Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

I loved this book because it gave me a much deeper insight into the impact of the battles and strategies that took place in an area where I had not realized had such significant importance of the impact of what took place there..Mr Daughan once again kept me spellbound with his descriptions of characters and events that most of us never realized. I am always impressed with research and detail that goes into his books. Enjoy this wonderful adventure. J Couture

Many authors have demonstrated the seemingly infinite ways the story of America’s revolution may be told and re-told by concentrating, for instance, on pivotal battles (see, Richard Ketchum’s superb “Saratoga: Turning Point of America’s Revolutionary War”) or locales (see, Richard Berleth’s splendid “Bloody Mohawk: The French and Indian War and American Revolution on New York’s Frontier). From the title of this work, I assumed that Author Daughan’s approach was going to be similar to Berleth’s, that is, a concentration, both geographical and events-oriented, on the Hudson Valley. I was incorrect. But that’s not to say that I was necessarily disappointed. One doesn’t get far into the book to realize that Daughan’s account is going to be more far-ranging and comprehensive than the title suggests. In fact, what the reader is presented is a well-told story that (whether the author intended it or not) amounts to a strategic view of the war, particularly from the British standpoint. In discussing the give’s and take’s on both sides of the struggle, Daughan indulges in a good deal of supposition and inference, coming down hard, for instance, on Washington’s early misjudgments and especially on the British military leadership’s inability to work together (to say nothing of their relations with their London overseers), with eventually cataclysmic results. While the author’s frequent conclusory dispositions largely accord with my understanding of the actors’ strengths and weaknesses, I found Daughan’s unrelenting “rights” and “wrongs” adjudications slightly off-putting. Having said all that, the author does an excellent job of relating the ebb’s and flows of the war in a relatively short work. And the lessons never learned by King George III and his ministers are once again manifest; their hilariously optimistic take on the loyalists’ willingness to rally to the Jack, never mind their fighting dispositions; the tenacity of the “rebels,” and their inconsistent but always-improving ability to fight; and, lastly, the sheer size of America which absolutely precluded the investiture and maintenance of control of any significant part of the country. And if a reader is intrigued by the wrong-headedness of Britain’s ambitions and strategic shortcomings, I highly recommend Andrew O’Shaughnessy’s “The Men Who Lost America,” a simply delightful recounting of the roles of the principal King’s actors in the loss of the continent. So, while I was slightly disappointed by the author’s not sticking to his purported subject, I must say that I was impressed with his digressions, and suggest that this would be a fine introductory work for someone new to the history of the war which would undoubtedly whet the reader’s appetite for more specialized treatments.

A very engrossing book. Learned a lot about my own neighborhood during the American Revolution.A definite good read for all who loves homegrown history.

Although it was a detailed history of the Revolution, I found it boring to read because it had so much small detail, it became almost overbearing. It read like a history book written for historians. No doubt the author had done a great amount of research to uncover such detail about the battles, it just didnt flow well. It did give a very interesting picture into the court of King George and the assumptions they made about America, which lead them to underestimate the desire of the patriots to be free of English rule. The descriptions of the difficulty that George Washington had in obtaining funds to pay the army was an eye opener. The book was just not an easy read.

Not a bad overall history of the Revolution, but not specifically about the Hudson River or Valley. It includes an overview of battles fought in that region and why it was important to both sides, but only as a general overview. I didnt find it overloaded with detail and didnt learn anything goes new but I do recommend it for someone looking to read a good, general book about the war.

I saw this book at Barnes and Noble and it was a paperback. Amazon sent a very nice hardcover book with jacket. Very nice indeed. I also bought Northern Armageddon....and just as pleased. I have purchased books from Amazon some 14 times now, and I have yet to be disappointed. Deliveries have been on time or early, and quality outstanding.

This is a wonderful book when it comes to British ineptness and mismanagement of the Hudson River valley. The irreparable harm the whites did to the native Americans should go down in history equal to the genocide that has been going on since mankind set foot on this earth. The only problem being that we knew better, but out of greed and selfishness, we destroyed a way of life and blamed it on the savages. The Hudson was the main artery to bountiful land and riches untold. And the British Colonials fought to the bitter end to subdue the Indians, Dutch, French and anyone else who would dare stand in the way of colonial greed and British blundering. Well it all caught up with them but at such a great toll to the original inhabitants. The Crown got its moneys worth and in the end they got a snoot full. Could not have happened to a more deserving foe.

Frequently went off topic from its supposed focus on The Hudson, BUT I learned a lot about the War from the British viewpoint, about the overlooked years of 1778-1782, and about British and French naval strategy.

Good read. Like history woven through stort

good book but NO MAPS. HARD TO BELIEVE in a history book. Maps are necessary