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George C. Daughan

Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence Hardcover – Illustrated, June 14, 2016

by George C. Daughan (Author)

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The untold story of the fight for the Hudson River Valley, control of which, both the Americans and the British firmly believed, would determine the outcome of the Revolutionary War.

No part of the country was more contested during the American Revolution than New York City, the Hudson River, and the surrounding counties. Political and military leaders on both sides viewed the Hudson River Valley as the American jugular, which, if cut, would quickly bleed the rebellion to death.

So in 1776, King George III sent the largest amphibious force ever assembled to seize Manhattan and use it as a base from which to push up the Hudson River Valley for a grand rendezvous at Albany with an impressive army driving down from Canada. George Washington and every other patriot leader shared the king’s fixation with the Hudson. Generations of American and British historians have held the same view. In fact, one of the few things that scholars have agreed upon is that the British strategy, though disastrously executed, should have been swift and effective. Until now, no one has argued that this plan of action was lunacy from the beginning.

Revolution on the Hudson makes the bold new argument that Britain’s attempt to cut off New England never would have worked, and that doggedly pursuing dominance of the Hudson ultimately cost the crown her colonies. It unpacks intricate military maneuvers on land and sea, introduces the personalities presiding over each side’s strategy, and reinterprets the vagaries of colonial politics to offer a thrilling response to one of our most vexing historical questions: How could a fledgling nation have defeated the most powerful war machine of the era?

George C. Daughan―winner of the prestigious Samuel Eliot Morrison Award for Naval Literature―integrates the war’s naval elements with its political, military, economic, and social dimensions to create a major new study of the American Revolution. Revolution on the Hudson offers a much clearer understanding of our founding conflict, and how it transformed a rebellion that Britain should have crushed into a war they could never win.

8 pages of illustrations, 5 maps

Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

June 14, 2016
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.5 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

9780393245721
ISBN-13

978-0393245721
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this fresh, vivid, and often surprising telling of the Revolutionary War, George Daughan explores the timeless theme of hubris and the critical role of geography in the making of American independence. A commanding, compelling performance by an inspired historian."
― Evan Thomas, author of John Paul Jones and Being Nixon

"George C. Daughan’s narrative is by turns suspenseful, elegant, and moving. He entwines lucid analysis of politics and diplomacy with expertly rendered accounts of the military and naval campaigns."
― Ian W. Toll, best-selling author of Six Frigates

"[A]n exacting account of the personal and national cost of the rebellion on both sides."
― Paula Uruburu, New York Times Book Review

"[Daughan] deftly highlights how naval power shaped even war on land."
― William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal

"In this sharply drawn narrative, Daughan offers something truly valuable: a focus on the grand scale."
― Noah Benjamin-Pollack, National Book Review

"[An] enlightening combination of military and regional history."
― Mark Levine, Booklist

About the Author

George C. Daughan holds a PhD from Harvard University, where he studied under Henry Kissinger. One of his previous books, If By Sea, won the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature, and he has been honored with the Samuel Eliot Morison Award from the USS Constitution Museum for his work as a naval scholar. He lives in New Hampshire.

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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0393245721
Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated edition (June 14, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780393245721
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393245721
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,018,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,442 in Naval Military History
- #2,550 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #11,205 in American Military History

Customer Reviews:
133 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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TomR

A good read, but a little lacking

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2020

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This is a good page turner for a history. Very complete, although with a misleading title. While the original English strategy was to control from New York City to Canada, the book covered the whole war. With all of the good research the author did, the book could have been so much better. There were no illustrations or diagrams of any of the engagements. Further, there was an overemphasis on the fact that much of the English fleet’s ships had copper plated hulls (as opposed to copper bottomed). The reason why the copper plating was done (to protect the hull from torredo worm attack. It also discouraged marine growth on the hull thus making the hull cleaner hence lower drag) was never explained. I didn’t need to be reminded that they had copper plated hulls nearly every time a naval engagement was discussed. Further, the author leads the reader to believe that the copper plating was the primary reason why the Royal Navy was usually the superior force. Being faster was not always an advantage. Better gunnery, tactics, and training are big factors as well. I understand that the leaders did not get along and in several instances either didn’t cooperate or were working counter to each other. Being told that ever time they were discussed was unnecessary. Finally, maybe an issue in only the digital edition, footnotes are all in one section at the end of the book. I found this very cumbersome and frankly unworkable. With some limitations I still recommend this book.

10 people found this helpful

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Jack's Review

History Unknowed

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2016

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I loved this book because it gave me a much deeper insight into the impact of the battles and strategies that took place in an area where I had not realized had such significant importance of the impact of what took place there..Mr Daughan once again kept me spellbound with his descriptions of characters and events that most of us never realized.
I am always impressed with research and detail that goes into his books.
Enjoy this wonderful adventure.
J Couture

20 people found this helpful

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Thomas M. Sullivan

A Bigger River Than I Thought

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2016

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Many authors have demonstrated the seemingly infinite ways the story of America’s revolution may be told and re-told by concentrating, for instance, on pivotal battles (see, Richard Ketchum’s superb “Saratoga: Turning Point of America’s Revolutionary War”) or locales (see, Richard Berleth’s splendid “Bloody Mohawk: The French and Indian War and American Revolution on New York’s Frontier"). From the title of this work, I assumed that Author Daughan’s approach was going to be similar to Berleth’s, that is, a concentration, both geographical and events-oriented, on the Hudson Valley.

I was incorrect. But that’s not to say that I was necessarily disappointed. One doesn’t get far into the book to realize that Daughan’s account is going to be more far-ranging and comprehensive than the title suggests. In fact, what the reader is presented is a well-told story that (whether the author intended it or not) amounts to a strategic view of the war, particularly from the British standpoint. In discussing the give’s and take’s on both sides of the struggle, Daughan indulges in a good deal of supposition and inference, coming down hard, for instance, on Washington’s early misjudgments and especially on the British military leadership’s inability to work together (to say nothing of their relations with their London overseers), with eventually cataclysmic results. While the author’s frequent conclusory dispositions largely accord with my understanding of the actors’ strengths and weaknesses, I found Daughan’s unrelenting “rights” and “wrongs” adjudications slightly off-putting.

Having said all that, the author does an excellent job of relating the ebb’s and flows of the war in a relatively short work. And the lessons never learned by King George III and his ministers are once again manifest; their hilariously optimistic take on the loyalists’ willingness to rally to the Jack, never mind their fighting dispositions; the tenacity of the “rebels,” and their inconsistent but always-improving ability to fight; and, lastly, the sheer size of America which absolutely precluded the investiture and maintenance of control of any significant part of the country. And if a reader is intrigued by the wrong-headedness of Britain’s ambitions and strategic shortcomings, I highly recommend Andrew O’Shaughnessy’s “The Men Who Lost America,” a simply delightful recounting of the roles of the principal King’s actors in the loss of the continent.

So, while I was slightly disappointed by the author’s not sticking to his purported subject, I must say that I was impressed with his digressions, and suggest that this would be a fine introductory work for someone new to the history of the war which would undoubtedly whet the reader’s appetite for more specialized treatments.

9 people found this helpful

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TBill

Okay, not great, and not really focused on the Hudson.

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2020

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When I bought this book I was expecting to learn more about the frontier fights in the Mohawk Valley, the partisan warfare which went on for years around Westchester County and the development of the stronghold at West Point, but this book doesn't really delve into those items. In the opening, closing, and places in the book, the author makes the point that the British fixated on a flawed strategy of seizing the Hudson to separate the New England colonies from the others, but there isn't a detailed analysis of why this strategy is flawed. This is a good readable review of the American Revolution, but this doesn't live up to the promise of it's title.

One person found this helpful

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James Fletcher

Very detailed and enlightening

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2016

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If you are looking for an overview of the Revolution, this book may be too detailed for you. I've read many books on the Revolution, but this book makes me feel I've never read anything at all. The author writes a great deal from the British perspective which other books seldom address opening up new understanding about the course of that war. It has given me greater insight on the Revolution.

11 people found this helpful

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Jim J.

It's about more than just New York

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2019

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This book was a revelation, I bought it to learn more about the Revolutionary War and New York and got so much more. It is a fantastic read, tells a great story, really fills in a lot of holes about the overall war from 40,000 feet, but still provides real interesting detail about the entire war. I even learned new facts about Benedict Arnold, that he was just as effective a leader for the Brit's after turning than he had been for our side. What a tragically flawed human being, he could have been a president of the United States if he wasn't so vane.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Stephen Davidson

More than its title indicates

Reviewed in Canada on August 27, 2020

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This book provides a great overview of the American Revolution, demonstrating the wisdom and folly of leaders on both sides of the conflict. Rather than being focussed on events along the Hudson River, the book describes battles from North to South and the "almost" moments when the course of history could have been changed.

Rick Klemenc

a good read

Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2019

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ok

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