By Paul Carrier
As its name inplies, Rick Atkinson’s The British Are Coming chronicles the American Revolution. But only part of it. This is not a complete examination of the war from start to finish, because it's the opening salvo in a planned trilogy. The initial entry only zeroes in on 1775 through early 1777, from Lexington to Princeton, yet the book tops 500 pages of text. That's no criticism. This is solid stuff. There is no padding.
A former Washington Post writer and editor whose awards include Pulitzer Prizes for history and journalism, Atkinson is no stranger to multi-volume works of history. He is the author of the Liberation Trilogy: An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light, which document the American role in the European theater during World War Two.
In The British Are Coming, Atkinson provides a lively and remarkably detailed account of the American Revolution’s first two years. He begins by transporting readers to Massachusetts as the revolt simmers and finally boils over in 1775, paving the way for the conflict to spread and for the colonies to declare their independence the following year.
In England, meanwhile, an overly optimistic King George III holds firm to the naive belief that Britain will emerge victorious in due course, even as some critics within his realm decry that outlook as unrealistic and misguided. British leaders continued to insist for quite some time, against mounting evidence, that most Americans remained loyal to the crown and that a few hotheads were to blame for the uprising.
This is no dry recounting of historical events. Military developments unfold with great clarity, aided by the presence of two dozen skillfully drawn maps. Atkinson writes in such a vivid style that, if readers did not know better, they might feel they are in the hands of a skilled novelist rather than a historian.
It doesn’t hurt that Atkinson has so much to work with, thanks to a historical record tailor-made for a riveting, roller-coaster ride. Lexington and Concord; Bunker Hill; the British evacuation of Boston; the patriots’ capture of Montréal, followed by the failed rebel assault on the city of Québec; the disastrous quest to retain control of New York in the face of a British onslaught. The list goes on and on, culminating with patriot victories in Trenton and Princeton.
Seemingly, nothing escapes Atkinson’s notice, and he shares it all with the exuberance of a kid (albeit an extremely literate kid) intent on discussing his latest discovery. For example, Atkinson does not settle for telling us that London was “the largest city in the Western world” in 1775, with 750,000 residents. He takes us there.
The din of the city included “the bawl of ballad mongers, knife grinders, itinerant musicians, and pleading beggars, some with rented babies on their hips; the clop and clatter of hooves and iron-wheeled carts on paving stones; the tinkling bells of scavenger drays; the cries of Thames ferrymen and hagglers selling flowers, or apples, or jellied eels, or quack potions.” By one later tally, Atkinson writes, London’s countless public houses (saloons) included 55 Swans, 90 King’s Heads and 120 Lions, but only one named the Good Man.
In fact, the chronology of Atkinson’s book already is familiar to readers knowledgeable about the American Revolution. His contribution is a combination of deep research, spirited writing, memorable tidbits and evocative descriptions of key players. Benedict Arnold, still a patriot at this point, was “muscular and graceful, with black hair, a swarthy complexion” and a “long, beaky nose.” He was “adept at fencing, boxing, sailing, shooting, riding, and ice-skating.” Nathanael Greene, one of Washington’s ablest generals, was “a double-chinned, blue-eyed bumpkin with a deep chest, brawny shoulders, and heavy palm calluses, which he shaved to make his hands more supple.”
Where else but in this book are you likely to learn that Washington, after his marriage to Martha Custis in 1759, ordered, from London, “four ounces of Spanish fly, an aphrodisiac made from crushed beetles”?
Add the propulsive strength of Atkinson's narrative and you have a winning formula. The battles unfold with cinematic power because Atkinson’s prose is so precise and compelling.
By spreading his account over three volumes, the second and third of which have yet to be published, Atkinson not only pays close attention to prominent aspects of the war but also devotes considerable space to more obscure developments. The destruction of Norfolk, Va., early in the revolution falls into the latter category; Atkinson gives it the close examination it deserves.
The British Are Coming is a glorious but cleared-eyed look at the early years of the American Revolution, warts and all. Rebel generalship was often bad in the early going, before George Washington took command. And even the bold and courageous Washington was sometimes plagued by poor judgment and miscalculation. Patriots could be excessively cruel when dealing with loyalists, whose rights they often violated with impunity. As for the British commanders, their inhumane treatment of American prisoners of war remains a stain on their job performance to this day.
In the end, this is an uplifting account of American grit and determination against stunning odds. It is the story of militia members and Continental Army soldiers who, despite many desertions and expired enlistments that often were not renewed, persevered in the face of great hardship, disease, and discouraging defeats. As a soldier quoted by Atkinson wrote in the orderly book of the 2nd New York Regiment:
A former Washington Post writer and editor whose awards include Pulitzer Prizes for history and journalism, Atkinson is no stranger to multi-volume works of history. He is the author of the Liberation Trilogy: An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light, which document the American role in the European theater during World War Two.
In The British Are Coming, Atkinson provides a lively and remarkably detailed account of the American Revolution’s first two years. He begins by transporting readers to Massachusetts as the revolt simmers and finally boils over in 1775, paving the way for the conflict to spread and for the colonies to declare their independence the following year.
In England, meanwhile, an overly optimistic King George III holds firm to the naive belief that Britain will emerge victorious in due course, even as some critics within his realm decry that outlook as unrealistic and misguided. British leaders continued to insist for quite some time, against mounting evidence, that most Americans remained loyal to the crown and that a few hotheads were to blame for the uprising.
This is no dry recounting of historical events. Military developments unfold with great clarity, aided by the presence of two dozen skillfully drawn maps. Atkinson writes in such a vivid style that, if readers did not know better, they might feel they are in the hands of a skilled novelist rather than a historian.
It doesn’t hurt that Atkinson has so much to work with, thanks to a historical record tailor-made for a riveting, roller-coaster ride. Lexington and Concord; Bunker Hill; the British evacuation of Boston; the patriots’ capture of Montréal, followed by the failed rebel assault on the city of Québec; the disastrous quest to retain control of New York in the face of a British onslaught. The list goes on and on, culminating with patriot victories in Trenton and Princeton.
Seemingly, nothing escapes Atkinson’s notice, and he shares it all with the exuberance of a kid (albeit an extremely literate kid) intent on discussing his latest discovery. For example, Atkinson does not settle for telling us that London was “the largest city in the Western world” in 1775, with 750,000 residents. He takes us there.
The din of the city included “the bawl of ballad mongers, knife grinders, itinerant musicians, and pleading beggars, some with rented babies on their hips; the clop and clatter of hooves and iron-wheeled carts on paving stones; the tinkling bells of scavenger drays; the cries of Thames ferrymen and hagglers selling flowers, or apples, or jellied eels, or quack potions.” By one later tally, Atkinson writes, London’s countless public houses (saloons) included 55 Swans, 90 King’s Heads and 120 Lions, but only one named the Good Man.
In fact, the chronology of Atkinson’s book already is familiar to readers knowledgeable about the American Revolution. His contribution is a combination of deep research, spirited writing, memorable tidbits and evocative descriptions of key players. Benedict Arnold, still a patriot at this point, was “muscular and graceful, with black hair, a swarthy complexion” and a “long, beaky nose.” He was “adept at fencing, boxing, sailing, shooting, riding, and ice-skating.” Nathanael Greene, one of Washington’s ablest generals, was “a double-chinned, blue-eyed bumpkin with a deep chest, brawny shoulders, and heavy palm calluses, which he shaved to make his hands more supple.”
Where else but in this book are you likely to learn that Washington, after his marriage to Martha Custis in 1759, ordered, from London, “four ounces of Spanish fly, an aphrodisiac made from crushed beetles”?
Add the propulsive strength of Atkinson's narrative and you have a winning formula. The battles unfold with cinematic power because Atkinson’s prose is so precise and compelling.
By spreading his account over three volumes, the second and third of which have yet to be published, Atkinson not only pays close attention to prominent aspects of the war but also devotes considerable space to more obscure developments. The destruction of Norfolk, Va., early in the revolution falls into the latter category; Atkinson gives it the close examination it deserves.
The British Are Coming is a glorious but cleared-eyed look at the early years of the American Revolution, warts and all. Rebel generalship was often bad in the early going, before George Washington took command. And even the bold and courageous Washington was sometimes plagued by poor judgment and miscalculation. Patriots could be excessively cruel when dealing with loyalists, whose rights they often violated with impunity. As for the British commanders, their inhumane treatment of American prisoners of war remains a stain on their job performance to this day.
In the end, this is an uplifting account of American grit and determination against stunning odds. It is the story of militia members and Continental Army soldiers who, despite many desertions and expired enlistments that often were not renewed, persevered in the face of great hardship, disease, and discouraging defeats. As a soldier quoted by Atkinson wrote in the orderly book of the 2nd New York Regiment:
The rising world shall sing of us a thousand years to come
And tell our children’s children the wonders we have done.
And tell our children’s children the wonders we have done.
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