This Glorious Cause

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The Glorious Cause

Author : Jeff Shaara
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345458680
Total Pages : 658 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (454 download)

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Book Synopsis The Glorious Cause by : Jeff Shaara

Download or read book The Glorious Cause written by Jeff Shaara and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2010-12-29 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Rise to Rebellion, bestselling author Jeff Shaara captured the origins of the American Revolution as brilliantly as he depicted the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. Now he continues the amazing saga of how thirteen colonies became a nation, taking the conflict from kingdom and courtroom to the bold and bloody battlefields of war. It was never a war in which the outcome was obvious. Despite their spirit and stamina, the colonists were outmanned and outfought by the brazen British army. General George Washington found his troops trounced in the battles of Brooklyn and Manhattan and retreated toward Pennsylvania. With the future of the colonies at its lowest ebb, Washington made his most fateful decision: to cross the Delaware River and attack the enemy. The stunning victory at Trenton began a saga of victory and defeat that concluded with the British surrender at Yorktown, a moment that changed the history of the world. The despair and triumph of America’s first great army is conveyed in scenes as powerful as any Shaara has written, a story told from the points of view of some of the most memorable characters in American history. There is George Washington, the charismatic leader who held his army together to achieve an unlikely victory; Charles Cornwallis, the no-nonsense British general, more than a match for his colonial counterpart; Nathaniel Greene, who rose from obscurity to become the finest battlefield commander in Washington’s army; The Marquis de Lafayette, the young Frenchman who brought a soldier’s passion to America; and Benjamin Franklin, a brilliant man of science and philosophy who became the finest statesman of his day. From Nathan Hale to Benedict Arnold, William Howe to “Light Horse” Harry Lee, from Trenton and Valley Forge, Brandywine and Yorktown, the American Revolution’s most immortal characters and poignant moments are brought to life in remarkable Shaara style. Yet, The Glorious Cause is more than just a story of the legendary six-year struggle. It is a tribute to an amazing people who turned ideas into action and fought to declare themselves free. Above all, it is a riveting novel that both expands and surpasses its beloved author’s best work.

The Glorious Cause

Author : Robert Middlekauff
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780312036355
Total Pages : 696 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (363 download)

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Book Synopsis The Glorious Cause by : Robert Middlekauff

Download or read book The Glorious Cause written by Robert Middlekauff and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 696 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recounts the events leading up to the Revolution and discusses the major leaders, campaigns, and battles of the war.

Washington's Revolution

Author : Robert Middlekauff
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 110187239X
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis Washington's Revolution by : Robert Middlekauff

Download or read book Washington's Revolution written by Robert Middlekauff and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2016-02-09 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on Washington’s early years, Bancroft Prize winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Robert Middlekauff penetrates his mystique, revealing his all-too-human fears, values, and passions. Rich in psychological detail regarding Washington’s temperament, idiosyncrasies, and experiences, this book shows a self-conscious Washington who grew in confidence and experience as a young soldier, businessman, and Virginia gentleman, and who was transformed into a patriot by the revolutionary ferment of the 1760s and ’70s. Middlekauff makes clear that Washington was at the heart of not just the revolution’s course and outcome but also the success of the nation it produced. This vivid, insightful new account of the formative years that shaped a callow George Washington into an extraordinary leader is an indispensable book for truly understanding one of America’s great figures.

The Glorious Cause

Author : Robert Middlekauff
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199740925
Total Pages : 768 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis The Glorious Cause by : Robert Middlekauff

Download or read book The Glorious Cause written by Robert Middlekauff and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-03-09 with total page 768 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically acclaimed volume--a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize--offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic. Beginning with the French and Indian War and continuing to the election of George Washington as first president, Robert Middlekauff offers a panoramic history of the conflict between England and America, highlighting the drama and anguish of the colonial struggle for independence. Combining the political and the personal, he provides a compelling account of the key events that precipitated the war, from the Stamp Act to the Tea Act, tracing the gradual gathering of American resistance that culminated in the Boston Tea Party and "the shot heard 'round the world." The heart of the book features a vivid description of the eight-year-long war, with gripping accounts of battles and campaigns, ranging from Bunker Hill and Washington's crossing of the Delaware to the brilliant victory at Hannah's Cowpens and the final triumph at Yorktown, paying particular attention to what made men fight in these bloody encounters. The book concludes with an insightful look at the making of the Constitution in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 and the struggle over ratification. Through it all, Middlekauff gives the reader a vivid sense of how the colonists saw these events and the importance they gave to them. Common soldiers and great generals, Sons of Liberty and African slaves, town committee-men and representatives in congress--all receive their due. And there are particularly insightful portraits of such figures as Sam and John Adams, James Otis, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many others. This new edition has been revised and expanded, with fresh coverage of topics such as mob reactions to British measures before the War, military medicine, women's role in the Revolution, American Indians, the different kinds of war fought by the Americans and the British, and the ratification of the Constitution. The book also has a new epilogue and an updated bibliography. The cause for which the colonists fought, liberty and independence, was glorious indeed. Here is an equally glorious narrative of an event that changed the world, capturing the profound and passionate struggle to found a free nation. The Oxford History of the United States The Oxford History of the United States is the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize winners, a New York Times bestseller, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. The Atlantic Monthly has praised it as "the most distinguished series in American historical scholarship," a series that "synthesizes a generation's worth of historical inquiry and knowledge into one literally state-of-the-art book." Conceived under the general editorship of C. Vann Woodward and Richard Hofstadter, and now under the editorship of David M. Kennedy, this renowned series blends social, political, economic, cultural, diplomatic, and military history into coherent and vividly written narrative.

The American Cause

Author : Russell Kirk
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1497608090
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (976 download)

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Book Synopsis The American Cause by : Russell Kirk

Download or read book The American Cause written by Russell Kirk and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American Cause explains in simple yet eloquent language the bedrock principles upon which America's experiment in constitutional self-government is built. Russell Kirk intended "this little book" to be an assertion of the moral and social principles upholding our nation. Kirk's primer is an aid to reflection on those principles—political, economic, and religious—that have united Americans when faced with challenges and threats from the enemies of ordered freedom. In this new age of terrorism, Kirk's lucid and straightforward presentation of the articles of American belief is both necessary and welcome. Gleaves Whitney's newly edited version of Kirk's work, combined with his insightful commentary, make The American Cause a timely addition to the literature of liberty.

Glorious Causes

Author : Yale R. Magrass
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000186385
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (1 download)

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Book Synopsis Glorious Causes by : Yale R. Magrass

Download or read book Glorious Causes written by Yale R. Magrass and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-10-11 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on historical cases of the American South before and after the Civil War, Europe – especially Germany – between the world wars, and the United States in Vietnam and its aftermath, this book takes a historical approach to explain the problems of capitalism and democratic leadership in western democracies today. Capitalist democracies proclaim equality, material prosperity and comfort but produce extreme differences in wealth and power. They promise security and peace, but deliver frequent wars. The promises broken, elites often turn to other visions- partially borrowed from feudalism- to win public support. Nations turn to honor, nobility and war as a way of winning over workers and legitimating the capitalist system itself. Capitalism’s contradictions often have produced a cultural divide. One side, "cosmopolitans" – urban, see themselves as citizens of the world, not one region or country – identify as secular, preach multi-culturalism, entertain state welfare systems, and are cautious about going to war. Their opponents, "traditionalists," breed among people who feel left behind, anxiousness and insecurity, often embracing community, tradition, God and family. The devastation of the world wars and the Third Reich led Europe to forgo visions of empire, militarism and glory and focus upon improving the quality of life for their own citizens. Although the United States does not need to experience comparable trauma, they should follow Europe’s example- forget glory and instead build a better life for the American people. The last chapter will consider how such a change could emerge in the US and who might help fight for it.

The Glorious Revolution in America

Author : Michael G. Hall
Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 0807838667
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (78 download)

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Book Synopsis The Glorious Revolution in America by : Michael G. Hall

Download or read book The Glorious Revolution in America written by Michael G. Hall and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2012-12-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: England's Glorious Revolution of 1688 created a major crisis among the British colonies in America. Following news of the English Revolution, a series of rebellions and insurrections erupted in colonial America from Massachusetts to Carolina. Although the upheavals of 1689 were sparked by local grievances, there were also general causes for the repudiation of Stuart authority. Originally published in 1964. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Washington's Crossing

Author : David Hackett Fischer
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199756678
Total Pages : 578 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis Washington's Crossing by : David Hackett Fischer

Download or read book Washington's Crossing written by David Hackett Fischer and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-02-01 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. Yet, as David Hackett Fischer recounts in this riveting history, George Washington--and many other Americans--refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined. Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many actors, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning.

Rise to Rebellion

Author : Jeff Shaara
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345478509
Total Pages : 513 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (454 download)

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Book Synopsis Rise to Rebellion by : Jeff Shaara

Download or read book Rise to Rebellion written by Jeff Shaara and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2011-07-06 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jeff Shaara dazzled readers with his bestselling novels Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, and Gone for Soldiers. Now the acclaimed author who illuminated the Civil War and the Mexican-American War brilliantly brings to life the American Revolution, creating a superb saga of the men who helped to forge the destiny of a nation. In 1770, the fuse of revolution is lit by a fateful command "Fire!" as England's peacekeeping mission ignites into the Boston Massacre. The senseless killing of civilians leads to a tumultuous trial in which lawyer John Adams must defend the very enemy who has assaulted and abused the laws he holds sacred. The taut courtroom drama soon broadens into a stunning epic of war as King George III leads a reckless and corrupt government in London toward the escalating abuse of his colonies. Outraged by the increasing loss of their liberties, an extraordinary gathering of America's most inspiring characters confronts the British presence with the ideals that will change history. John Adams, the idealistic attorney devoted to the law, who rises to greatness by the power of his words . . . Ben Franklin, one of the most celebrated men of his time, the elderly and audacious inventor and philosopher who endures firsthand the hostile prejudice of the British government . . . Thomas Gage, the British general given the impossible task of crushing a colonial rebellion without starting an all-out war . . . George Washington, the dashing Virginian whose battle experience in the French and Indian War brings him the recognition that elevates him to command of a colonial army . . . and many other immortal names from the Founding Family of the colonial struggle - Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee - captured as never before in their full flesh-and-blood humanity. More than a powerful portrait of the people and purpose of the revolution, Rise to Rebellion is a vivid account of history's most pivotal events. The Boston Tea Party, the battles of Concord and Bunker Hill: all are recreated with the kind of breathtaking detail only a master like Jeff Shaara can muster. His most impressive achievement, Rise to Rebellion reveals with new immediacy how philosophers became fighters, ideas their ammunition, and how a scattered group of colonies became the United States of America.

Sister Revolutions

Author : Susan Dunn
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
ISBN 13 : 1429923695
Total Pages : 351 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis Sister Revolutions by : Susan Dunn

Download or read book Sister Revolutions written by Susan Dunn and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2000-09-04 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What the two great modern revolutions can teach us about democracy today. In 1790, the American diplomat and politician Gouverneur Morris compared the French and American Revolutions, saying that the French "have taken Genius instead of Reason for their guide, adopted Experiment instead of Experience, and wander in the Dark because they prefer Lightning to Light." Although both revolutions professed similar Enlightenment ideals of freedom, equality, and justice, there were dramatic differences. The Americans were content to preserve many aspects of their English heritage; the French sought a complete break with a thousand years of history. The Americans accepted nonviolent political conflict; the French valued unity above all. The Americans emphasized individual rights, while the French stressed public order and cohesion. Why did the two revolutions follow such different trajectories? What influence have the two different visions of democracy had on modern history? And what lessons do they offer us about democracy today? In a lucid narrative style, with particular emphasis on lively portraits of the major actors, Susan Dunn traces the legacies of the two great revolutions through modern history and up to the revolutionary movements of our own time. Her combination of history and political analysis will appeal to all who take an interest in the way democratic nations are governed.

My Brother Sam Is Dead

Author : James Lincoln Collier
Publisher : Blackstone Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1620641984
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis My Brother Sam Is Dead by : James Lincoln Collier

Download or read book My Brother Sam Is Dead written by James Lincoln Collier and published by Blackstone Publishing. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic story of one family torn apart by the Revolutionary War All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother. Sam is smart and brave, and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British, including Tim and Sam's father. With the war soon raging, Tim knows he will have to make a choice between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats, and between his brother and his father.

Revolutionary America, 1763-1815

Author : Francis D. Cogliano
Publisher : Psychology Press
ISBN 13 : 0415180589
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (151 download)

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Book Synopsis Revolutionary America, 1763-1815 by : Francis D. Cogliano

Download or read book Revolutionary America, 1763-1815 written by Francis D. Cogliano and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering the experiences of various groups (including women, native Americans and African Americans), this book explains the crucial events in the history of the United States between 1763 and 1815.

A Leap in the Dark

Author : John Ferling
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199728704
Total Pages : 577 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis A Leap in the Dark by : John Ferling

Download or read book A Leap in the Dark written by John Ferling and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2003-06-12 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was an age of fascinating leaders and difficult choices, of grand ideas eloquently expressed and of epic conflicts bitterly fought. Now comes a brilliant portrait of the American Revolution, one that is compelling in its prose, fascinating in its details, and provocative in its fresh interpretations. In A Leap in the Dark, John Ferling offers a magisterial new history that surges from the first rumblings of colonial protest to the volcanic election of 1800. Ferling's swift-moving narrative teems with fascinating details. We see Benjamin Franklin trying to decide if his loyalty was to Great Britain or to America, and we meet George Washington when he was a shrewd planter-businessman who discovered personal economic advantages to American independence. We encounter those who supported the war against Great Britain in 1776, but opposed independence because it was a "leap in the dark." Following the war, we hear talk in the North of secession from the United States. The author offers a gripping account of the most dramatic events of our history, showing just how closely fought were the struggle for independence, the adoption of the Constitution, and the later battle between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. Yet, without slowing the flow of events, he has also produced a landmark study of leadership and ideas. Here is all the erratic brilliance of Hamilton and Jefferson battling to shape the new nation, and here too is the passion and political shrewdness of revolutionaries, such as Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry, and their Loyalist counterparts, Joseph Galloway and Thomas Hutchinson. Here as well are activists who are not so well known today, men like Abraham Yates, who battled for democratic change, and Theodore Sedgwick, who fought to preserve the political and social system of the colonial past. Ferling shows that throughout this period the epic political battles often resembled today's politics and the politicians--the founders--played a political hardball attendant with enmities, selfish motivations, and bitterness. The political stakes, this book demonstrates, were extraordinary: first to secure independence, then to determine the meaning of the American Revolution. John Ferling has shown himself to be an insightful historian of our Revolution, and an unusually skillful writer. A Leap in the Dark is his masterpiece, work that provokes, enlightens, and entertains in full measure.

Two Novels of the Revolutionary War

Author : Jeff Shaara
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345534875
Total Pages : 1624 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (455 download)

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Book Synopsis Two Novels of the Revolutionary War by : Jeff Shaara

Download or read book Two Novels of the Revolutionary War written by Jeff Shaara and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2013-01-14 with total page 1624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Jeff Shaara, the modern master of military fiction, whose father reinvented the war novel with his Pulitzer Prize–winning classic The Killer Angels, comes an exclusive eBook edition collecting two stirring novels of the American Revolution: Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause. RISE TO REBELLION “Gripping human drama.”—Baltimore Sun Rise to Rebellion brilliantly brings to life the early days of the American Revolution, creating an unforgettable saga of the men who helped to forge the destiny of a nation—from idealistic attorney John Adams to audacious inventor and philosopher Benjamin Franklin. Shaara’s most impressive achievement reveals how philosophers became fighters, how ideas became their ammunition, and how a scattered group of colonies became the United States of America. THE GLORIOUS CAUSE “Vivid and compelling . . . Shaara reaches new heights here, with a narrative that’s impossible to put down.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) The Glorious Cause brings the saga of victory and defeat full circle, from the stunning victory at Trenton to the British surrender at Yorktown—a moment that changed the history of the world. This dramatic concluding volume is a tribute to the amazing people who turned ideas into action and fought to declare themselves free.

Glorious

Author : Paul Gascoigne
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1849837457
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (498 download)

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Book Synopsis Glorious by : Paul Gascoigne

Download or read book Glorious written by Paul Gascoigne and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-10-13 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even people who don't know football know who 'Gazza' is. The man born as Paul John Gascoigne to a working-class family in the North-East has found headlines on the front pages almost as often as the back pages throughout his life, thanks in great part to his more than colourful lifestyle. But it is for his time as a footballer of the very highest order that Gazza's name will forever live in sporting history. During a career that spanned more than ten different clubs, among them Newcastle United, Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers, and which included countless unforgettable England performances, Gazza established himself as one of the sport's all-time greats: a master of skill, flair and invention like none that his country had produced before nor perhaps ever will again. Told in Gazza's own unique voice and fully illustrated with hundreds of photos from the moments that he feels defined his career,Glorious: My World, Football and Meis a celebration, offering an unrivalled insight into the mind of this greatest of footballers.

This Glorious Cause

Author : Robert Krenzel
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781511465199
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (651 download)

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Book Synopsis This Glorious Cause by : Robert Krenzel

Download or read book This Glorious Cause written by Robert Krenzel and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-04-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An ordinary young man in extraordinary times! Gideon Hawke is a fifteen year-old with problems. What does he want to do with his life? Should he go to college or get a job? The girl he likes couldn't possibly like him, could she? Her father sure doesn't! Then it happens: on April 19th, 1775 British troops march into Gideon's hometown of Lexington, Massachusetts, fighting breaks out, and Gideon is at war. Amidst savage fighting in Lexington, on the Concord Road, and on Breeds Hill, Gideon learns the hard way to be a soldier, and loses some of his closest friends. He is soon adrift and alone, but a chance run-in with military discipline places Gideon in an elite unit: Thompson's Rifle Battalion. With his new comrades Gideon is once again in the thick of battle. Soon he is leading men in a critical mission that might prove decisive in the struggle to end the British occupation of Boston.

For Cause and Comrades

Author : James M. McPherson
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199741050
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis For Cause and Comrades by : James M. McPherson

Download or read book For Cause and Comrades written by James M. McPherson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1997-04-03 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General John A. Wickham, commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s and subsequently Army Chief of Staff, once visited Antietam battlefield. Gazing at Bloody Lane where, in 1862, several Union assaults were brutally repulsed before they finally broke through, he marveled, "You couldn't get American soldiers today to make an attack like that." Why did those men risk certain death, over and over again, through countless bloody battles and four long, awful years ? Why did the conventional wisdom -- that soldiers become increasingly cynical and disillusioned as war progresses -- not hold true in the Civil War? It is to this question--why did they fight--that James McPherson, America's preeminent Civil War historian, now turns his attention. He shows that, contrary to what many scholars believe, the soldiers of the Civil War remained powerfully convinced of the ideals for which they fought throughout the conflict. Motivated by duty and honor, and often by religious faith, these men wrote frequently of their firm belief in the cause for which they fought: the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and patriotism. Soldiers on both sides harkened back to the Founding Fathers, and the ideals of the American Revolution. They fought to defend their country, either the Union--"the best Government ever made"--or the Confederate states, where their very homes and families were under siege. And they fought to defend their honor and manhood. "I should not lik to go home with the name of a couhard," one Massachusetts private wrote, and another private from Ohio said, "My wife would sooner hear of my death than my disgrace." Even after three years of bloody battles, more than half of the Union soldiers reenlisted voluntarily. "While duty calls me here and my country demands my services I should be willing to make the sacrifice," one man wrote to his protesting parents. And another soldier said simply, "I still love my country." McPherson draws on more than 25,000 letters and nearly 250 private diaries from men on both sides. Civil War soldiers were among the most literate soldiers in history, and most of them wrote home frequently, as it was the only way for them to keep in touch with homes that many of them had left for the first time in their lives. Significantly, their letters were also uncensored by military authorities, and are uniquely frank in their criticism and detailed in their reports of marches and battles, relations between officers and men, political debates, and morale. For Cause and Comrades lets these soldiers tell their own stories in their own words to create an account that is both deeply moving and far truer than most books on war. Battle Cry of Freedom, McPherson's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the Civil War, was a national bestseller that Hugh Brogan, in The New York Times, called "history writing of the highest order." For Cause and Comrades deserves similar accolades, as McPherson's masterful prose and the soldiers' own words combine to create both an important book on an often-overlooked aspect of our bloody Civil War, and a powerfully moving account of the men who fought it.