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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"An Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm.", November 10, 2001
"Angel in the Whirlwind," written by Benson Bobrick, a teacher and author living in Vermont, is an excellent history of the war that resulted in the birth of our great nation. It's a book that doesn't attempt to break any new ground with "revisionist" historical theories. Instead, readers will find a good solid narrative of the events that led up to the Revolution, and of the war itself. "Angel in the Whirlwind" begins by tracing the roots of the American Revolution. According to Bobrick, the American concept of liberty was born in the crucible of the Seven Years' War (1753-1760). During this period, colonial legislatures took it upon themselves to govern themselves. They regulated their own commerce and levied their own taxes with almost no interference from the British government. After the Seven Years' War ended, the British government once again began exercising its prerogative to regulate colonial commerce and impose new taxes. The result: political protest that eventually evolved into open rebellion. Most of "Angel in the Whirlwind" concerns itself not with an analysis of the war's causes, but with the fighting of the war itself. Bobrick masterfully traces the major battles of the War for Independence, from the "shot heard `round the world" at Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775, to the final surrender of Lord Cornwallis' forces to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781. In between these key events, readers will be swept along by the tremendous courage of colonial troops at Bunker Hill, Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, and Saratoga; the incredible suffering at Valley Forge and Morristown, New Jersey; and the internecine conflict between Loyalist and Patriot throughout the war... Although Bobrick's battle descriptions are fairly brief (the book only runs to 495 pages) they are clear, concise, well organized, and imbued with superb historical accuracy. You won't get that "gunpowder, smoke, and chaos of battle" feel that you'll gain in such books as Richard Ketchum's "Decisive Day" and "Saratoga;" you will, however, gain an appreciation for the hardships and suffering endured by those who fought, and sometimes died, on the battlefields of the Revolution. In "Angel in the Whirlwind," Benson Bobrick eloquently captures the sweep and scope of the founding of our nation. Although this book is imbued with tremendous scholarship, it's never boring. Bobrick keeps an excellent pace throughout his well crafted narrative. Bobrick's analyses of events are carefully constructed and his arguments lucid and effectively explained. At certain points, he even manages to interject a bit of humor into his narrative. I found myself quite amused by his descriptions of British General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne's personal entourage, during his 1777 campaign through the thickets of Canada and upstate New York. "Angel in the Whirlwind" is one of the best contemporary surveys of the American Revolution available today. It's not the most detailed, and it doesn't provide any new historical revelations; but it's scholarly, entertaining and easy to understand, and will provide readers with an excellent background to our nation's War of Independence. An essential book for any history buff's bookshelf!
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