Customer Reviews

Yorktown 1781: The World Turned Upside Down (Campaign)

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

 

 

In "Yorktown 1781" Morrissey walks the line of once more capably describing the events of one of the great moments in American history and still somehow managing to completely misinterpret the important elements of the event.

Unlike some of his other titles for Osprey Morrissey does provide an adequate description of the senior commanders on all sides, Army, Navy, French, American and British and the troops involved and how they differed. He also has enough maps without the unnecessary clutter of cameo's that all start to blur together.

He goes into detail about the naval action which most Americans barely know happened, but which was in fact vital to the ultimate victory. The problem with the book comes with the fact he does not go into as much detail about the siege itself and, like in his work on Monmouth, Morrissey seems to fail to understand the importance of what happened on the ground.

He spends much of the early book describing the fighting in Virginia between Lafayette and Benedict Arnold who was raiding along the James River with both sides waiting for Cornwallis' army to march up from the Carolinas. Interesting reading but Arnold's forces had little to do with Yorktown and the space might have been better used to focus on Cornwallis' army and the campaign it was fighting which so ground it down that when it reach Yorktown it had almost 20% casualties from illness.

Once the players are in place Morrissey also seems to rush through the action and in so doing, misses the point. The plan was for the French, who had experience and a siege train to conduct the serious work of the siege from the north while the Americans, unused to a formal siege would just contain the British to the south, allowing the French to do the bulk of the fighting and in effect win the war.

This plan came apart when the French were unable to dislodge the outermost British strong point after 3 assaults with supporting artillery fire from the siege train. That is why to this day that outer defense still holds the name "Fusilier Redoubt" after the Royal Welch Fusiliers who defended it and could not be moved. The failure of the French to force the issue meant that the action moved to the south and it was the American troops who bore the brunt of the fighting and so won the battle. It also explains the bitterness the Americans felt towards the French officers who were happily socializing with their British captives, since they had been unable to beat them in the field and relied on Americans to do what they had failed to achieve.

Morrissey's work does set the stage and explain in excellent detail the key players. He covers the usually neglected naval engagements between the British and French that sealed the fate of the war, but by neglecting the details of the siege itself, he misses, and leads the reader to miss, the key event at Yorktown. That is the failure of the French regulars and the success of the American soldiers, that it was the Americans and not their allies who won the battle, the war and their independence. that in this deciding momment in the life of the nation, it was the American Soldier no longer the militia minute man or the ragged survivor of Valley Forge, who proved he was the equal or better of the European regular.

As usual, the Osprey Campaign Series sets high standards for detailed histories of key battles. Yorktown 1781 certainly meets these standards and explains the battle and events leading up to it. The illustrations are commendable and relevant including excellent 3-D diagrams of the battle field at various times. The only problem I had with this book was the somewhat dry wording by the author. The narrative is presented with a stuffy tone that sounds to the reader more like a college lecture than an account of a life or death struggle. This may be too critical however when considering the typical reader of Osprey Military books and military history in general. Aside from the dry writing style, this book is an excellent addition to the series and gives more than enough detail surrounding the battle of Yorktown and the events leading up to it. This book only gets 3 stars because the other Osprey titles are so darn good they are hard to measure up to.

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)

This is a good resource on a (the) critical battle of the American Revolution. It includes the first and second naval Battles of the Capes, the American march south, events at Gloucester Point and Green Spring Farm, and the advance and siege of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Commanders and troop numbers of each force (English, American, French) are covered, and ample maps and illustrations provided (as well as a chronology 1775-83).

This is a good, well illustrated reference.

The reader of Osprey's excellent Campaign series will not be disappointed by this book which has all the usual merits: detailed orders of battle, color 2-D and 3-D maps, nice photos and a text full of information and good analysis of the Yorktown campaign. The author is right to use some pages to explain the strategic scope of the battle and its rather complicated background, without which it would be difficult for a novice to follow the action. He also pays attention to the naval side of the campaign which was the really decisive factor. This is a very good book for the layman and will also satisfy the more demanding reader.