Customer Reviews

Those Damned Rebels: The American Revolution As Seen Through British Eyes

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Although the academic tone of this book is sometimes a bit dry, it's an excellent read overall. It's focus is the British military history of the American Revolutionary War. British troop movements, major engagements, and influential British commanders are covered in some depth. The rebel seige of Quebec is an especially good account. The revolution's effect on politics within Britain, and British diplomancy with other European countries is very interesting. The intrigue of the court of Versailles is not only engaging, but exciting as well. Double agents, intercepted messages, and hasty getaways are all included. The only real weakness is the maps if you are trying to follow the movements of armies, but they are the authentic maps available to the British at the time. This is only a small problem though. This is a well written, and concise history of the American rebellion from the British point of view. It offers quite a few insights into British actions not encountered in U.S. histories based on American revolutionary priorities. A superior historical read.

`Those Damned Rebels' was originally published in 1972 in hardback and later re-released in paperback in 2000. I am glad that DaCapo Press decided to re-publish this title, as it's one of the better one-volume accounts of the American Revolution that I have read for some time. As the sub title indicates this book is mainly the war as seen though British eyes but after reading the book I think it's without any particular bias.

The author uses numerous first-hand accounts and reports from the participants to reconstruct the events as they appeared to the soldiers, sailors, commanders and politicians at that time. This is so well done that the narrative never bogs down or becomes boring. The story is told in such a fluid and informative manner that it literally sweeps you into the history of the monumental events of this period.

The author covers all the main highlights of this war, from Bunker Hill to the surrender at Yorktown but he also supplies information on many of the smaller battles and skirmishes throughout this war. Nor does the author exclude events in Britain and Europe and the ramifications of battles won and lost in America on those seats of power that were involved in this conflict from afar.

The story moves from the battlefields of America to the Kings Court and Parliament in England and into the Courts of France, Spain, Russia and Holland. The events are told in manner that gives the reader a feeling of "authentic immediacy of an eye witness".

In over 402 pages of narrative (hardback version) the story told gives the reader a full account on the birth of the United States of America. The only gripe I have with this book (the 1972 edition) was the standard of the maps. In this edition they were taken from original maps of the time which I suppose fits in with the author's intention but are pretty useless to the modern reader to track events.

Overall I found this to be an easy to read book and I am sure that most people who enjoy this period of history will have a great time reading this account.

Although many readers will know of the facts presented here before opening this book, Michael Pearson presents a well-known story with such descriptive detail that the reader can't help but become interested. Michael Pearson's experience as a fiction writer is obvious, and there is a strong sense of wit and humor throughout the book. Plus the British point of view is an interesting angle to take.

I can't understand why there are almost no reviews for this title. It's a great read if you are even remotely interested in the American Revolution.

Any book that provides a look at the other side in the Rev War is a welcome addition to the subject. This work is a bit of a dated classic. Considering that it came out several years before the Bicenntennial of 1976 it really is something of a landmark. While not comprehensive, the author writes with verve and energy. I would say it is mostly a military perspective, but there are chapters dealing with politics in England and France. In that respect the scope is far more comprehensive than the often myopic perspective presented in many US histories. Battles are described briefly, but with energy. I would call this more of a general read than a strict military history, but it has appeal for both readers. A good place to start in order to see the Rev War in a wider context and without the mythology and worship often lauded on this subject by most US writers. Recommedned for the genral reader and miitary historian alike. A good classic that should have a newer edition.

"Those Damned Rebels" is another well researched, well written and compelling book on the American Revolution. While presenting the Revolutionary War from a British perspective, it succeeds admirably in stripping away some of the distortions and myths surrounding both sides.

The book also presents a realistic picture of the world's greatest power at the time attempting to put down a revolt for the understandable reason that British leaders believed that if they failed, their whole empire would collapse. There is thus a great deal in this history that resonates deeply today as Americans struggle with the future of their military involvement in Iraq.

Two aspects of this book are particularly noteworthy. The first is the tremendous resistance among the British themselves to military involvement against the North American colonies, a resistance that undermined the King's political and military commitment to quelling the American revolution. Centered in Parliament and supported by parts of the British media, such resistance provided "those damned rebels" with a great deal of political and moral support.

A second aspect is the key role played in the American victory in 1782 by allies - especially France, Spain and Holland. All provided troops, weapons and equipment and expanded the American revolt into a world war. It was a war the British had problems sustaining.

According to author Michael Pearson, it was the threatened involvement of Russia in support of the Americans that finally broke British resistance to a settlement with the revolutionaries.

This is a tremendously good read and suitable for either student or scholar of the American Revolutionary War. But there is also a great deal in America's first long war that rings true today as Americans struggle in another long war to quell a revolt in Iraq.

It's too bad this book is listed as out of print but it's worth the effort to hunt it down. It gives an interesting account on the Revolutionary War from the eyes of the English. Too often Americans are only exposed to our perspective of the battle but in this struggle (like the rest of life) there are at least two sides to each story.

Great book.

A very readable book. Contemporary events and characters in England, the colonies, and Europe are presented in a way which enables the reader to see how their interaction affects the war. Important characters are well developed, and the battles are described in just enough detail that they remain exciting.

A major flaw is the lack of readable maps. ( I nearly wore out my atlas.) Most of the reproductions of original maps are virtually illegible, and a good portion of each map is obsured by the book binding.

I'm not a history buff. But having taken my son on a trip around Revolutionary War sites in Vermont and New York, I became interested in knowing more about the fascinating characters I was just learning about. This book is not only quite readable, its focus, clearly different from the "same old same old" that we get in the States, made that long war much easier to understand.

I was truly amazed to learn what the people on both sides had to deal with day in and day out. Entire battles, for instance, could be won or lost depending on the direction of the wind or whether illness had swept through the camps in the previous week.

I was also able to see Britain as a country very much like this one is now: powerful, with much of its considerable wealth (for those times) concentrated in the hands of a few, with a government paying only lip service, to a great extent, to the ideals by which it is supposed to be governing.

If you read this book only for enlightenment as to how we are now following in the footsteps of that once-great world power, it's worth it. (The similarities between the two Georges are fascinating.) But to learn, also, how very courageous as well as how very human the Patriots were is both comforting and awe-inspiring.