• The Johnstown Flood
• The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
• 1776: The Illustrated Edition

In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter.

But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.
Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance.

Some of the strongest passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded portraits of the Georges on both sides of the Atlantic. King George III, so often portrayed as a bumbling, arrogant fool, is given a more thoughtful treatment by McCullough, who shows that the king considered the colonists to be petulant subjects without legitimate grievances--an attitude that led him to underestimate the will and capabilities of the Americans. At times he seems shocked that war was even necessary. The great Washington lives up to his considerable reputation in these pages, and McCullough relies on private correspondence to balance the man and the myth, revealing how deeply concerned Washington was about the Americans' chances for victory, despite his public optimism. Perhaps more than any other man, he realized how fortunate they were to merely survive the year, and he willingly lays the responsibility for their good fortune in the hands of God rather than his own. Enthralling and superbly written, 1776 is the work of a master historian. --Shawn Carkonen

The Other 1776

With his riveting, enlightening accounts of subjects from Johnstown Flood to John Adams, David McCullough has become the historian that Americans look to most to tell us our own story. In his Amazon.com interview, McCullough explains why he turned in his new book from the political battles of the Revolution to the battles on the ground, and he marvels at some of his favorite young citizen soldiers who fought alongside the remarkable General Washington.

The Essential David McCullough

John Adams	Truman	Mornings on Horseback
The Path Between the Seas	The Great Bridge	The Johnstown Flood

More Reading on the Revolution

The Great Improvisation by Stacy Schiff	Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer	His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis
Washington's General by Terry Golway	Iron Tears by Stanley Weintraub	Victory at Yorktown by Richard M. Ketchum

Customer Rating:
Summary: never received item
Comment: I ordered the book 1776 over 6 weeks ago and never received it. My child needs this book for a class beginning in January and I fully do not expect her to have it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A story every American should read
Comment: I've had a few of McCullough's books on my shelves for a long time. I've always been well-intent on reading most of his books. But this is actually the first of his books I've actually read. And it was quite an incredible book. This covers the events of the Revolutionary War during 1776, which despite the bold Declaration of Independence and its glorification in history was anything but a positive year for the American colonies.

1776 was a hard year, especially for George Washington, who struggled to keep his army from disintegrating from desertions and expiring enlistments, and suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of the British army. McCullough follows the Continental Army from the siege of Boston, through the invasion of New York, the retreat through New Jersey, and finishes with Washington's bold Christmas Eve attack across the Delaware River on the Hessians camped in Trenton.

This book is eye-opening to the reality of just how close Washington and his army came to losing the war. For any not inclined towards history books, keep in mind that McCullough is a storyteller, and one of the best there is.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Dramatic narrative of Washington's early campaigns
Comment: After enjoying McCullough's exceptional biography of John Adams, I purchased several more books by him including this one. I liked it very much, finding it both informative and entertaining. Essentially, the book describes the early campaigns of George Washington and his army from the time he took command of the Continental Army during the Siege of Boston in July, 1775 to the battles of Trenton and Princeton. The latter of these actually occurred on January 3rd, 1777.

This brings me to my only criticism of the book -- it's title. I sense that it was chosen by the publisher to cash in on the magic associated with that year. As indicated above, McCullough covers significant military events in 1775 and 1777. I also object to the title because McCullough in no way tries to give a comprehensive account of the key events of the American Revolution in 1776 as one might expect; for instance, he only refers tangentially to the Declaration of Independence, focusing on how it's announcement affected Washington and his troops. I think a better title would more clearly indicate McCullough's focus on the early maturation of General Washington and his army in their first year and a half of battle.

But aside from the title, this is an excellent book that is a great supplement to a broader history of the entire American Revolution such as Robert Middlekauff's "The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789". Broad surveys such as Middlekauff's cannot dedicate as much space to individual battles as a more specialized book like "1776" can. Reading at least one such book is valuable since it makes you realize how much more there is to learn after reading a single history of any particular war. Even if you're not obsessed with military history, I recommend this book to gain perspective and some useful insights into the development of George Washington's military skills.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Honest history
Comment: As a non-historian with only grade school memories of Washington pitching a silver dollar over some river, McCullough straightened out my ideas. THe actors in this grade A drama are surprisingly human, make mistakes and are occasionaly inspired and there are new names in the cast. Read this interesting book and then compare past with present history and heroes. No mention of any football player in this book!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: It is the obligation of every American to know this story.
Comment: In 1776, David McCullough tells the story of the first year of the American Revolution by switching back and forth between the English and American perspectives. It provides brief, but vivid portrayals of the leading figures from both sides of the conflict.

The American troops are rightfully portrayed as a poorly trained, inexperienced lot who are struggling simply to survive the hardships of being away from home for months on end with little to no supplies. Much is made of Washington's constant struggle to keep the "ragtag" soldiers around, while fending off criticisms of his own, most notably his indecisiveness during key moments.

Few people realize how close the American Revolution was to failing, just as it was getting off the ground. The stories of the common men who helped fend off the British, and who bravely fought so that America could be free, are truly inspirational. McCullough tells the story of unsung hero Henry Knox, a 25 year-old New Englander, who, prior to the war was a bookshop owner. However, impressing Washington with his resourcefulness and brilliantly strategic mind, ascended to the role of Brigadier General, and commanded the cannons of the Continental Army, which were absolutely crucial to defeating the British and Hessian troops. The most important lessons one can take from the episodes laid out in this narrative are to never underestimate one's opponent, and that no matter how bleak the situation, Americans will rise to any challenge.

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