Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance. Some of the strongest passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded portraits of the Georges on both sides of the Atlantic. King George III, so often portrayed as a bumbling, arrogant fool, is given a more thoughtful treatment by McCullough, who shows that the king considered the colonists to be petulant subjects without legitimate grievances--an attitude that led him to underestimate the will and capabilities of the Americans. At times he seems shocked that war was even necessary. The great Washington lives up to his considerable reputation in these pages, and McCullough relies on private correspondence to balance the man and the myth, revealing how deeply concerned Washington was about the Americans' chances for victory, despite his public optimism. Perhaps more than any other man, he realized how fortunate they were to merely survive the year, and he willingly lays the responsibility for their good fortune in the hands of God rather than his own. Enthralling and superbly written, 1776 is the work of a master historian. --Shawn Carkonen The Other 1776  With his riveting, enlightening accounts of subjects from Johnstown Flood to John Adams, David McCullough has become the historian that Americans look to most to tell us our own story. In his Amazon.com interview, McCullough explains why he turned in his new book from the political battles of the Revolution to the battles on the ground, and he marvels at some of his favorite young citizen soldiers who fought alongside the remarkable General Washington. The Essential David McCullough 
John Adams | 
Truman | 
Mornings on Horseback | 
The Path Between the Seas | 
The Great Bridge | 
The Johnstown Flood | More Reading on the Revolution 
The Great Improvisation by Stacy Schiff | 
Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer | 
His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis | 
Washington's General by Terry Golway | 
Iron Tears by Stanley Weintraub | 
Victory at Yorktown by Richard M. Ketchum |
Product Description
In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter. But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 711
 History at its finest March 15, 2010
Roy E. Whitman
Expertly written with a high degree of craftmanship and scholarship, the audio version of this work takes the listener on a journey through the year 1776 and all of its military exploits with ear-catching detail. Being visually impaired, the audio version of this work was a God-send and comprised five separate CD's with a total of approximately six hours of enjoyable listening. It is also a real treat to hear the author himself reading from his own work in a clear and deliberate voice. His narrative, which is almost melodic at times, is punctuated with eyewitness accounts to the American Revolution through the use of diaries, letters, documents. His character descriptions, especially of George Washington and King George III, as well as the various generals involved, is superbly done. His main thesis that the American Revolution succeeded only against all odds is a point well taken and dramatically depicted in this great work.
Extremely entertaining and informative March 13, 2010
Scott FS (Sacramento, CA United States)
Let's face it. There's something about David McCullough's voice that just elevated any material. And when you have material such as '1776', the material is elevated beyond the merely excellent.
McCullough has the ability to completely explore a subject, be it Truman or Theodore Roosevelt. He captures the tenor of the times by the frequent citation of contemporary diaries, letters, or autobiographies dating from the period.
This is history of the beginning of the American Revolution, the most important political event in the last 500 years. The year 1776 was before Yorktown, before Valley Forge, and before many of the other campaigns of this very long war. It was a year of great victories (driving the Redcoats out of Boston), and of stupid decisions that almost cost America the war almost as it got started (the Battle of Brooklyn). It end with the stunning military victory at Trenton, where the Christmas offensive caught the British and their hated mercenaries, the Hessians.
Along the way, George Washington, a widely admired and revered man even that early in America's history, had to contend with desertions, spies, illness, unhealthy camps, rampant fevers and epidemics, and a rag-tag bunch of American who just didn't like taking orders (what else is new?). Yet he persevered and almost single-handedly brought just enough success to keep the army intact, and the 'gentleman generals' of the Continental Congress at bay.
I thoroughly enjoyed this 10 CD pack. It's long, yes, but you're unhappy when it's over. If only McCullough had done the entire American Revolution... Sigh.
You Will be Amazed February 21, 2010
A Humble Reader
I read a lot of fiction and many sports history books. Recently I began reading more about our nation's history and am learning so much more along the way. 1776 is one of those books that often reads like a novel, it is so compelling. Having grown up in NJ, being so very familiar with the "route" Washington and his troops took, working for years in Trenton and now living 5 miles from Washington's Crossing on the PA/NJ border, I am in awe of what our forefathers accomplished. Not only the ultimate victory of freeing our country, but what they faced in terms of the trials and tribulations of injury, illness, terrain, fierce weather conditions, etc. is beyond inspiring. A read of this book gives one a far greater appreciation for what we have been given in the United States by those who fought for our independence. McCullough is scholarly, but presents a book that anyone will enjoy. It certainly should be required reading in our high school history classes.
Excellent detail February 8, 2010
D. Sherry (Salem, OR USA)
David McCullough always does great research for his books and "1776" is no exception. The detail of the battles was very informative. I knew the overall American Revolution story, but enjoyed reading about the battles and just how close we were to losing this war.
Another Gem from a Master February 7, 2010
Michael Saucier (Londonderry, NH USA)
The American Revolutionary period is my favorite historical period to read about and study. 1776 by McCullouch does not necessarily break new ground, but he is such a master storyteller that this is a must read for all fans of history. His narrative style of combining great history with the backgrounds and actual words of the historical characters truly reads like a novel. This book makes the reader want to find out more about each of the characters discussed.
One point of history to mention is the fact that the author does not treat the Americans as the heroes and the British/Hessians as the bad guys. He is fair to all. A great read, and one I would recommend to high school teachers to assign as summer work for honors or advanced placement students.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 711
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