Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around The World (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

by Brendan Morrissey

Book Overview

The British assault on Breed's Hill and the burning of Charlestown were the first major battles of the American Revolution; after the events at Boston there was no turning back. This detailed text by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0275984540
• ISBN13: 9780275984540
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Praeger Pub Text
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 0.5" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Short History

Brendan Morrissey is an exceptional historian. He has the talent and scholarship to take the complex history of the battles of the American Revolution and summarize them into a compact, accurate, unbiased and immensely readable short format for the Osprey Campaign Series. His chose of artwork strongly supports the text and often includes uncommon artwork and illustrations. He consults with the major experts and keeps a neutral perspective concerning the combatants. I have all of his books in my collection. Col. Kim R. Stacy, Savannah, GA, USA His contribution to the Osprey Campaign Series includes: Monmouth Courthouse 1778: The Last Great Battle in the North (Campaign) Saratoga 1777: Turning Point of a Revolution (Campaign) Quebec 1775: The American Invasion of Canada (Campaign) Boston 1775: The Shot Heard Around the World (Campaign) Yorktown 1781 The American Revolution: The Global Struggle for National Independence On to Victory: Guilford Courthouse and Yorktown 1781 (The History Channel, American History Archives)

Good to see a British viewpoint of a "sacred" American event

Virtually all the history of the American Revolution one is taught in the elementary grades and in high school in this country emphasizes the "heroic" aspects of the struggle. All the textbook accounts, too, are written very much from the American viewpoint. It's therefore very interesting to read a history of the beginnings of the war, from Concord to the siege of Boston, written by a British expert and giving equal time to the British point of view. Morrissey is not an academic historian but is a recognized military history expert who has also written texts on Saratoga, Quebec, and Yorktown. He begins here with the immediate background: Parliament's colonial policies, politics in New England, and Gage's dilemma in trying to prevent the conflict many could see coming. He examines the personalities and backgrounds of the senior military figures on both sides, and the frequent friction between the prim New Englanders and the unmannered frontier riflemen. Then he goes into detail in examining the nature of the soldiers on both sides -- infantry, cavalry, artillery, and irregulars. The battle maps are very detailed, as are the order of battle lists, and the color plates depicting the uniforms and weapons of units on both sides are up to Osprey's standard -- though there aren't as many as usual, and they're scattered through the text. An altogether excellent treatment of the key series of events in U.S. history that not enough people understand, or even really know about.

Everything Anyone Needs to Know About the Opening Campaign of the American Revolutionary War!

How can anyone not love the Osprey series of books? Whenever I'm researching a military campaign or would just like to know a more about what happened historically, I turn to the Osprey series of publications. They are well organized, written, and illustrated and provide the reader with state-of-the art maps and graphics. This particular volume provides the essentials on the Battles of Concord/Lexington and Breed's (Bunker Hill). Author Brendan Morrissey covers the following: - The Road to War (Colonial America and Colonial policies) - The Seat of War (Boston in 1775) - The Opposing Commanders - The Opposing Armies - Lexington and Concord (19 April 1775) - Breed's Hill (17 June 1775) - The Seige of Boston - Aftermath - The Battlefields Today - Chronology - A Guide to Further Reading - Wargaming the Boston Campaign In short, this neat book contains everything anyone needs to know about the opening campaign of the Revolutionary War that set the stage for a British defeat eight years latter.

Excellant coverage

Hard to believe a Brit can write a good book on the American revolution but here it is. Well organized and nicely written and also very balanced. A fun read. Maps are very good.

Great stuff!

Great stuff! Great maps and information - based upon fact and not fiction.