McCullough’s ‘1776’ is a book about discovery: the force within oneself, one body of people, to be free without the anxiety of what it means to govern themselves independently.

Democracy was what they yearned for. The majority of the American people wanted to unite and unite they did. McCullough discusses the trials and tribulations of the first full year of the American Revolutionary War in the north to northeastern part of the colonies with clear and concise language. He uses many quotes and phrases from a myriad of source material and in a way that puts the reader in the streets of Boston, on the battlefields of Trenton and Princeton and in the heart of the early Patriot; that rag-tag farmer, blacksmith, carpenter and other highly inexperienced soldiers that fought and died for the Glorious Cause.

As this book speaks about 1776 in general, it also discusses George Washington, the General of the Continental Army (the name of the American army) and later, founding father and first President of the United States. McCullough isn’t biased, by any means. He shows Washington’s ability to lead an army with his optimism towards the campaign and his uplifting oratory on topics of freedom, but also shows him to be indecisive in matters (as with giving up Fort Washington and Fort Lee, along with not covering the Jamaica Pass in the Battle of Long Island which was a decisive victory for the British) due to his inexperience at leading any army, much less a battalion.

At times, it feels like a biography of Washington and that year of his life rather than about the battles and the importance of what they signified, but it was still an interesting and engaging read. I personally hadn’t read up on the ‘Revolution’ since my early years in school and it was nice to revisit things that I had forgotten and learned a few things as well.

A brilliant book describing the first year of the war of Independence between the Americans and the British. A lot concerns the leadership of Washington - his brilliance and his indecision and his faults. The British used great tactics in pursuing Washington but how they stopped short of defeating him several times. A must read for history buffs.

This isn't the book I wanted to read, or was expecting to read, but it was good nonetheless.

What I was expecting:

1. A book about the first full year of the American Revolution (this part was accurate).
2. Insight into the causes of the Revolution (absent almost completely).
3. Portrayals of the way the two sides saw each other, and why (somewhat present).
4. Stuff about George Washington and the other founding fathers (there was some stuff on George Washington, mostly in his role as commander in chief of the first continental army, but there was almost nothing on his personal life or anything outside his new role).
5. Explanations of battles (this is basically all the book consisted of).
6. Lots about the writing of the Declaration of Independence (there was NONE OF THIS).

So you can see I was probably setting myself up for failure, but luckily halfway through I forced myself to adjust my expectations and get over it. I ended up enjoying the book for what it was, and not what I wanted it to be.

What this book actually was:

1. A book about the full first year of the Revolution, during which time the US army almost lost the war, but managed through perseverance and some luck to turn things around.
2. Insight into each individual battle of the war during the period of January 1776-January 1777 and how each one set the tone for the war to come.
3. Portrayals of the strategies employed by both sides, and reasonably conclusions for why the did so.
4. A focus on George Washington and his main generals in the war, including Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox, as well as soldiers int he war and other people who McCullough was able to track down primary sources for. The book is told almost exclusively through finding and piecing together different primary sources from the day (letters, journals, proclamations, articles, essays, etc.) It is very much in their own words and there is very little outside analysis on McCullough's part, aside from the decisions he made in putting the whole thing together.
5. Lots and lots of battles, including detailed descriptions of the living conditions of both sides of soldiers, including the pros and cons of the British being so regulated and traditional, and the Americans being so disorganized, inexperienced, but enthusiastic.
6. In large part, this book actually works to de-mythologize and unromanticize everything you learned in elementary school about the Revolution, and focuses on how the first year of the war influenced the rest of it.

I would definitely be interested in reading more books by this author, especially his one on John Adams, which I have a feeling is the one I should have been reading in the first place, given what I wanted from this one. Mostly, though, it just made me want to read more books about this time in history, because it made me realize that aside from those common romanticizations most Americans hold about the Revolutionary war, I know almost nothing concrete about it, a situation I really need to rectify as soon as possible.

Oh, why did I put this book down for so long? I forgot what a wonderful writer David McCullough is. Especially in these last few pages he was making the revolution come alive to me.

Of course, it did help that it had gotten to where Washington crosses the Delaware and routs the drunken Hessians by Trenton. (Per McCullough, the Hessians weren't really drunk. Just another urban legend, I guess.) I had friends who lived in Yardley, PA, right by Washington's Crossing, which, I presume, is the then McKonkey's Ferry. They do a reenactment there. We didn't go out in the middle of the night to see them cross, but in the morning (I think it was Christmas morning) we went over there and we didn't see a lot of ice, but it was a warm winter that year, and a wonderful display by a piper band coming out of the fog. I almost swooned - it was really enough to almost take your breath away.

In college, there was a professor who said that any general but Howe could have beat Washington and any general but Washington could have beat Howe. I don't know. Washington had an awful lot go wrong for him in the year 1776, especially from August to December. On November 30, I think it was Howe (might have been Cornwallis) made an offer for people to quit the Americans. And the people in New Jersey were coming in by droves. It is end of December and another enlistment period is almost up and Washington is fearful that he is not going to have an army come the new year. They must do something daring! They do.

Washington preaches perseverance. He was one who learned from experience and probably rarely made the same mistake twice. Thank goodness or who knows what would have happened to us. Franklin once famously said that we must all hang together or else we will hang separately. So I, for one, am grateful for Washington's perseverance.

It sucked.

I enjoyed immensely McCullough's John Adams, even though it took me a month or so to read, so look forward to 1776. I was not disappointed.
The book is a short one, and covers a topic I thought I knew well. Surely this material has been plowed through so thoroughly, there is nothing new to unearth? I was wrong. The book read with a raw novelty, as though I was reading about events for the first time, the shadows of which are often Disney-fied for social studies and history classes.
I learned how rag tag Washington's insurgents were (I use this term deliberately since the parallels between his militia and those operating against an occupying superpower of our time have eerie parallels). It was clear the struggle could have gone either way, and in New York and New Jersey, those fighting for secession from England were not at all popularly supported. The miseries of war and the relatively abstract differences that separated the crown from her subjects as well as the cruelties shown toward the Tories makes one question whether the apotheosis of this insurgency we are all force-fed in school and once a year each July 4th is really justified.
I learned much about Benjamin Rush, one of the very few signers of the Declaration of Independence yet to see the reality of war firsthand. ' It was now for the first-time war appeared to me in its awful plentitude of horrors. I want words to describe the anguish of my soul, excited by the cries and groans and convulsions of the men who lay by my side.'" -287
The war killed 25,000 Americans (1% of the population).
"The war was a longer, far more arduous, and more painful struggle that later generations would understand or sufficiently appreciate. But the time it ended, it had taken the lives of an estimated 25,000 Americans, or roughly 1 percent of the population. In percentage of lives lost, it was most costly war in American history, except for the Civil War." (page 294)
Considering the Canadians, where many Tories fled or were exiled, now have universal health insurance and a higher standard of living than we, what was all this violence all about? McCullough did not mean this to be a pacifist tract, but for those of us who question the wisdom and morality of the use of violence to impose our will on others, the book adds graphic evidence that undercuts the cartoon-like nonsense we were taught in school.

History is eminently fascinating but often sin written as such. Not a problem for McCullough. He novelizes history as well as anyone, but without sensationalizing. A thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.

How did a group of farmers beat the English Empire? Through blood, sweat and tears. Noted American Historian, David McCullough, beautifully tells the story of the birth of the United States of America. He takes just one year in the American Revolution to tell how both sides of the war felt and thought. He shows how King George III thought of the Colonists as petulant children who did not have any legitimate complaints. He showed how George Washington was worried about the chance of Victory for the Colonists despite how optimistic he appeared in public. Both larger than live leaders, on either sides of the Atlantic, are shown as human. One thought he would easily win (King George III) and one had doubts (George Washington) as he held the fate of the Colonies in his hands. There is a lot of historical information given as one would expect from such a book. Battles I had never heard of were discussed in detail. McCullough excels in doing his research and writing about history in such a riveting manner. The harsh elements, spread of disease, the battles, lack of supplies, and the horrors of battle are vivid and powerful. David McCullough is a gifted writer who does not disappoint.

Highly recommend!

See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com

“If you only read one book on the American Revolution, read 1776 by David McCullough.”

I’m sure that someone, somewhere has made this declaration. I’m not sure if this has any validity because this is, in fact, the only book I’ve read on the subject. I can now say that is it the best book I’ve read on the war, and I had a lot of fun reading it. It’s a thrilling story from start to finish, especially told by such a masterful writer and historian.

It’s a perfect book for folks like me who know little about the conflict. My previous knowledge was like a very rough sketch. This book help shade in a few of the major events and bring it all into a coherent and superbly entertaining narrative.

The result of the Battle of Trenton when Washington crossed the Delaware River is catalogued here in words that would seem jinjoistic and bragging if they weren’t what we know to be the truth (more lies have been written about battles than any other human endeavor, even sex). A proud moment in American history and one of the building blocks in the American myth:

It had all happened in forty-five minutes or less. Twenty-one Hessians had been killed, 90 wounded. The prisoners taken numbered approximately 900. Another 500 had managed to escape, most of them by the bridge over Assunpink Creek.

Incredibly, in a battle of such extreme savagery, only four Americans had been wounded, including Captain Washington and Lieutenant Monroe, and not one American had been killed.

This is one of those books I have always felt like I ought to have already read. The Revolutionary War was one of my main obsessions grade school through high school. I loved John Adams by this author. Politics, history, 1776...really, I should have loved this book.
The problem was, I never could get into it. I started it again and again. I never felt the urge to read further.
Finally, I gave up and got it on Audio book. Smart move! David McCullough was a great reader and the story became much more interesting once I got past the first chapter. It was extremely interesting because the book doesn't look at the political or philosophical motivation behind the Declaration of Independence so much as the course of the war. Even as a history nut, I learned a ton about the Founders and generals and the timing of things. It was fascinating to see Washington portrayed as a man who messed up frequently and didn't always like the people he worked with, but who kept going anyway.
Overall, a good book, well worth the read. Good timing with the 4th of July coming up too, huh?

As the title suggests, this book covers only the year 1776, the first full year of the Revolutionary War. McCullough, with his impeccable research, used diaries, letters, and papers from officials on both sides as he narrowed his focus, giving us an up close and personal accounting of this year.

The history books have romanticized the war to some extent, but this is a fresh look at history that doesn’t gloss over the failures and difficulties that faced Washington and his army. Washington isn’t presented as a mythological figure, but one who faced heavy criticism, challenges, and failures. Privately, Washington expressed doubts and discouragement, yet, he never wavered in his leadership, perseverance and determination to the troops.

There were many sacrifices and hardships. The ragtag army was untrained and undisciplined and the officers lacked experience. Despicable acts were perpetrated by both sides. Lack of sanitation and illness was rampant. Desertions were frequent. There were regional conflicts. The states were reluctant to send more troops and Congress often didn’t meet Washington’s requests for funds and supplies. Weather could either help or hinder the troops and the lack of military intelligence was a challenge. Yet, the soldiers who stayed, accustomed to hard work and adversity, demonstrated incredible bravery against seemingly insurmountable odds.

King George III and the British commander, General Howe, underestimated the Americans at their peril. It’s fair to say we would never have won the war without Washington’s leadership. Was he without faults? No. It’s unfair to judge him by the standards of today. He was highly respected by the soldiers and certainly was the man for the job.

At a time with so much turmoil and social unrest this book is an excellent reminder that our nation has endured much and emerged stronger and better than before, and we will again.

1776 is a year we Americans celebrate as the year we gained independence. We must never forget it was a year of unimaginable suffering, failures, and discouragement, but also a year of courage, determination, victories and bravery. Our success was nothing short of a miracle and a testament to the human spirit’s desire for independence.

This is narrative non-fiction at its finest by one of the best historians of our time. McCullough delivers a riveting tale, making history come alive.
A fun, lighter (but accurate) look at Washington’s life is You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington, a book I read recently and very much enjoyed: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

* This was a buddy read with my friend Marialyce, one we both enjoyed immensely and highly recommend. For our duo review please visit https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...

This book didn’t have any overarching themes. It just talked about what happened in 1776. When I started reading it felt like I had jumped into the middle of a book. But David McCullough is a good enough writer that he can make this approach work.

I didn’t realize this book was going to focus almost entirely on military battles. It didn’t get into politics, for instance any of the details around the Declaration of Independence except noting how this was communicated to the troops.

More specifically, it focused on the battles George Washington presided over, and George Washington himself. But I didn’t learn anything surprising about Washington I didn’t already know from Ron Chernow’s biography, which I recently read.

In summary, Washington is depicted as a mediocre strategist, but a great leader. As a strategist, he has a history of some poor decisions and indecisiveness. Thankfully, he was at times talked out of his opinions, such as his desire to make a full attack on Boston. Where he excelled was in his leadership skills: ability to motivate, to listen with an open mind, to stay calm, and to put his ego in check.

I really enjoyed the story of Henry Knox sneaking munitions up to Dorchester Heights without the British knowing. What an amazing story. It seemed like a scene in a movie.

McCullough captures how bleak things looked in late 1776, after losing several battles in New York, and being low on supplies. Morale was low and troops were deserting. Washington’s leadership was key to keeping things together.

One last random note is about General Charles Lee. He was portrayed as being rather clownish in Hamilton the Musical (I don’t remember if this was also how he was portrayed in the Chernow book) but I came away with a different view of him from this book. He seemed to have some ability as a strategist, and George Washington trusted his judgment.

I didn’t love this book as much some of my favorite GR reviewers did, but it might just be a matter of style preference. I didn’t enjoy the meandering feel, but the writing was just as elegant as you would expect from McCullough.