1776 (book)

Infobox Book
name = 1776
orig title = 1776
translator =


image_caption = The cover's artwork is "The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton" by John Trumbull.
author = David McCullough
cover_artist =
country = U.S.
language =
series =
subject = History/U.S. History/American Revolution/Military History
genre = Non-fiction
publisher = Simon & Schuster, Inc.
release_date = May 24, 2005
media_type =
pages = 386
size_weight = 9.5 × 6.7 × 1.3 in
1.7 lb
isbn = ISBN 0-7432-2671-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-7432-2672-0 (paperback)
ISBN 1-4165-4210-8 (Illustrated Edition)
preceded_by = John Adams
followed_by =

"1776" is a book written by historian David McCullough, first published by Simon & Schuster on May 24, 2005. The work is considered a companion piece to McCullough's earlier biography of John Adams, and focuses on the events surrounding the start of the American Revolution. While revolving mostly around the leadership (and often indecisiveness) of George Washington, there is also considerable attention given to King George III, General Howe, Henry Knox, and Nathanael Greene. Key Revolutionary War battles detailed in the book include the Battle of Dorchester Heights, the Battle of Long Island, and the Battle of Trenton. Interestingly, the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence is treated as a somewhat minor detail, as the main focus of the book is on military rather than political events. The book includes a number of pages of full color illustrations, including portraits and historical battlefield maps made by British engineers at the time.

1776: The Illustrated Edition was released on October 2, 2007. The Illustrated Edition contains 140 images and 37 removable replicas of source documents. More than three dozen source documents -- including a personal letter George Washington penned to Martha about his commission, a note informing the mother of a Continental soldier that her son has been taken prisoner, and a petition signed by Loyalists pledging their allegiance to the King -- are re-created in uniquely designed envelopes throughout the book and secured with the congressional seal.

The text closely mirrors the original book, but omits or summarizes some parts deemed to long. The Illustrated Edition comes with its own protective slipcase, decorated with the "The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton" by John Trumbull and has a "fake watermark" of the Great Seal of the United States on the back and front. The book is plain covered in blue with the golden embossed numbers "1776".

Chapters

Part One: The Seige

Chapter One: Sovereign Duty. The book begins with King George III making his way to the Parliament building in October of 1775. He announces to Parliament that America is in an uprising and must be dealt with accordingly. Both branches of Parliament, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, vote for the use of force to stay the American uprising.

Chapter Two: Rabble in Arms and Chapter Three: Dorchester Heights deal with the first major American offensive during the Revolutionary War at Dorchester Heights, located in southern Boston. Commander-in-Chief of the British forces, General William Howe, had been ordered by England to abandon Boston with his forces and make way to New York before winter. Due to the large amount of time it took to cross the Atlantic, Howe did not receive the news until winter had already come. Therefore, he decided to hold his troops and remain in Boston until winter had passed.

In order to gain the advantage in the war, Washington knew he had to achieve victory at Boston. His council of war drew up a plan to fortify the Heights of Dorchester peninsula, putting them in cannon's range of the British forces. The date of this fortification was to take place on March 5, 1776, the sixth anniversary of the Boston Massacre. In order to prepare for such a large offensive, Washington's Army paraded Boston with sounds of gunfire and racket, in order to hide the noise of the movement of the cannons. In one night, Washington’s men dug trenches and prepared twenty cannons. The British officials were awestruck. Washington's goal had been achieved.

The British tried to hit the Continental Army at first, but the British cannons could not reach that height of the Americans. The British could not gain any advantage against their attack in Dorchester, so, on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, the British moved out. More than 8,000 British troops marched in the streets of Boston and headed to the nearly 120 ships along with over 1,000 women and children, and 1,000 Loyalists who sought refuge. The British troops were seeking refuge in Halifax, but Gen. Howe later sought to gain New York.

Part Two: Fateful Summer

Chapter Four: The Lines are Drawn and Chapter Five: Field of Battle illustrate the fortification and battle for New York.Washington’s army did not stay long at Boston. Washington knew that the British were on the run and he must gain any advantage necessary to come to nothing short of victory in the New England colonies. On April 1, five regiments led out of Boston and made their way to defend New York.

There was much tension in Washington's army. Yet, Taylor Lee, a veteran, had been there to help support the army with words of encouragement and finances. The British were gathering their strength to attack in New York; however, Washington did not know where they would attack. He fully understood the importance of both New York Island and Long Island. McCullough states on page 127 that "Washington agreed with...the premise that an effective defense of New York City would depend on the defense of Long Island. If New York was the key to the continent, then Long Island was the key to New York."

Part Three: The Long Retreat

Chapter Six: Fortune Frowns illustrates the retreat from New York past the Delaware River.At this time, the British were making their way toward Staten Island in large numbers. Washington was unsure of whether the British would make a landing on Long Island or on New York. In one of the most climatic parts of 1776, Washington goes against one of the most fundamental rules of war and splits his army in equal parts. However, the British came back and drove the rebels (who could be referred to as Americans at this point, seeing as the Declaration of Independence had been drafted just a month earlier) toward Brooklyn Heights. Gen. Howe planned to move British troops forward against the Americans, but by what many conceived as "Providence, the hand of God," intervened. A fog formed over the East River and the Americans landed safely on Manhattan Island while the British were totally unaware until the next morning.

The British, however, gained a victory in the capture of Fort Washington in November 16. They had captured over 2,000 American prisoners, 59 Americans had been killed, and over 100 had been wounded. Washington was devastated and knew that he could not allow another ambush like the one at Fort Washington to happen again. He received news that the British planned to attack Fort Lee. Almost immediately, Washington ordered for the retreat of Fort Lee.

Chapter Seven: Darkest Hour highlights the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton. The plans for this attack on the British and Hessian forces were finalized on Christmas Eve. They called for a force of about 2,000 men who were to attack toward Burlington, a smaller force of about 700 who were to hold a bridge that and the largest group of 2,400 men would cross the Delaware, divide into two columns and advance on the British troops; led by Washington and three other generals. The British possessed two to three thousand men. The Americans opened fire on December 26 in the morning hours, and in 45 minutes, the Americans had defeated the Hessian forces in a decisive victory.

Reception

"1776" was selected as part of the 2005 and 2006 CSAF [http://www.af.mil/library/csafreading/index.asp Professional Reading Program] . "1776" is also a "New York Times" and Amazon bestseller.

External links

* [http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=33&pid=506476 Official Site] at Simon & Schuster