Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution (Hardcover)

by Richard M. Ketchum (Author) "Five years had passed since that momentous third Wednesday in April of 1775-a day of sudden violence that began in the gray half-light of dawn,..." (more)
Key Phrases: little persevering, old wagoner, New York, Sir Henry, West Point (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This informative and entertaining chronicle of the American Revolution’s final battles also concludes Ketchum’s fine series of that war’s campaign histories (Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill, etc.). The narrative begins in the fall of 1780. The Continental army is in low spirits, the nominally allied French having proven unreliable; Benedict Arnold’s treason is uncovered; and shortages of rations, money and morale sweep the ranks. In his casual story-telling voice, Ketchum breathes life into historical characters as they come together in the war’s largely familiar final moments to defeat the British. Relying heavily on anecdotes, the author relates Nathaniel Greene’s brilliant win over a brewing war of attrition in the South, and the French officers’ miraculous reorganization of land and sea forces that enabled the coordinated transport of Washington and Rochambeau’s combined armies to besiege Yorktown. The real pleasure of this book, however, lies in its personal accounts, which reveal unusual details about colonial life. The Comte de Clermont-Crévecoeur, for example, unsparingly assesses the charms of American ladies in each region (Rhode Island women were frail, but had lovely complexions; Virginians were more hospitable, but aged faster). A nearly nude Peggy Arnold embarrassed George Washington into speechlessness by feigning hysterics to cover the tracks of her escaping husband, Benedict, and hide her own complicity. Washington’s aide Tench Tilghman hurriedly rode from Yorktown to spread word of the American’s triumph. A thoroughly satisfactory finale to the author’s American Revolution magnum opus, this is an excellent volume for both new and seasoned students of colonial history.
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Review
"[Ketchum] brings the characters and events to life with quotations, interesting anecdotes, choice vignettes, and vivid descriptions of battles."
-- Library Journal, starred (Library Journal ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; 1 edition (September 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805073965
• ISBN-13: 978-0805073966
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,034 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victory at Yorktown, December 30, 2004

By	William J. Moore "bilmore" (Williamsburg, VA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading this book, in spite of the previous customer reviews, I am extremely disappointed in the seemingly short sighted attitude of those individuals who wrote subject reviews. I would agree that possibly the title for this book is incorrecet as it covers a lot more ground than Yorktown and goes into a significant amount of history leading up to the battle at Yorktown.

I was pleased with the overall subject and the information that Ketchum presented in a very factual and yet interesting manner. I would consider this one of the books that makes a better understanding of everything leading up to the final "full scale" battle between American and French allied forces and those of Great Britain in our fight for independence.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as ketchum's earlier works, November 6, 2004

By	buckout911 "buckout911" (Southern CA, USA) - See all my reviews

One of the things I have enjoyed about Ketchum's works is how readable they are and Victory at Yorktown is no exception. That being said,I did not enjoy this work as much as I did his previous works. One reason might be that I read Decisive Day, The Winter Soldiers and Saratoga before I knew much about the Revolutionary war, and I have read a lot of other books since then. I didn't really feel as though I learned anything new in Victory at Yorktown. It gives a brief account of the campaign in the Carolinas and Arnold's treason before delving into Yorktown. The description of the battle, and the Naval engagements prior to, seemed to lack any emotion or excitement. The personal accounts he provides are really the same ones that every other book about the revolution gives. This could be a good book for those reading about the later stages of the war for the first time, however those who are well read on the subject may want to skip it.

25 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written and Inaccurate, October 12, 2004

By	DKDJuniata "dkdjuniata" (Williamsburg, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

A disappointing rehash of early works on the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. Half the book deals with the southern campaign of the American Revolution. The portion of the book dealing with Yorktown strays greatly from the chronological happenings of the siege. For example, the author starts detailing the story of the assaults on redoubts 9 and 10, which occurred on the night of October 14th. Before completing the account of the assaults, he jumps to the sortie by the British on the night of October 16th and then after several paragraphs goes back to the assaul on the redoubts. A better choice for those wanting to read about the siege is Henry P. Johnston's book on the Yorktown Campaign.