ago when I graduated and started work!

3) In answer to his criticism of the maps (actually the three bird's eye views, or BEVs) the purple should have been crimson, to indicate the three North American ethnic groups - Loyalists, Native Americans and Canadiens (sic)- fighting for the British and differentiate them from the Regulars. As crimson, I suspect it would have been more obvious who it represented, but it was omitted from the caption boxes for reasons I cannot explain. In fact, I have already mentioned to the publisher that the colour generally on the BEVs is much darker in the book than it was on the proofs.

4) It was impossible, due to limited space and colour pages, to break down the fighting at Hubbardton any further. I had to lose a colour plate and some b/w illustrations - and bargain hard - in order to get a fourth BEV (the series norm is only three) and to get the extra maps to show the fighting of September 19 (the book has 11 maps, as opposed to the normal five).

5) Placement of BEVs/maps relative to the text is based on where the groups of colour pages can fall within the book (eg Map 1 had to be in b/w to keep it at the front of the book). Every effort is made to put them in the right place, but given the restrictions of the format, sometimes it is just not possible, especially where a lot of illustrations or maps relate to one particular passage of text.

6) The landscape photos aim to show as much of the battlefield as possible, to give the reader an idea of the "lie of the land" and why things happened the way they did (often not obvious to a modern-day audience). In an ideal world, Mr Roege's suggestion would help, but often it is difficult to superimpose arrows etc where there are extreme contrasts - eg light skies and dark forests - in close proximity, as in most of these photos.

As a general remark, the aim of the Osprey Campaign series is not to provide the "last word" on any particular event, but to collate current knowledge and latest research into one volume and thereby stimulate thought and further reading (as it did for Mr Roege). I would like to thank Mr Roege for his time and trouble in reviewing my book. His criticisms are noted and I will keep them in mind when writing future titles for the series.

A fairly new resident of New York State, this book opened up my eyes to many of the events in my area. I'm an amateur in Militray History. I know the difference between a smoothbore and a rifle, but I had to look up what "refusing" a flank entailed. I can't accurately comment on the veracity or completeness of the book. It seemed convincing and fully fleshed.
Illustrations are good, though not stellar. They have a lot of information in them, but are all of the "action" type. I'd like to have a few of whole formations, rather than complete chaos.

Maps are excellent, the one complaint is that many of the 2page 3D maps have their center of interest in, well, the center, where the binding runs through them, forcing you to stress the cover. I had no problems reading the keys or understanding the color coding, nor any issues with the placement of the illustrations. I would recommend reading over the maps _before_ reading the main text. It will aid your understanding greatly.

As far as the text goes, I found it concise and engaging, much more accesible than many history books, even the popular types. In neither pandered to the neophyte, nor assumed a degree in hsitory. Granted, You'll need some companion information on 18C. warfare to fully enjoy it, but it is readable enough on it's own.
My only quibble is the _occasional_ use of surnames of officers rather than units in the text, when those surnames are not used on the maps. However, the meaning of the author can be gleaned from the maps, while enhancing your understanding of the battlefield by forcing you to actually study them.
I'm taking a day trip to Bear Mountain next week to check out the forts. Hope he writes one about the earlier battles around NYC.

I've been waiting a long time for a book like this - one that combines effective, very good writing, with excellent photos, maps, and illustrations. That is a tribute to the Osprey style of Campaign books, but also to Mr. Morrissey as well. I enjoyed his text very much. I had no problem with the British slant (as Mr. Morrissey described himself on this site), even as an American who grew up not far from where events depicted occurred. I hope that the NPS and NY State make this excellent book available for purchase at the Battlefield and other nearby, related State sites.

I do have one small quibble. Mr. Morrissey observes that the Jane McCrea incident was overblown and not as a strong factor in mobilizing rebel forces as has been depicted by other, usually American, sources. Maybe he is correct with regard to the incident strictly by itself. Even though Miss McCrea may have been killed by an errant American shot, it's propaganda value must be viewed in the context of other "related" incidents that occurred.

One day prior to Miss McCrea's death, a loyalist family was wiped out by Burgoyne's indians in the Argyle area of Washington (then Charlotte) County, not far from Fort Edward. The killing party was reported to be the same as the one blamed for McCrea's death. The murdered victims consisted of John Allen, a farmer; his wife, Eva Kilmer Allen; Eva's young sister Catherine Kilmer; the Allen children, two very young boys (one an infant); and two African-Americans, a girl and a young man. Although the family were loyalists, all citizens in that part of the County quickly heard the news. That news coupled with the reported killing of Jane McCrea caused widespread alarm to Loyalists and Whigs alike. Given that General Burgoyne had earlier issued a proclamation warning the citizenry that he would unleash his savages on the recalcitrant population - the fact that loyalty to the King apparently meant nothing was not lost on anyone. Therefore, the effect of the massacres (even if Jane McCrea's was not what it was initially reported as), I think, should not be treated lightly.

Regardless of that, I would eagerly recommend this book to others interested in the events. The book is a wonderful teaching aid. Although I've read much on the events (as a direct descendant of Eva and Catherine Kilmer's father, and a former Washington Co. resident), this book added much to my understanding of the battle and related events.

Amazon - Saratoga 1777

I found the information in this book useful, interesting and easy to read subject to the criticisms listed below. There were a number of interesting facts, which I had hoped for in a book written "from the other side of the hill". I presume that they were well researched and where I have any doubts, they have stimulated my further reading, which I appreciate. Some conclusions, which were included in the text, have stimulated my doubts, which is a fine challenge to the intellect.

I feel, however, that the booklet should be edited and republished. Some passages are obscure because of confusion about the antecedents of various pronouns. An experienced editor could provide a text easier to read without going over the same material to determine its meaning.

The maps! These are important to the book as a whole. This series of publications is justly proud of the three dimensional maps which are occasionally used. Most are first class. However, in this edition there are two serious problems. Most maps are color coded for ease of understanding. Some have information shown in purple, without a clue as to its meaning. One tends to interrupt his reading to go over and over the map in order to solve the mysterious code.

These maps are very good to show battle situations. Not, however, when a lot of actions occur on the same plot of ground. The Battle of Hubbardstown would have better been shown in three successive normal maps, similar to those used for the Freeman Farm actions.

It is possible that the printer is responsible for the improper placement of many of the maps in relation to the text. It is awful. The Fort Stanwyx and Oriskany maps are found much later than the text discusses the actions, in fact, in a different section of the book. Bennington is found where the Fort Stanwyx battle is discussed.

There are some nice personal photos included by the author. Due to the fact that they are landscape scenes made without the use of a telephoto lens, often the object of interest is quite obscure. The use of arrows and labels would improve this problem immensely.

Aside from the physical editing problems, which I have outlined, I am quite happy with the text and recommend it to those interested in the Burgoyne Campaign of 1777.

I've enjoyed several other Osprey books, but this one was a disappointment. The author, obviously knowledgeable about this battle, makes the common mistake of assuming the same familiarity from the reader, and intermixes names of American, German, and British officers freely without proper identification to the reader. I'd be in the middle of a paragraph thinking that the British were winning, only to find that the regiment described was American. Or a fort being held by Clinton was really being held by the American Clinton, not the British Clinton.

This lack of definition and identification is constant in this book, to the point that I often stopped reading in exasperation. The book would really benefit from a color coding of which side an officer served, or a notation like Stark(A), noting that Stark is American.

In addition, the use of esoteric battle terms is done throughout the book with no explanation, leaving the reader confused.

There is hopefully a better text on this battle, as this important turning point in the war deserves a well written, clear, and insightful description.

Overall I like this series of books.

Im new to reading on the American revolution, and for me it was more of an overview and I was looking for details.

I like the look of the maps, but unfortunately many of the maps are hard to read (black lines pointing to dark green and black spots on a map) and the maps cover both pages so the part in the crease is impossible to see, so that was disappointing.

Had a few nice full color pictures (again the crease ruins a number of them) and many of the soldiers in uniform are black and white.

I guess I was looking for something different.

Like his other books, Mr. Morrissey shows his meticulous research of the northern campaigns, particularly as it relates to upstate New York. Excellent work.

In Saratoga 1777, Morrissey describes not only the two battles fought in upstate New York during the early fall of 1777 but looks at the entire series of movements and battles by different British Generals in the grand scheme to divide the Colonies in half and so bring about the end of the war.

Most especially helpful is the brief section, usually over looked when writing about Saratoga, of General Clinton's drive north from New York City to try and reach Albany.

Morrissey gives not only ample room for covering the battles but also an excellent feel for the hilly, wooded wilderness through which the two armies marched and fought, making it easy for the reader to visualize the ambushes by riflemen and Indians that tormented both sides.

He does a good job of explaining the differing armies engaged, Regular, Continental, Loyalist, Militia, Indian and German without going into too little or too much detail. I would have liked to have seen an explanation of how the Colonial troops were able to march so easily through the wilderness while the British suffered but this is a minor point.

Far more distracting is what I've come to recognize as Morrissey's single greatest weakness as a writer, a near addiction to throw out the names of unit commanders without introducing them. This nearly cripples his book on Monmouth but here, as the order of battle is given early in the book, it is just an annoyance as the reader occasionally has to back up to figure out which side an officer is on.

In the end this is an excellent short work on what is quite possibly one of the single most important battles in the history of the United States. Sure there are many others out there which are longer and more detailed but to give a quick explanation of what happened in those New York forests and farms you'll be hard pressed to find better.

As a collector of toy soldiers I found Morrissey's book well written and very well illustrated. It is a very good overview of the Saratoga campaign which leaves the reader wanting more. In the back of the book there is a section entitled "Wargaming the Saratoga Campaign." I think that it would be helpful for military modellers and war gamers if in the future there would be more detailed information on the manner in which field fortifications were constructed.

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)