The Campaign That Won America: The Story of Yorktown

by Burke Davis

With all the vitality and suspense of good fiction, Burke Davis talks the dramatic story of the campaign that ended America's fight for independence, based on hundreds of eye-witness accounts recorded in diaries, letters, journals, memoirs, and official records. The narrative is richly detailed, alive with vivid personalities.

Washington is revealed as the French and his own troops saw him in moments of candor - now despairing, now raging, playing ball with his officers. The other principles are seen with equal intimacy: Papa Rochambeau, the gracious veteran where Washington was concerned, behaves towards his officers as in irritable and officious bear; Lafayette, a major general at 23 but mature beyond his years, shows himself uncertain about his capacities; Sir Henry Clinton, busy with his pretty mistress in New York and blind to the corruption of his staff, squabbles with Cornwallis while the Colonies are frittered away; and the proud, stubborn, short sighted Cornwallis, politically powerful, deals with London rather with Clinton.

By turns humorous and tragic, always gripping, this brilliant account of the Yorktown action captures the spirit and sensations of the decisive months of our violent birth as a nation.

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

319 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers are provided brief character assessments of the key players in the campaign; George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, Count Jean Rochambeau, Admiral Francois de Grasse, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Charles Cornwallis, and Rear Admiral Thomas Graves. Most interesting is the author's presentation of the emotional side of George Washington, one of sheer elation upon learning of France's arrival in July 1780, then utter rage at Rochambeau for his changing of campaign plans against New York. This emotional profile is well woven throughout the text to cast a human dimension of a fighting general above the standard two dimensional presentations of the man. Davis makes a point to display the warm relationship the Americans and French had with one another, underscoring that French involvement was not a minor affair in the war. The Americans respected French expertise in warfare and Count Rochambeau, a competent military man and key leading Frenchman under Washington, had no qualms attempting to influence American strategy.

Davis's analysis of command and control of American and British forces is incisive and is presented as the crux to Yorktown's result. Lapses in judgment and odd methods of communication quickly educate one into understanding why reliable and efficient command, control, and communications is so paramount to military operations. The British skill in this area disintegrated over time. Davis uncovers a hostile relationship between Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Charles Cornwallis, the two ranking British generals. Frequently vague and conflicting orders from Clinton and a detached indifference and idleness by Cornwallis in response revealed a horrifying detachment between the two men that engendered bitter feelings. Cornwallis' annoyance often resulted in correspondence with superiors in London for guidance, a serious chain of command violation. The lack of clarification by both generals served to assist Washington who, in stark contrast according to Davis, seemed to have had at his disposal cooperative men who wrote frequently, to include the French navy.

Predominantly using eyewitness accounts from journals, diaries, letters, and official correspondence, the vibrant prose of the book places the reader squarely on the battlefields and ship decks to witness the unfolding events. The book is balanced, showing the noble, and not so noble, sides of the French, English, and American armies, perhaps dispelling some myths for those that thought the British pure evil or that Washington's army was openly embraced by all. Styled much like a novel, it is both readable and engaging. However, despite this, it does not serve a broad audience. While a riveting tale about the rise of the colonial army and the collapse of the British army, Davis does not lay the groundwork prior to the Siege of Yorktown by reviewing the colonial campaigns since 1775. Nor does he touch upon the reasons for the rift between the colonies and England in the 1760s. Though not required due to the book's specific focus, it presents the danger that a novice reader will be unable to place the campaign within the context of a twenty-year conflict. Additionally, Davis spends just one paragraph at the book's conclusion noting the war would linger on for two more years, perhaps jarring the novice reader into wondering why such a decisive campaign did not actually terminate the war. Thus, the book serves best those with a familiarity for the Revolution.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful and informative book made lively by a brisk style and a ton of memorable detail drawn from primary sources. I was surprised by how vicious the fighting was in the Revolutionary War-- for some reason war back then, with the guys in their powdered wigs and stiff coats, seems quaint-- and then I felt stupid for being surprised in this way. 'But then again, war is wicked,' as Orwell says.

[Kivrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice succinct read about the Battle of Yorktown. It was very basic, but I liked that it seemed to come mostly from letters, reports, etc. that were written during that particular period in time. As always, I'm amazed that we won the war when I read about how it all actually happened. Luck was definitely on our side.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is old. So, I’m sure that the research has changed & that the understanding of Yorktown is different. But this was very interesting. (I bought the book while on vacation & I decided that as a result, I needed to read it. Glad I did.)

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time this was to expand my reading from Civil War to Rev War.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked how this was presented. A lot of times, stories of battles get way too dry. This one is a good overview for learning about a battle I really was surprised I knew so little about.

[William Sariego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis may not be a very deep historian, but his books are well written and always tells a good story.

[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is narrative history as it should be written. An excellent telling of an amazing story.

[Cameron Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Janet R. Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive history lesson.

[Luke Paulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, as the title says, a story-- not a history that digs deep, but a fast-paced and engaging narrative of the American Revolution's most important campaign. The author occasionally spits out a surfeit of mostly irrelevant details, or assumes background knowledge that many readers wouldn't have, but for the most part the book is exciting and very readable. It does a good job of making you feel like you're there-- with generals in council, with troops on the field, in the middle of a naval battle-- and builds good general knowledge of 'how it happened' complete with the maneuvering that led up to the event. This book somehow ended up on my bookshelf when I was in middle school, and I enjoyed reading it even then.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this is the third book I've read this year on Revolutionary War subjects, all three of which have covered Yorktown. But I'm finding it fascinating how little I knew of the details of the war, and this book gives close-up looks at strategy, human foibles, the brutality of 18th Century warfare, and the difficulty of keeping soldiers on your side. Davis covers both sides of the battle, with sympathies more towards the humanity involved than the specific winners or losers.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book. I have read others on the siege of Yorktown and the events leading up to it, but Davis presents a different perspective, one case being the desperate situation of the American forces before the battle and some of the problems Washington faced.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book about the Yorktown Campaign; however, the emphasis seemed to be more on narrating the campaign rather than analyzing the military operations and decisions.

[John E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and very readable overview of the Yorktown campaign. Great popular history.