The American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence 1775–1783

Library of America #123

by John Rhodehamel (Editor)

Drawn from letters, diaries, newspaper articles, public declarations, contemporary narratives, and private memoranda, this Library of America volume brings together over 120 pieces by more than seventy participants and eyewitnesses to create a unique literary panorama of the War of Independence. Beginning with Paul Revere’s own narrative of his legendary ride in April 1775 and ending with a moving account of George Washington’s resignation from the command of the Continental Army in December 1783, the volume contains writing that describes the major events of the conflict—the early battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill; the failed American invasion of Canada; the 1776 campaign in New York and New Jersey; the crucial battle of Saratoga; the bitter fighting in the South and along the western frontier; and the decisive triumph at Yorktown.

Included are writings by famous figures—Washington Franklin, Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, John and Abigail Adams—and by lesser known participants: Samuel Blachley Webb describing courage and panic at Bunker Hill; Sarah Hodgkins writing longingly to her absent soldier husband; Jabez Fitch recounting the last hours of a wounded American officer in Brooklyn; Albigence Waldo chronicling the privations and miseries of Valley Forge; Otho Holland Williams recording with appealing candor American defeats and victories in South Carolina. The volume also contains writings by American Loyalists and by British officers and officials serving in America that provide provocative insights into the losing side of an epochal conflict. All selections are written by people who were in America at the time of the conflict.

The American Revolution also includes a chronology of events, biographical and explanatory notes, and an index.

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

874 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

John Rhodehamel is the former archivist of Mount Vernon and curator of American historical manuscripts at the Huntington Library. He is editor of George Washington: Writings and the American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence, 1775-1783. He lives in Newport Beach, California.

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: This book is misidentified here on Goodreads. The title is "The American Revolution: Writings from the War Of Independence"edited by John Rhodehamel. Years after publishing this book the Library of America issued a two volume set of Writings from the Pamphlet Debate.

Winning American Independence

This splendid anthology helps the reader understand the American Revolution through the writings of the participants. It is similar to the four-volume series the Library of America subsequently published on the American Civil War.

The book consists of a collection of source material on the American Revolution. It begins with Paul Revere's account of his famous ride of April 18, 1775, and it concludes with two accounts of George Washington resigning his commission to the Continental Congress on December 23, 1783, and expressing his wish to return to private life.

The book includes writings from the famous (George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine, and many others); the infamous (Benedict Arnold); and the obscure as they reflect upon and describe the events which helped create our Nation. The anthology also includes source material about virtually every important theater of the Revolutionary War. The reader learns about Bunker Hill, the British occupation of New York, the War in Canada, fighting on the frontier with George Rogers Clark, swamp fighting in South Carolina, and the Siege of Yorktown.

A great merit of the book is that it allows many types of participants to speak. In particular, the book includes a great deal of material from the British and from their Loyalist ("Tory") American allies. It includes as well writings by Indians, African-Americans, the French, the Hessians describing their varied roles in the conflict. The book shows the reader different perspectives on events. It encourages thought and the avoidance of patterned responses.

Some of this source material is difficult to absorb and to organize, particularly for readers lacking a basic familiarity with the course of the Revolutionary War.. Thus, the material ancillary to the text which provides explanation and background is invaluable. It should be consulted repeatedly as the reader works through the volume. It consists of a chronology of the years 1774-1783, biographical notes of the authors of the selections, notes on the sources for the selections, and textual notes. As usual with the Library of America volumes, the textual notes are not extensive. A series of maps illustrating the theaters of the war would have been a welcome addition.

The ambitious reader might want to supplement this book with an account of the general history of the Revolution, particularly with a discussion of the ideals for which the colonists were fighting. I suggest Bernard Bailyn's "The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution" for those who might wish a detailed, scholarly account of the factors driving independence. The Library of America also has published many outstanding volumes of source material on the Founders and on other aspects of the Revolutionary Era. I have learned a great deal from these volumes over the years.

This book will encourage reflection on the value and significance of Independence and of how the principles for which the colonists fought can continue to inform, enrich, and shape our Nation.

Robin Friedman

[Stephen Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully fascinating compilation of letters, narratives, memoranda, newspaper articles, and journal entries spanning the years of the American Revolution (1775-1783). There is a substantial number of entries from the British and Loyalist perspective which adds to the variety of the account. Not being a scholar of the Revolution, here were the major takeaways for me:

1- The letters between John and Abigail Adams are absolutely enthralling and beautiful. Two powerful and keen minds that show an admirable, mutual respect for the other are on display and worthy of emulation.

2- The subject-and-king relationship leads to some amazing writing. The ability to graciously, respectfully, and honorably insult someone else is a gift that is long gone, but a true joy to read.

3- The fact that the Americans actually prevailed in this conflict is amazing. As you read the accounts of the soldiers, officers, generals, and statesmen, you realize that the image of “hanging on by a thread” seems an overestimation of the American predicament throughout most of the war. The army mutinied in the middle of it. American currency depreciated so fast, it was worth nothing, so Congress had no money (and the states weren’t keen on paying for soldiers stationed elsewhere). There was very little military discipline in the beginning especially regarding militias; not to mention no way to organize a standing army initially. No navy whatsoever to prevent blockades. The list goes on and on.

4- The frenetic pace of our modern milieu would be incomprehensible to these people. Letters taking weeks to arrive. Fortifications taking weeks. Troop movements taking weeks. Communications from ambassadors in France/Spain taking weeks. Etc. It actually made it slightly difficult to read, because you expect the narrative to move quickly (as wars seem to do in history books), but in reality there were huge periods of boredom, agonizing uncertainty, and lots of walking from one place to another.

5- Despite their failings, which seem to be on full display today, the major figures of America’s founding were remarkable individuals in their pursuit of liberty. Obviously it has taken centuries (and the work continues) for the implications of their project to mature, but the fact that these people had the fortitude to start it at all seems worth remembering.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first documentary history of an American war published by the Library of America and it shows. I was introduced to these volumes through the excellent (and ongoing) publication of the first few volumes about the Civil War; it's very clear that the editors of those volumes (and the publisher) learned from and improved upon the weaknesses in this otherwise fine volume. There are two main problems with this book as I see it: 1) There is a lack of editorial matter (i.e. an introduction, introductory contextual paragraphs on each entry, and, like some other volumes in the LOA series, comprehensive endnotes [the notes start out fairly well but tend to peter off towards the end of the volume]). Lacking this material, the reader is often left adrift, wondering what happened to cause a writer to take up pen and write the selection, or wondering how a particular piece fits in with other pieces before and after it. True, there is the usual "Chronology" at the back of the book, but in a war of the magnitude of the American Revolution, the Chronology is often vague, too brief, or incomplete on these details (not to mention that the reader often has to wade through long paragraphs to find the one tidbit of information she needs to make sense of something). In short, much of what one reads in this volume is only semi-comprehensible, events glimpsed imperfectly as if through a semi-opaque blindfold. An example is the very first piece by Paul Revere presumably describing the causes of his "midnight ride," but not containing enough information _in itself_ to verify this hypothesis. Another instance can be found at the end of the volume: after the war's end, some officers in the Army threatened to take up arms against the Congress or move beyond the frontier unless Congress paid them. That is clear enough, but reference is made in one of the documents regarding this incident to the causal role played by how Massachusetts treated its troops. The reader, however, is never given the details of what that colony did.

2) The other problem is the length of the volume itself. The complexity of the war (with actions taking place simultaneously on several fronts or in several theaters) is too vast for a single volume of only 800 pages. Some rather important battles and actions are thus left out entirely, and documents that would elucidate the action from both (or all) sides of the conflict are not present for every battle that is featured. This, like the first problem above, leads to an incomplete understanding of the War and its events, one that could have been solved by presenting this work, perhaps, as a two-volume set.

However, there is also much to be praised here. The sources of the material are wide, varied, and many of them have been out of print for over 150 years (this, in itself, makes the volume worth reading). The insights on the people and actions of the time are truly valuable and interesting (I particularly benefited from reading accounts of Benedict Arnold's treason, which filled in gaps in knowledge that were, I believe, not addressed in my previous education). Given how valuable this single volume is, I wonder if the LOA might not consider offering a revised and much expanded second edition? Please? Pretty please?

[David Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could, because I think it falls short of their other war collections, such as there excellent writing of the Civil war series and their War of 1812 writings collection. This collection has some serious shortcomings that hold it back. First off, it has far too much material from the British/Loyalist point-of-view, probably a fifty/fifty split, which seems inappropriate in a book entitled 'Library of America.' An example, the Battles of Long Island and New York got nearly thirty pages from a British POV, but the stunning victory at Trenton gets two? Just felt off, there should've been more American POV. Second, the book leaves out too much of the revolution. It should've been 200 pages longer, or split into two volumes. Important events such as the Battle of Bennington are mentioned in passing, and the bloody Battle of Oriskany isn't mentioned at all. A lot of the raiding activities on the frontier are glossed over, and numerous small battles in the south not even mentioned. Additionally, there's a very limited amount of material about how the civilian population was responding to the war around them, so you never get a great feel for it.

That said, there's a decent amount of good stuff too. Right off the bat, it's all primary source material from the people who lived it, so you're not getting a huge amount of modern biases, just the biases of the people at the time. The major battles are covered, as are some of the (many) troubles the continental congress had in trying to supply an army, fight a war, and establish a government at the same time. There's a good amount of Washington in here, and a surprising amount of Nathaniel Greene. This I liked a lot as he seems very underrated in our history, but managed to fight a genius campaign in the south where his 'defeats' we so costly to the British that they couldn't continue the offensive. The book may not reach it's full potential, but there's definitely worthy stuff within.

[Dale Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely astounding book. I've had it on my shelf for many years, and just finally got around to reading it. As a Library of America offering, I expected it to be first rate, as per usual. The editor, John Rhodehamel, has done a fantastic job of piecing together some really important documents. What I DIDN'T anticipate, however, was how urgent and compelling it would be. The amazing thing Rhodehamel has done is that he's pieced the documents together in such a way that they create a narrative of the entire war from start to finish, and from the viewpoint of the actual people involved. He utilizes letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, etc., to do this, so you get an incredibly vivid sense of what the war really felt like to people as it actually unfolded. There is something revelatory and fascinating on nearly every page, and he has thankfully preserved the (charming) period spellings and punctuation wherever possible. Never have I gotten a better sense of what the world really felt like at the time, or what was at stake for everyone involved. This is an absolutely terrific book.

[Paul Jellinek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another triumph from the Library of America, this is a stunning compilation of first-hand accounts of the events of the American Revolution, as seen from both sides and through the eyes of common soldiers and ordinary citizens, as well as luminaries like George Washington, Lord Cornwallis, and Abigail Adams. Since all the accounts are published in their original form--complete with misspellings, random punctuation, etc.--it isn't always easy going, but the end result is that this pivotal struggle in our nation's history is brought to life in a way that no conventional historian, no matter how talented, could pull off. The closing pages having to do with George Washington's speech to his officers in the face of an impending mutiny, and the resignation of his commission to the Congress, are profoundly moving and almost had me in tears.

[Duffy Pratt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Library of America has a number of books containing contemporaneous reports of significant events. I've read the two volume sets of both the WW2 reporting and on Civil Rights. They were both fantastic and fascinating.

This one volume collection of writings from Revolutionary War was less so. Part of it is just the stylistic changes from the 18th century to now. Part of it is the fact that these accounts are largely from scattered diaries, written by people who were mostly not particularly good writers. Professional journalists just tend to do a better job.

There are some interesting things here. For example, the British treatment of slaves was something I did not have any idea about. They offered slaves their freedom if they would come work on their side. So far, good enough. But losing the war, they just abandoned the slaves for the most part. Worse, there are allegations that Cornwallis purposefully infected a number of slaves in the South with smallpox and then sent them back into the general population in the hopes of spreading the pox among the rebels. I have no idea whether that is true or rumor.

It took me, coming back again and again, almost two years to get through this book. It's not the longest a book has ever taken me, but it's right up there. I'm not sorry to have done it, but I strongly doubt whether I'll ever refer to this collection again.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have tried to write how much I love this volume with original texts, but I keep hating my pretension. This should have a sequel "More Writings From The War Of Independence" volume.

Thanks, Library of America, for not cleaning up grammar and spelling, or if you did I'm not seeing it. When I visited the Mutter Museum almost 20 years ago they had an exhibition of the Lewis & Clark expedition whose displays featured large period-font excerpts from their journals. I remember going to a library and picking up the Journals and immediately realizing I would not be reading a corrected version.

Something of that same bent is in play here. Read the original Revolutionary (and Loyalist! and British!) voices. This volume has them all, and it's such a pocketful of the America that despite its hideous hypocrisy and empiric ambitions didn't finally disgrace itself until about 130 years later when it undid Reconstruction. Then you had a century and a quarter of constant and complete chaos. I love that Americans congratulate themselves on delivering on the promise of their Founding Fathers. The last 124 years have been a long, unrelenting . . . .

. . . . Sorry. Keep this book with you.

[Dawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate this expansive classic collection of all genres and have read many of them. This particular one is very enjoyable, educational, and enlightening as it contains actual papers, essays, letters, orders, journal entries, etc., etc. from the American Revolution. Some of the authors, of said writings, were new to me (of course), however, some of them were old favorites such as Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin.

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOOD BOOK.

[Zachary Hadsell]

This collection of letters and articles offers a fascinating look participants’ perspectives during the Revolutionary War; from both sides. The main thing lacking here is context for the letters. There’s no introduction for each letter to give the reader the any context, aside from the date it was written, although there is a short bio for each writer and a brief chronology of events.

Ethan Allen, George Rogers Clark, and John Paul Jones were the stars of these letters in my opinion. Their accounts of their military operations and heroism are thrilling and they are all brave and daring beyond description.

I read this in tandem with John Ferling’s Almost a Miracle and they serve as great complements to each other.

[Ann Marie]

I went into this book feeling obliged to read because of wanting some sincere change in the good old U.S., so I thought I'd check with the founding fathers. Now, I actually WANT to read it as the book has authentic documentation from those who shook things up because they really wanted change and really believed in something. Inspiring, especially during pre-election times. Parts are dry and it's really long. But you have the freedom (no pun intended) to pick and choose what's compelling to read, since it's broken up into letters, memoirs, etc...

[Stan Lanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

First hand accounts written between 1775 and 1783, from participants on both sides. It is quite something to read the words Lord Cornwallis wrote to his commander explaining his defeat at Yorktown, or the words of a common soldier encountering a 12 foot alligator in the middle of a road during a march in South Carolina. With only a general knowledge of the events of our Revolutionary War, this volume gives it some flesh and excitement.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a whole new understanding of the American Revolution. The book has writings from all different points of view and all walks of life. I really enjoyed reading it. The scholarship and the details like the chronology make reading this book an excellent learning experience. If you have any interest in this subject it is well worth your time to read this book.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The variety of sources and perspectives make for a unique look into the war by the people who lived it. They also make for a wide range in enjoyment as some are very dry or poorly written while others are quite engaging. All help make this a great supplement for standard history books on the American Revolution.

[James Violand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immerse yourself in the American Revolution by reading letters and eye-witness accounts from the combatants and civilians, merchants and farmers, men and women who endured it. A great reading experience.

[Craig Bolton]

The American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence (Library of America) by Various (2001)

[Christina]

I enjoyed this book greatly. I am glad letters and journals from both the British and Colonist perspectives were included.