Book summary

David McCullough is known for his scholarly yet readable accounts of historical events and people's lives. Fans of his biography of John Adams will find the same narrative skill in 1776, his history of the first year of the America's war for independence from Britain. General Washington is at the center of this history, but important too are the citizen-soldiers of the Continental Army, who seemed at first to be at a disadvantage compared to the well-trained and equipped British led by General Howe. Luck and pluck and good old American know-how helped even the odds, but the first year was a struggle. The difficult terrain and the weather affected all the troops, and there were victories and defeats on both sides. In his compellingly fresh accounts of important battles such as the Siege of Boston and the Battle for Brooklyn, McCullough takes familiar events of classroom history and makes them new. Includes maps, drawings, letters, and portraits in black-and-white and in color. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 2005.

Media reviews

"This is history at the ground level, sometimes even a few inches below. There is squishing mud for soldiers to trudge through, letters about absent loved ones and heartbreaking deaths, driving snow, and battlefields tipped with sun-gleaming bayonets like so many teeth grasping for prey. The prose is vibrant, and there is a telling insight into each character....But the book is essentially a portrait of the Continental Army's commander."