David Atkinson is a great historian who delves deeply into topics. The British Are Coming covers the opening of the American Revolution.
Perhaps a bit too comprehensive? Atkinson is a master of detail. Want to know how many tons of hay are shipped to feed horses? It’s here.
The first volume gets you to the end of 1776. That’s it. That’s how detailed this is.
Nevertheless, in the detail, there is gold. One striking part is the role slavery played — when the Virginia Royal Governor threatened emancipation of slaves, it bonded many of the colonists together against England. In a way, protecting slavery was a key part of the Revolution, no matter how much flag wavers want to say otherwise. We baked it into our country and our Constitution.
Beyond that, I was fascinated by the military tactics. How Washington took Boston. And the lost New York but saved his army. The battle across the Bronx where I grew up. Pells Point. Frogs Neck.
This book also shows what a brutal and tough war this was.
Recommended.
