When I was in grammar school, I looked at the painting of Washington crossing the Delaware and wondered why George Washington was standing up in a boat. I was never taught why he was crossing the Delaware. Even later, in high school, the American Revolution was neatly arranged this way: Mean King, Boston Tea Party, George Washington crosses the Delaware, Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown. My textbook never took me THERE. Mr. McCullough took me there and guided me through all the action as if in a time machine with a man who somehow understood every working part of America's war for independence.

It is the year that some point to repeatedly to show off their patriotism but seem to forget that the nation almost died in the cradle mere months after the signing of the Declaration Independence. 1776 by David McCullough is a companion to his fantastic biography of John Adams but focusing on the military history of the start of the American Revolution.

McCullough covers the history of the American Revolution from the time Washington takes command of what would become the Continental Army around Boston through to the Battle of Princeton. Throughout McCullough analyzes decisions or indecisions in most cases of not only Washington, but Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and all the senior British commanders they faced; the missed opportunities of one side or the foolish decisions are not shied away from either side and show the bits of history that some would rather whitewash or ignore. For all the talk about the Declaration of Independence, the year 1776 is when the nation almost died, and McCullough brings that out at the end of the book as the hope survived with the Continental Army that stayed together not only with the leadership of Washington, Greene, and Knox but also the galvanizing effects of the Trenton-Princeton campaign on the men in the ranks who held together. For a general audience this is a very well written book, for those looking for more in-depth it’s fine.

1776 is a book of the early struggles for the newly birthed United States and the Continental Army for a general audience, the research and the prose of David McCullough effectively brings that to the reader.

The march of time cannot be halted, its pace even faster now with our society today. It can be scarily easy to forget the past, the invaluable gift that is history and what it can teach us about ourselves and where we've yet to go. Reading this book made me more appreciative and aware of the sacrifices our forefathers made. David McCullough wrote a taut, nerve-wracking, inspiring account of the first fraught year of a fledgling revolution, of seemingly insurmountable odds, which through Providence and chance, were surmounted on the last day of 1776, and brought about the turning of the tide.

McCullough's quoted as saying that "history is the story of people" and he brings to vivid life the lesser known (to me) Founding Fathers, such as Knox and Greene, who were Washington's right-hand men, as well as the British players like Howe and Cornwallis. McCullough also explains succinctly and with dramatic flair the sequence of battles throughout the year, and the reasonings behind both camps' military strategies. It was thrilling to follow the Continental Army's journey from New York, to New Jersey, to Delaware, to Pennsylvania, and of the expeditions to British Canada, the battle in the Carolinas etc. As a Bostonian, it is extra impactful to read about the experiences of the Continental Army during the Siege of Boston, since I know what stands in those neighborhoods today.

When it comes to McCullough, I don't even care what he writes about, I will read it, I highly recommend you do the same.

Instead of writing about one specific person, event, or group, the author traced the entire year of 1776 in revolutionary America. I came away from reading this believing that 1) the United States was extremely lucky to have survived the year, 2) George Washington wasn't a very good strategist or field commander, and 3) George Washington had extraordinary stamina and a profound belief that the fight was worth the suffering.

1776 was a particularly important year in the American story – and not just because of the Declaration of Independence that was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th of that year. For Americans who supported the cause of independence, the year 1776 was filled with dramatic highs and lows, as David McCullough conveys in his 2005 book 1776, a work that takes the reader all the way through that singularly dramatic calendar year from beginning to end.

McCullough is, of course, one of the pre-eminent American historians working today. His core theme seems to be American innovation and achievement in the face of heavy odds, as with his works about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the construction of the Panama Canal, and the Wright Brothers’ achievement of powered flight. He has also focused on American leaders; his biographies of John Adams and Harry S Truman encouraged reconsideration and renewed appreciation for the work and the legacy of two often-underestimated U.S. presidents. His 1776 follows squarely in both of those thematic trajectories.

1776 actually begins by looking back to September 1775, when General George Washington’s military plans included a couple of self-evident duds: an ill-fated attack on the French Canadian city of Quebec, and what would have been a disastrous direct attack on the British-held and exceptionally well-fortified city of Boston. McCullough explains well why it is fortunate that Washington’s plan to attack Boston was ultimately a road not taken:

His second plan was to end the waiting and strike at Boston – which, it was understood, could mean destruction of the town. British defenses were formidable. In fact, defenses on both sides had been strengthened to the point where many believed neither army would dare attack the other. Also, a siege by definition required a great deal of prolonged standing still and waiting. But standing still and waiting were not the way to win a war, and not in Washington’s nature. (p. 51)

Luckily, Washington’s own subordinate officers, in one council of war after another, talked the tall Virginian out of launching his Boston attack; and the British ultimately evacuated Boston, of their own accord, in March of 1776. The Loyalist refugees leaving Boston included Harvard graduates, members of prestigious families like the Faneuils of Faneuil Hall, and even John Hancock’s former mistress. General Howe’s fleet left, and then George Washington’s Continental Army came in; and Washington was impressed by

...the strength of the enemy’s defenses. The town was “amazingly strong…almost impregnable, every avenue fortified,” he wrote. But if this gave rise to any second thoughts about his repeated desire to send men against such defenses, or the wisdom of his council of war in restraining him, Washington kept such thoughts to himself. Just as he had shown no signs of despair when prospects looked bleak, he now showed no elation in what he wrote, or in his outward manner or comments. (p. 107)

If you’re expecting that this book about the year 1776 will include a great deal about the Declaration of Independence that was promulgated from the rebel capital at Philadelphia in July of that year, then you may be disappointed. The Declaration gets only three pages out of a 294-page book. With his interest in the on-the-ground strategic and tactical realities of the year’s Revolutionary campaigns, McCullough acknowledges the Declaration’s soaring language of “all men are created equal,” of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” but points out that a cynic could argue that “Such courage and high ideals were of little consequence…the Declaration itself being no more than a declaration without military success against the most formidable force on Earth” (p. 136).

Yet McCullough, in no mood for cynicism, ultimately acknowledges that the Declaration was much more than a paper eagle being waved in the face of the British lion:

At a stroke the Continental Congress had made the Glorious Cause of America more glorious still, for all the world to know, and also to give every citizen soldier at this critical juncture something still larger and more compelling for which to fight. Washington saw it as a “fresh incentive,” and to his mind it had not come a moment too soon. (p. 137)

The year 1776 still held plenty of setbacks and challenges for the independence-minded Americans. Most of the British forces that had left Boston in March had headed for New York, and the Continental forces outside the city were confident; but the Continental troops were untrained, camp fever was rampant, and the British were well-dug-in and more than ready for a fight.

What resulted was a major defeat for the Continental forces at the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27, 1776 – an unalloyed disaster that could have resulted in the destruction of George Washington’s entire army, if not for a gallant and exceedingly costly counter-assault by the Continental Army’s Maryland Line. Defeat at Brooklyn in late August was followed by a disorderly retreat through New York and into New Jersey in September:

The army that had shown such remarkable discipline and unity through the long night of the escape from Brooklyn had rapidly become engulfed with despair, turned surly and out of hand. Gangs of soldiers roamed the streets of New York, breaking into houses and taking whatever they wanted….Men in the ranks complained they had been “sold out.” Some were openly saying they longed for the return of General Lee. Washington’s leadership was in question. (pp. 201-02)

As if things didn’t seem apocalyptic enough in New York City in those days, the city suffered what is still called its “Great Fire” on September 20, 1776; as many as 1,000 buildings, or 25 percent of all the structures in the city, were destroyed. Unsurprisingly, the British and the Americans blamed one another for the conflagration, though the actual cause of the disaster has never been ascertained.

The Continental Army’s long retreat across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania continued through November, witnessed by no less a luminary of the Revolution than Thomas Paine: “Sick at heart over the suffering and despair he saw, but inspired by the undaunted resolution of many around him, Paine is said to have committed his thoughts to paper during the retreat, writing at night on a drumhead by the light of a campfire” (p. 251). Whether he was writing by a campfire’s light or not, Paine was as inspired by the Revolutionary cause as ever; and on December 23, Paine published The American Crisis, with its famous opening line, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

And if some pro-independence Americans might have been happy with The American Crisis as a Christmas present, George Washington had a much better gift in store. In a moment that was later immortalized on canvas (albeit inaccurately) by artist Emmanuel Leutze, Washington led his Continental Army troops on a Christmas-night crossing of the icy Delaware River, from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, and successfully attacked an encampment of holiday-minded Hessians at Trenton on the early morning of December 26.

American casualties: 5 wounded, plus 2 who died from exposure to the cold. Hessian casualties: 22 killed, 83 wounded, and about 900 captured. It was just the kind of big victory the American cause needed – and it left Americans, as the pivotal year of 1776 ended, looking ahead to 1777 and the rest of the Revolutionary War with a renewed determination to fight through to final victory.

Ultimately, McCullough characterizes the year 1776 as “a year of all-too-few victories, of sustained suffering, disease, hunger, desertion, cowardice, disillusionment, defeat, terrible discouragement, and fear…but also of phenomenal courage and bedrock devotion to country”. Looking at the year 1776 in its totality, it is hard not to agree with McCullough that “the outcome seemed little short of a miracle” (p. 294); and McCullough conveys well the improbable, miraculous qualities of that historic year throughout his 1776.

I bought this book a few years ago, meaning to get around to reading it. Since I just saw the play “Hamilton”, I figured this was as good a time as any to delve into this time period.

David McCullough does a masterful job of recreating the era of the Revolutionary War and the reasons for it. He takes the reader quickly through 1775, 1776 and parts of 1777 and all the skirmishes that played out in our quest for independence. He shows us the war through both the American and the British viewpoints, which makes it even more interesting. Through all of the war that he described, the Americans were out manned, out gunned, even out clothed. Yet somehow, we persevered, at Trenton and at Princeton.
These victories energized the country, and with the eventual help of France and The Netherlands, after 6 long years, the war ended in 1783.

But no one could know this in 1776, and it took a courageous, yet humble man like George Washington to lead this fledgling country through the throes of its birth.
The book is beautifully written, filled with quotes from the people who lived through the turmoil.

If I have a ding on the book, it’s the maps that are included in the book. They date back to that era, and were supposedly done by a British cartographer. They are barely legible and just about incomprehensible. Better maps would have been much appreciated.

That said, this is a great book and a wonderful history read.
I’ll leave you with the author’s final words:

“Especially for those who had been with Washington and who knew what a close call it was at the beginning - how often circumstance, storms, contrary winds, the oddities or strengths of individual character had made the difference - the outcome seemed little short of a miracle.”

Let’s not take our country, our democracy, our freedom for granted.

A definite recommend!

Being a fan of the TV series TURN: Washington's Spies, I had a particular interest in this book. Also, David McCullough is a magnificent author. I listened to the audio book and McCullough also read the book in which he also is quite talented.

The year 1776 was a very pivotal year in the American Revolution. On July 4th every year, we celebrate the Declaration of Independence. It was also year that did not go particularly well for General George Washington. The year 1776 marked the year Great Britain assembled the greatest invasion force in its history and even the 18th century with 400 ships entering the harbor around Long Island. King George wanted to put an end to the unrest in the American Colonies. The British almost accomplished that mission.

In the early days of the Revolutionary War, generals on both sides didn't have any idea the strength of the enemy and therefore made decisions on inadequate information. Washington was an information-based general and wanted make decisions on what he knew. That turned out to be very little. After major defeats at New York in the summer 1776, Washington withdrew his forces to regroup. The Continental Army was out-manned, out-gunned and lacked the experience in battle engagements the British Army possessed.

After reading and watching many fictionalized accounts of the Revolutionary War, the more factual information doesn't carry the drama and is not quite as interesting. Even McCullough's meticulous research and presentation waned a little for me. I think this had to do with the book being about a time period rather than a particular individual. A good part of the historical record is captured through private correspondence between various people of the time. McCullough does pay substantial tribute to George Washington. This tribute is inspiring. Washington was not a highly trained soldier, or strategist or a particularly articulate man. Yet he believed in America's freedom and was an unwavering stalwart in leading the army to win for that cause.

The book 1776 is an interesting and inspiring account of the tremendous perseverance, heroism and just plain luck (or call it what you want) of America's road to independence.

This is only my second book read by David McCullough, but it won't be the last. He tells the story of George Washington, General Howe, and their campaigns in the fateful year of 1776 that captures the strengths and weaknesses of both and the unlikeliness of American Victory for most of the year. I was captivated by the story and reminded of how unlike the history textbooks real history actually is. Well-worth the read.

I do not know whether the fault lies in myself or in my education, but I often find myself astonishingly ignorant of American history (among other things). Here is yet another case. Even though I live near where many of the events in this book take place—in Tarrytown, near New York—I had scant idea of the war’s progress in this area. Indeed, I had only the haziest notion of the conflict, and had seldom paused to give it much thought.

This book is an excellent place to start a remedial education. McCullough writes what is basically a straightforward military history, focusing on strategy, leadership, and battles. McCullough is a born storyteller and a master of narrative history, pulling the reader seamlessly into the past. There is little discussion of sources, hardly any authorial presence, and no analysis whatsoever. McCullough quotes liberally from diaries and letters, creating a kind of literary tapestry woven together by his gentle narration. The result is a masterful illusion: the feeling of being a spectator observing the historical scene unfold.

Even so, the reader may be disappointed to find how much is left out of this book. With his eye firmly fixed on the military situation, McCullough hardly touches on the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, to give the most prominent omission. This is understandable, however, since this volume is a sort of companion to McCullough’s John Adams, which deals with the political situation of the times. Still, the reader may be disappointed to find how exclusively the narrative is focused on military matters. On the other hand, I thought that McCullough did well to include so much about the British side, which helps to prevent the book from becoming a silly patriotic romp.

In short, this book is an admirable introduction to the Revolutionary War. It is basic information written in a strong hand. For any who find themselves as ignorant as I am, we must count ourselves lucky to have such a fine writer to help fill in the innumerable gaps in our education.

This is a great introduction to the Revolutionary War. I would love to read more.

3.5 stars....interesting but not as engaging as some of the other books I’ve read around this time period. This one felt long.

I'm at a loss for words. This book was so good, so inspiring, and so touching. This book truly ignited curiosity. For the first time, I took a step away from the now and studied our founding, our trials as a little nation, and the brave men and women who led us through. All for freedom. It struck a chord inside me as I read of our failings and our victories. God's hand was truly there in it all.

A resounding stir of freedom's spirit.