The Day the American Revolution Began: 19 April 1775

by William H. Hallahan

Book Overview

At four in the morning on April 19, 1775, a line of British soldiers stared across the village green of Lexington, Massachusetts, at a crowd of seventy-seven American militiamen. A shot rang out, and the Redcoats replied with a devastating volley.

But the day that started so well for the king's troops would end in catastrophe: seventy-three British soldiers dead, two hundred wounded, and the survivors chased back into Boston by the angry...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380796058
• ISBN13: 9780380796052
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A UNIQUE AND CLEAR PERSPECTIVE!

Just how important were Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, etc. etc. etc. in winning and even instigating the American Revolution? Also what was really happening in England at the time? Who was influencing King George IV? If you think you know it all-- you're in for a surprise. Read this book. It offers detailed unique, clear-cut, startling at times shocking little known facts about that turbulent era. It is a most enlightening view of the times and temperament of the men of the "pre-Lexington/Concord shots that were "heard around the world" . Highly recommended.

Lively and opinionated

Using the events of April 19, 1775 to illuminate the issues and personalities of the American Revolution,Hallahan delves into the philosophical, political and personal ambitions of the rather small cadre of men who spearheaded the drive for independence."The day the American Revolution began was not the same day for everyone," begins Hallahan in his prologue. The news rippled through the country day by day and did not reach London until the colonial version arrived on May 28, beating General Gage's account by two weeks.Hallahan opens with the events in Massachusetts as British troops gather to march on Lexington to confiscate illicit arms and quiet rebellion with a show of strength - playing right into the grasping hands of Sam Adams who had been fomenting rebellion for more than a decade. As the day proceeds, the author introduces us to the post riders, militia leaders and strategists, the brave, the lucky and the hapless.He sketches personalities, histories and circumstances, revealing the rebels as a mixed lot of thinkers, smugglers, dandies, farmers and shopkeepers. Culling his information from diaries, letters, documents and memoirs, Hallahan clearly and vividly recreates a tumultuous time when, but for a vocal, ambitious minority, and a recalcitrant, shortsighted Royal policy, America might have remained British.Had the compromisers prevailed, suggests Hallahan, "There might have been no American Revolution and no French Revolution, the United States might still be part of the British Commonwealth, and consequently both World War I and World War II might have been averted because Germany would not have so brazenly gone on the offensive."A breathtaking statement, to be sure. But, while the book illuminates many thwarted opportunities for peace, it also lays bare the total corruption of British government at the time - the rule of the many by the aristocratic few, the buying and selling of important offices and its selfish and ruinous economic policies toward the colonies. Reading Hallahan's account, few will conclude that compromise with Britain was ever sustainable or desirable in the long run.Lively, fascinating, informative and opinionated, Hallahan's well-organized, readable narrative should spur new interest in Revolutionary history among a general readership.

A Marvelous Book

I could not put this book down once I started to read it - it reads more like a story rather than hard-core non-fiction. I think it is one of the best books I have read in a long time.The day that the american revolution began was literally a different day in each colony, because each colony heard about the events in Massachussetts as the post road riders arrived with the information. The book starts with the battles of Concord, and then follows the post road riders down the coast of the colonies. The author then takes us to London where we find out the British reaction to the revolution. What sets this book apart from all the others on this time period that I've read is that the author focuses not only on the battles and key events of the time but also on individuals. For example, in Boston we learn of a man who has just learned that his children have a fatal pox and who must choose between standing with his fellow countrymen on Lexington Green or staying with his family. And after the battle in Concord, two ships leave the Boston harbor bound for London, one carrying the British version of the battle and one carrying the patriots' version. The ship that gets to London first will have its version taken to King George, and the patriots' ship leaves last. I couldn't wait to get to the final chapters to find out which ship got there first.I thought that this book more than any other I have read really brought the times of the revolution and the people participating in to life: the personal fears and hopes and dreams of both the British and the patriots. This book was exhaustively researched, and in reviewing his extensive bibliography, I see that the author draws from many primary sources such as diaries and journals to document his work. Truly an exceptional book.

The Day the American Revolustion Began

This book was written to be easily read. Almost entertaining to the point it read like a story.Not your typical history book but more of a history novel. If you're looking for good stories on all the key player of the American Revolution about their where abouts, thoughts, and action during the start of the revolution then this book is for you.It tracks the sequence of communication from the first days of the Revolution to the time it became official in England. Also it has an excellent outline of all the historical events that lead up to the start of the revolution listed in the back of the book.I highly recoment this book to all History buffs and non-history buffs looking for a good factual historical information.

Better than any history book

I'm a fan of much of Hallahan's earlier fiction (Search for Joseph Tully, The Trade, Tripletrap, etc,)but found this non-fiction effort to be even more enjoyable. The author paints a vivid portrait of the most pivotal time in our nation's history,and does so in a non-text book, entertaining fashion.