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Beat the Last Drum: The Siege of Yorktown
New York Times bestselling historian Thomas Fleming creates a dramatic, moving depiction of the Siege of Yorktown - the days in October 1781 that ended the American Revolution and changed the world.
Along with French General Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau, George Washington made an astonishing march through New Jersey and trapped British General Charles Cornwallis and his forces in Yorktown, Virginia, where they unleashed a tremendous artillery assault, with the support of the French navy. But victory was never certain, and both sides made a series of bold attacks and counterattacks, with Washington the unlikely winner.
Along with French General Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau, George Washington made an astonishing march through New Jersey and trapped British General Charles Cornwallis and his forces in Yorktown, Virginia, where they unleashed a tremendous artillery assault, with the support of the French navy. But victory was never certain, and both sides made a series of bold attacks and counterattacks, with Washington the unlikely winner.
478 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1963
73 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Fleming
127 books149 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.
After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.
Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".
Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.
After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.
Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".
Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 9, 2018
An excellent narrative history of the final battle ending the American revolution. The strong point of the book is that the author uses the written correspondence of many of the protagonists. As previous reviewers have noted maps would have been quite useful.
October 28, 2018
"Beat the Last Drum" tells the story of the final land battle of the American Revolution, culminating in the surrender of the British forces under Cornwallis. This American victory eventually led to the end of the war and signing of the Treaty of Paris, in 1783.
The short version of the story is that British General Cornwallis was instructed to build a defensible deep-water port at Yorktown, Virgina. He did dig in at Yorktown, command roughly 7,200 British troops. Washington's army met up with a French army, under the command of Rochambeau, and then marched to Yorktown and surrounded Cornwallis with roughly 7,000 men.
Fleming's book walks through the lead-up to all of this, as well as the bombardment of Yorktown by American and French forces and Cornwallis' eventual surrender. Of great interest is Cornwallis' frustration with Clinton, his superior, who was stationed in New York. Clinton is dismissive of the danger to Cornwallis and seems paralyzed by his fear of making poor decisions, to the point where he makes no decisions at all. Fleming makes a very good case that Clinton bears the ultimate responsibility for the defeat of the British forces, far more than Cornwallis.
The story is a good read, with gritty descriptions of the effect of the American and French bombardment. As an American reader, I was happy to see Washington succeed (he had his own struggles in holding his army together), but I also had great compassion for Cornwallis and his attempts to get some sort of support from Clinton. When the surrender does come, we sympathesize with the British a bit, feeling their shock and dismay at the surrender quite keenly.
The short version of the story is that British General Cornwallis was instructed to build a defensible deep-water port at Yorktown, Virgina. He did dig in at Yorktown, command roughly 7,200 British troops. Washington's army met up with a French army, under the command of Rochambeau, and then marched to Yorktown and surrounded Cornwallis with roughly 7,000 men.
Fleming's book walks through the lead-up to all of this, as well as the bombardment of Yorktown by American and French forces and Cornwallis' eventual surrender. Of great interest is Cornwallis' frustration with Clinton, his superior, who was stationed in New York. Clinton is dismissive of the danger to Cornwallis and seems paralyzed by his fear of making poor decisions, to the point where he makes no decisions at all. Fleming makes a very good case that Clinton bears the ultimate responsibility for the defeat of the British forces, far more than Cornwallis.
The story is a good read, with gritty descriptions of the effect of the American and French bombardment. As an American reader, I was happy to see Washington succeed (he had his own struggles in holding his army together), but I also had great compassion for Cornwallis and his attempts to get some sort of support from Clinton. When the surrender does come, we sympathesize with the British a bit, feeling their shock and dismay at the surrender quite keenly.
October 21, 2023
For some reason or other I like reading about the Revolutionary War in the fall. Don't ask me, I can't explain it.
Written by one of my favorite authors, who I had the opportunity to meet and who graciously & patiently autographed my books, it is an even handed narrative of the events that culminated in the final major engagement of the war. Most American students don't appreciate the importance of the French contribution in bringing about this battle.
While Washington came to the realization that an attack on New York City wouldn't serve the purpose of defeating the British, it was the appearance of a French fleet and the arrival of French troops that made the situation in the Chesapeake possible by bottling up Lord Cornwallis and his forces. The experience of the French in siege warfare and the dithering between Sir Henry Clinton and his admirals also contributed to sealing the fate of the British at Yorktown. With the exception of the storming of Redoubts Nine & Ten, the battle was a siege and and artillery duel with the preponderance of American & French guns determining the outcome.
Yes, he speaks of Hamilton ( all I could think of was, "My name is Alexander Hamilton... just you wait, just you wait...") and his role in the attack on Redoubt #10! And all the other officers who fell over each other to gain the post of honor! Amazing how many officers, both American and French, lined up to die! They were brave & courageous men. Interesting anecdote about how Hamilton tried to use huge Henry Knox as a "breastwork" during an artillery barrage. I'll let you read about that.
"The World Turned Upside Down".
Written by one of my favorite authors, who I had the opportunity to meet and who graciously & patiently autographed my books, it is an even handed narrative of the events that culminated in the final major engagement of the war. Most American students don't appreciate the importance of the French contribution in bringing about this battle.
While Washington came to the realization that an attack on New York City wouldn't serve the purpose of defeating the British, it was the appearance of a French fleet and the arrival of French troops that made the situation in the Chesapeake possible by bottling up Lord Cornwallis and his forces. The experience of the French in siege warfare and the dithering between Sir Henry Clinton and his admirals also contributed to sealing the fate of the British at Yorktown. With the exception of the storming of Redoubts Nine & Ten, the battle was a siege and and artillery duel with the preponderance of American & French guns determining the outcome.
Yes, he speaks of Hamilton ( all I could think of was, "My name is Alexander Hamilton... just you wait, just you wait...") and his role in the attack on Redoubt #10! And all the other officers who fell over each other to gain the post of honor! Amazing how many officers, both American and French, lined up to die! They were brave & courageous men. Interesting anecdote about how Hamilton tried to use huge Henry Knox as a "breastwork" during an artillery barrage. I'll let you read about that.
"The World Turned Upside Down".
April 13, 2023
Amazing detail using primary sources such as letters between those in power. It certainly clarifies what actually happened and the personalities involved. Bless the French and Rochambeau!
I’m living in Williamsburg and now appreciate the sacrifice made by all parties. I must visit the Yorktown battlefield to see the reconstructed redoubts 9 & 10.
Fascinating writing.
I’m living in Williamsburg and now appreciate the sacrifice made by all parties. I must visit the Yorktown battlefield to see the reconstructed redoubts 9 & 10.
Fascinating writing.
May 15, 2018
Great History of the Yorktown Seige
Mr Fleming tells the story of the events leading up to the siege and the siege itself in a very readable fashion. He paints vivid descriptions of many of the combatants as well as the major players. Highly recommend reading this book.
Mr Fleming tells the story of the events leading up to the siege and the siege itself in a very readable fashion. He paints vivid descriptions of many of the combatants as well as the major players. Highly recommend reading this book.
June 25, 2017
A bit dry in spots where a lot of original correspondence was quoted at length
May 30, 2015
I'd recommend this if you've already read everything by the really good writers on the American Revolution -- stuff by David Hackett Fischer and David McCullough for example -- and want the next best level of research and writing. Yorktown of course was the final battle, the one that won the Revolutionary War for the Patriots, and it was fascinating to see the ways in which the British did everything wrong (and one has to wonder, why?), and the way so much luck seemed to fall constantly into the laps of the Americans. Even the weather cooperated with the Patriot cause.
This is the first book I've read that's devoted to one single battle in the Revolution, which of course gave the author room to go into relatively minute detail about what happened. Some of the details were exceedingly minute, which in my opinion made the book all the more interesting. For example, after the British surrendered, they had to march into a nearby field into the middle of a large circle of allied men. Each British soldier had to enter the circle and drop his weapons. Most just dropped them, but some dashed them onto the ground, hoping to break them so that the allies (Americans and French) would not be able to use them.
This is the first book I've read that's devoted to one single battle in the Revolution, which of course gave the author room to go into relatively minute detail about what happened. Some of the details were exceedingly minute, which in my opinion made the book all the more interesting. For example, after the British surrendered, they had to march into a nearby field into the middle of a large circle of allied men. Each British soldier had to enter the circle and drop his weapons. Most just dropped them, but some dashed them onto the ground, hoping to break them so that the allies (Americans and French) would not be able to use them.
March 24, 2015
Author Thomas Fleming's account of the siege of Yorktown by Washington and the ultimate surrender by Cornwallis is fascinating, detailed, and appears to be well researched. It was an easy and enjoyable read. Fleming relies heavily on first-person accounts of the events. His choice of resources and quotes were spot on in advancing the narrative and increasing the reader's understanding of events. Although I claim no expertise about the Revolutionary War, I do know that this battle was perhaps the key to America's ultimate success. Reading this account will give any reader a good understanding of the reasons for Washington's victory and how it occurred. On that account, I would give the book 5 stars.
I mark the book down, however, because, at least in my Kindle edition, there are no footnotes, resource list, bibliography, or any other reference to sources of information. Additionally, there were no maps or any other visual aids to help the reader follow troop movements, etc. I do not know if this is true of the book version (I hope not). Regardless, overall, I enjoyed Fleming's book.
I mark the book down, however, because, at least in my Kindle edition, there are no footnotes, resource list, bibliography, or any other reference to sources of information. Additionally, there were no maps or any other visual aids to help the reader follow troop movements, etc. I do not know if this is true of the book version (I hope not). Regardless, overall, I enjoyed Fleming's book.
May 14, 2015
We have mostly learned that Washington beat Cornwallis at Yorktown, and little else. This book fills in the details of that seige; and does quite well. Had not the British bungled this campaign the revolution, even at this late stage could have been easily lost. Cornwallis was in constant contention with Sir Henry Clinton, the Commander in chief of British in America. Cornwallis was repeatedly told that reinforcements were coming but they did not appear. Admiral Graves was so afraid of the French fleet that he would not sail until every sheet, spar, and clete, was in perfect order on all ships. He finally did sail with relief troops and arrived four days late. Washington too had some trouble also. The French Admiral de Grasse were strained to say the least. And Washington had to be convinced to march on Yorktown instead of New York. Fleming puts these and many more events into a fascinating tale of the last battle of the American Revolution. For me he put the cap on my understanding of the struggle for American freedom.
April 24, 2015
Fascinating and Captivating!
This account of the last modern siege in history, the siege of Yorktown, was riveting. It puts the reader there in the trenches as the scenes unfold. Using historical documents and correspondences, the author does a superb job of placing the reader amongst the dust, gunpowder, and dew. You can see in your mind the action unfolding. While reading it, I used a modern satellite image of Yorktown to reinforce the images the author was painting. This book is very well written and was a pleasure to read. It to me longer than usual, not because it was a difficult read, but because I was enjoying it immensely. If you enjoy American History, and in particular the American Revolution, you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book!
This account of the last modern siege in history, the siege of Yorktown, was riveting. It puts the reader there in the trenches as the scenes unfold. Using historical documents and correspondences, the author does a superb job of placing the reader amongst the dust, gunpowder, and dew. You can see in your mind the action unfolding. While reading it, I used a modern satellite image of Yorktown to reinforce the images the author was painting. This book is very well written and was a pleasure to read. It to me longer than usual, not because it was a difficult read, but because I was enjoying it immensely. If you enjoy American History, and in particular the American Revolution, you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book!
January 30, 2017
This is a historical narrative of the events leading up to and including the Siege at Yorktown and its surrender to George Washington. Thomas Fleming goes to the personal diaries, letters to the folks back home, and later published works by participants in the battle as well as the dispatches sent by courier between the principals of both sides on the ground and on board naval ships. These sources bring not only documented authenticity to the entire description of the action but also a lively narrative to both entertain and educate the reader. The details, through the eyes and reports of soldiers, sergeants and officers, give one the feeling of having actually walked the ground after the conclusion of the devastating battle, explosions and bloodshed. Five Stars for sure!
August 8, 2015
Intricate history made real
This author has the uncanny ability to make real history come alive. As good as a James Michener or Herman Wouk; but then they were writing the fictionalized story while Fleming is telling the real one. Third book of his I've read. Will be reading more.
This author has the uncanny ability to make real history come alive. As good as a James Michener or Herman Wouk; but then they were writing the fictionalized story while Fleming is telling the real one. Third book of his I've read. Will be reading more.
April 22, 2016
No maps!
This book is well written and very engaging. But how can you write a military history and not include a single map? Well worth reading, but find some good maps before you start.
This book is well written and very engaging. But how can you write a military history and not include a single map? Well worth reading, but find some good maps before you start.
January 22, 2021
A fine book told from the perspective of those that fought the battle. Thomas Fleming does a fine job of blending in the personal accounts with the actual history of the battle. Enjoyed it.
May 12, 2016
Comprehensive
Story told well from a human interest perspective. Still amazing that the Americans won the whole thing. Recommend the book to others.
Story told well from a human interest perspective. Still amazing that the Americans won the whole thing. Recommend the book to others.
November 13, 2016
Really good account of a pivotal battle in the war for independence. Like much of that war, and probably many wars, everything had to fall in place or it would ended very differently.
May 20, 2018
Excellent history read
Fleming does it again. His attention to detail and relevant facts make him one of the best history writers on the planet.
Fleming does it again. His attention to detail and relevant facts make him one of the best history writers on the planet.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews