The American Revolution

by Bruce Lancaster, Richard M. Ketchum, J.H. Plumb

From Lexington to Yorktown, this book covers the story of America's fight for independence in vivid detail. Lancaster brings the dilemmas faced by early Americans into sharp focus.

Genres: History, American History, American Revolution, Nonfiction, American Revolutionary War, United States, Military History

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Bruce Lancaster was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on August 22, 1896. He served in the U.S. Army along the Mexican border in 1916 and later in France. After the war he returned to school and received a B.A. from Harvard in 1918. He worked in administration and sales for nine years, after which he served in the U.S. Foreign Service as Vice-Consul to Kobe, Japan (1928-1932). Following his return to the United States he became assistant secretary to the board of governors of the Society of New York Hospitals, and began to write the novels which would make him famous. Most of his works are historical novels, including Guns of Burgoyne, Trumpet to Arms, and Blind Journey. He has also written historical non-fiction, such as From Lexington to Liberty (1955).

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good young adult book ( published in 1958! ) and I read it back in high school. I picked it up again while cleaning the basement and started reading through it again--to the end. It's a concise overview focusing on the combat and the leaders. Reading it again, it has impressed on me again how indispensable Washington was to the final victory of the United States. The British were no pushovers and perhaps at least 1/3 of Americans stayed loyal to the Crown ( with many more fence-sitters! ). But Washington was able to hold the Continental Army together through defeat and winter ( when supplies ran low) to take advantage of the opportunity provided at Yorktown to win the final victory. Even with French help, could the Americans have won without Washington? I think it would have been unlikely.
There's a great description of Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette ( at the Battle of Monmouth, NJ ): " (Washington's) presence stopped the retreat...his calm courage...gave him the air best calculated to excite enthusiasm... I thought then, as now, that never had I beheld so superb a man."

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book for a breif overview of the Revolutionary War, with enough detail to keep interest but not so much as to weigh down the reader. While it does not meet todays standards to be considered a scholarly work, nuch of the work is supported by my limited reading of scholarly works on the subject.
My favorite quote comes near the end of the book where the author puts forth "... freedom, however won, is never static, must always be fought for."

[Rebecca L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, it is one of my favorite! A great read and very informative about one of the best times to read about in our history this book was packed full of cool and unknown facts about that famous time period the American Revolution. This book is written very well and not boring or hard to keep up with like some historical books. A fantastic read for any American Revolution nut like me I highly recommend it to anyone. Five stars for being great and informative.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise, narrative summary of the American War of Independence almost exclusively focused on the combat.

A good read.

[Richard Seltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as research for my novel Parallel Lives.

[Lee Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this book. Picked up at a used book sale for a dollar, my expectations were quite low. The book is published by American Heritage but the text was written by Bruce Lancaster who did an excellent job of sketching out the major events in the timeline of the American Revolution.
Obviously, it is impossible to go into great detail about this subject in just 375 pages. Despite this the author managed to outline it in a very concise and understandable manner. If you are looking for a superbly illustrated overview of the war this may be as good a place to start as any.
Perhaps the only criticism I would forward here is a failure to sufficiently put the North American conflict in the larger context of what became a major European world war. The text touches on this aspect but in a very superficial manner, nearly skipping action in the Caribbean altogether.

[robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Great overall view of the War with lots of pictures and maps. I've read many books on the Revolution, but this one had much more detail about the campaigns. Just 2 minor complaints: 1. For some reason certain events were repeated several times with slightly different information provided rather than one overall narrative. 2. More maps describing many of the battles would have helped. One gets lost with just verbal descriptions of battle movements and engagements. One fascinating fact that amazed me was that the enemy Indians of the Six Nations had regular solid homes and buildings with windows and even fireplaces. I always assumed the Indians only lived in teepees. This was a revelation to me.

[Marc Pressley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the war. Lancaster brings the events and battles to life.

[Gordon Gauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good detailed book about specific battles and personnel involved in the war. It was a good reminder of how important the French were in bringing independence to the USA.

[David]

Check for proper edition before reviewing

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting & informative, but dry

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable history that refreshed what i had forgotten from history class. Author didn't give too much color to many of the names that came up frequently, but a good sketch of the Revolution.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid history of the American Revolution, written by Bruce Lancaster. The narrative begins with the background to Revolution. And, step by step, battle by battles, event by event, takes us through the time period. From the first conflicts to "The world turned upside down" at Yorktown, the literate history unfolds.

An example of the detail here. Chapter XII, focusing on Yorktown, begins with the French General Rochambeau's appearance in Rhode Island--with no one there to greet him on this stunningly important occasion. A large number of French troops, ready to march under George Washington's leadership, sitting around with little to do! We see the Marquis de Lafayette with a force in Virginia trying to contain English forces, at various times under the leadership of Benedict Arnold and Lord Cornwallis. The normally active Cornwallis turned rather indolent, confident of his ability to maintain himself and his forces with English control of the seas. The debate between Rochambeau and Washington over where to deploy the troops. The great news that a large French fleet was on the way with transports filled with more French regular troops. With that news, the march by the allied forces to trap Cornwallis began. The tale of the battle, once joined, is well told.

The same with the description of the battle at Saratoga. And other clashes as well. This book is well written and accessible to the general reader.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who was never officially taught the history of the American revolution as a teenager, I told myself I would read it up on my own. After my visit to Boston, the revolutionary cradle of America, I was fascinated by the ideals and the courage that the American people held onto in their fight for freedom.

I have to say that this book does an amazing job of articulating the important battles in the revolution. Though I have to admit I skimmed through a lot of them towards the end because the details started to overwhelm me.

But otherwise, it's a great book that finally introduced to me the story of the "sons of liberty," and showed me why America has always been a symbol of freedom and liberty. (Though as we have seen in recent decades it is not without its evils.)

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that I am not much of a history buff, I was impressed that this book threw so many names, dates, and places my way, and yet I wasn't bored or overwhelmed. Bruce Lancaster did a nice job of covering the important aspects of the Revolutionary War without getting mired in too many details. His character descriptions of the key actors in the war brought them to life, and I liked how the leaders of the war felt like real people, rather than mere names on a page.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable and comprehensive account of the 7 years of revolutionary war (that's right, that's how long it lasted!). A good supplement to the famous episode histories like "1776" and "Washington's Crossing".

[Glenn Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a coffee table book I had around for years, but finally decided to read. It is one of the better coffee table books about the revolution I have every read. Lots of details, excellent artwork and a good full picture of the war and how it was won.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this before, but i must read it again to remeber more.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my favorite books, if not my favorite! An amazing story that Bruce Lancaster tells beautifully.

[Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history, even with the dated 1950s prospective. Gives the reader a vivid, easy to follow narrative with lots of interesting visuals.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first edition of the book, 1958. Received it for my birthday, read it through the summer, and wrote my own version, in pencil, on folded newsprint. The first book I wrote.

[Belle Meade School]

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