1776 - MindSpan Development_Executive Coaching and Leadership Development_Greater China and Other Parts of Asia Pacific

Newsweek (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

Brilliant... powerful... 1776 is vintage McCullough: colorful, eloquent and illuminating.

Dorman T. Shindler (The Denver Post) (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

Should be required reading in living rooms from coast to coast.

Publishers Weekly (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

In the Pulitzer Prize-winning John Adams, McCullough provided an in-depth look at the life of America's second president; here, the author shifts his focus to the other major players of the American Revolution, providing a detailed account of the life and times of the generals and soldiers who fought for and won America's independence. In this top-notch audio production, McCullough proves that he is as equally adept at reading prose as he is at writing it. At no time does it feel like listening to a lecturing professor; instead, McCullough narrates in a sonorous, grandfatherly voice, keeping his speech vibrant and engaging, as if he were simply telling a story. Unabridged sections of prose are read by the author, while portions of the book not fully explored in this abridgment are summarized by auxiliary narrator Twomey, whose performance is serviceable and pleasant. Though the abridgement is effective, the subject matter will leave discerning listeners hungry for more. While casual fans will be satisfied, serious history aficionados will want to listen to McCullough's unabridged recording (12 hours, 10 CDs).

Steven Peterson (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

By now, many readers are familiar with David McCullough's 1776. This book takes a detailed look at once critical year in the Revolutionary War - a year that started off well - with victory in Boston, a year that bottomed out with disaster after disaster in New York, and a year that ended with triumph in Trenton under the worst possible circumstances.

The book starts with the siege of Boston, with George Washington assuming control of the rabble of militia surrounding the British forces. Washington had ideas as to how to defeat the British forces, but wanted the means. However, Henry Knox proposed the visionary prospect of bringing cannons from Fort Ticonderoga, recently captured from the British, to overlook Boston from the heights and, consequently, to drive the British forces from Boston. After desperate hardships, Knox' cannon arrived. And, indeed, the British forces were compelled to vacate Boston in a triumph for the colonial forces.

The drama then shifts to the New York City area. Washington fortified as best he could. When the mighty British Armada arrived, however, they found a weakness in Washington's lines in Long Island and threw the Continental Army into disarray. The Marblehead troops in the colonial army were able to find boats and transport the army across the East River to Manhattan, preventing a possible disaster at the hands of the British army.

Again, on Manhattan, the British forces won out, through their sheer numbers and the professionalism of some of their key officers. Fort Washington was lost with many colonial troops captured, with Nathanael Greene convincing Washington, wrongly as it turns out, to defend the fortification. Thereafter, Fort Lee was lost and a ragtag retreat toward the Delaware River ensued.

With unmitigated disaster looming, George Washington, as we all know, took a desperate gamble to defeat the Hessian troops in Trenton. Again, readers know of the outcome of that long odds battle.

This, in the end, 1776 was a year that lurched from triumph to disaster to triumph again. And with that final triumph, there was hope for the future of the revolution.

Those familiar with McCullough's other works realize his skills as a writer and his sensitivity to historical events. This is a book well worth reading... And it reminds us that George Washington well earned the respect that his country accorded him.

T. Kempema (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

For the historical junkie, David McCullough's 1776 is a book that demands your utmost attention. If you are a devoted reader of any literary genre, the book still deserves a considerable chunk of your time. I will ashamedly admit first being in the dark to this author, that this is my first McCullough tome, but it most certainly will not be my last, because now McCullough's own Truman and John Adams both just climbed near the top of my "To Read" list right after I was finished with this one. To put it simply, this is marvelous storytelling on every level. Even more admirable is how McCullough recreates with candor and detailed imagery some of the most monumental moments in Western history. 1776 and the events inside it unfold like a great novel, a richly drawn world with its own handful of colorful characters and inventive personalities. There are episodes that stand out quite clearly mind even now. It only makes the book a more enjoyable treatise when you realize that this was reality at one point in time.

This is an underdog story in the purest sense of the word, told with such fascinating detail and reverence. It is a tale about a vast group of men who, if nothing else, believed in the utter nobility of their cause, not to mention who prevailed over a deck that was stacked considerably against their favor. More than once McCullough slips in little but relevant details from observers at the time of these events, remarking that the Continental Army often appeared dreggy and unkempt. Spirits usually ran low throughout the course of the Revolution, but only while each character McCullough describes shines with clarity and precision, from Henry Knox to John Adams to King George III.

McCullough also aptly narrates the true George Washington, with both mythical traits and realistic warts on display, as someone who as a mighty figure captivated spectators no different during the Revolutionary War than he entranced schoolchildren in the current period. His conflicted nature and indecisiveness, often arising when advisers disseminated clashing advice to him, contributed to his public image as a man who continued to fight against the insurmountable odds set before him. I think we can now dispense of the cherry-tree-chopping, cannot-tell-a-lie fiction that pervades modern culture. The true account is much more fascinating.

We all know in advance of the inevitable outcome to this almost legendary American story, but there is also here suspense and intrigue. How curious for a historical book to keep me on the edge of my chair. History never felt so alive, and the visual imagery created in my head will not soon leave.

Edwin Pauzer (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

At the crest of a hill on 150th Street, in Jamaica, Queens, a simple unobtrusive boulder with a bronze inscription announces that it was at that spot the Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776. The British had travelled throughout the night probably along what is now Hillside Avenue to take the American rear by surprise at dawn. The fact that the plaque sits on someone's front lawn, and is a brief ten-minute walk from my apartment is a reminder that before the asphalt and brick that predominate the landscape, our nation was taking its first, precarious steps toward nationhood.

David McCullogh's book, 1776 stirred my imagination about the tribulations of George Washington at the onset of the American Revolution that began in Boston, spread to New York City, and finally, Trenton. Beset by disloyalty, intrigues, and creating an army from scratch, the author makes you feel the weight of responsibility that was placed on Washington's shoulders. He was a man who had to assuage congress, keep his officers working together in spite of backstabbing, and fight the British.

McCullough provides trivial but interesting information that makes one whistle, "So that's how...." Murray Hill, a telephone exchange and landscape in Manhattan got its name from Mrs. Murray who served Washington and his officers tea as they were being kicked around Manhattan by the Brits. Washington was nearly shot from his horse near what is now 3rd Avenue and 34th Street. Although the bullets missed, today he would have most assuredly been run over by a number of vehicles that wouldn't have.

He describes how Providence saved Washington at Brooklyn Heights when a fog rolled over the East River as the Americans were fleeing to Manhattan. That and the procrastination of General Howe prevented their slaughter by Hessian bayonet the following morning. It's hard to imagine that Hessians were encamped in the same neighborhood as the house where "Moonstruck" the movie, was filmed.

Washington's other monumental task was shaping an army where conscripts never before in their lives had been told by anyone what to do. Many simply returned to their homes after a battle or at night. In a time when armies died more from disease caused by poor sanitation than battle, Washington had to teach them to stand and fight, and relieve themselves in only one place, and not do all three at the same time against a formidable enemy. The US Army was in its infancy.

The book takes us to the Battle of Trenton where Washington pulled off another miracle and did the unheard of, attack during winter. He destroyed the Hessian garrison at Trenton without the loss of a single soldier. This was particulary sweet for Washington whose troops were bayonetted unmercifully by the same contingent, earlier in the year at Harlem Heights.

For the history buff who wonders what was it like back then, David McCullough will provide the vision. All you have to do is provide the imagination.

A reader (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

This is my first book by McCullough, but I doubt it will be the last. His ability to breathe life into history is uncanny, as so many others here attest. This book covers the Revolutionary War from the declaration of war in October of 1775 through the battle at Princeton in January of 1777. It is a history of the military campaign, so much of the political maneuvering is non-existant, instead focusing on the Continental Army and its travails against the British Army, British Navy, and Mother Nature.

The main military engagements retold in vivid detail are the Boston Siege, the rout at New York and its subsequent retreat, the battle of Fort Washington, and the turning point of the war: the Battle of Trenton.

With reams of personal correspondence from Generals, statesmen, all the way down to the lowly footsoldier, McCullough brings a oft-omitted humanity to the events that took place. The suffering of the men, the frustration of George Washington, and the heroism of Nathaniel Greene and Henry Knox are all brought to life by their own words.

Drawing from a vast well of information, McCullough puts together a coherent story without seams. Each battle, march, retreat, and victory flow together so smoothly that the pages just fly by. It isn't hard to imagine the scenes depicted.

The pictures are also well chosen and are placed near enough to the pages that they augment. This really helps put faces to the names of General Howe, Nathaniel Greene, among others.

There are only two things that I felt left the book incomplete. The first is its total focus on the military aspect of the war. What were the members of the congress at Philadelphia up to? Besides the military engagements, what other sorts of political maneuvers were going on? As a history of George Washington and his army, the book is flawless, but as a history of 1776 it misses some key aspects. This omission can be argued that it would have been impossible to create a seamless narration if the author were required to bounce between GW and the congress and the English Parliament. I agree with that argument and don't fault the book for this little aspect of incompleteness.

The second fault of this book is that it stops right at the point where the story gets good! The war starts well with a great victory in Boston, but almost the entire remainder of the book tells the bitter story of failure after failure of George Washington to win a battle. Suddenly, in the last chapter Washington orders a brilliant attack on the Hessians at Trenton which succeeds and re-energizes the troops. A followup attack at Princeton does much to keep the ball rolling, but at this critical juncture, the book ends. Hungry for more, I can't wait to buy 1777.

David Zimmerman (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

The subject matter of this short history book is tricky to guess. You might think it would be a detailed account surrounding the Declaration of Independence, but rather it follows Gen. George Washington and Continental Army from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania during the fateful year of 1776. Author McCullough did the research alongside that for his definitive biography of second President John Adams.

During most of 1776, prospects for the army and in turn for the new country seemed rather bleak--most of the time the army was underequipped, undertrained, undermanned, underspirited and subject to expiration of enlistments. McCullough emphasizes the critical role of the leaders, especially Washington and Gen. Henry Knox, who led the movement of the cannons of Ft. Ticonderoga to Boston, and their perseverance and commitment to the cause. On a more tactical level, the role of accurate intelligence stands out--both sides might have reacted quite differently if they had accurate information about enemy strength, weakness and plans.

McCullough debunks a couple of myths--first that King George III was mad as a hatter from the start--his research indicates that George was a thoughtful family-oriented man who sincerely felt that the American colonies were best served by allegiance to Britain. Near the end of the book, McCullough's research indicates that the Hessians in Trenton were not uproariously drunk on the fateful Christmas night when Washington's forces attacked across the Delaware--unsusupecting for sure, but not drunk and disorderly.

Though not a huge military victory, the attack at Trenton provided a critical boost in morale for the American troops, and maybe more importantly for the American government (which had retreated from Philadelphia to Baltimore by this time) and for the American people, who now felt that their makeshift army could really compete with the professional British and Hessian forces.

Readers of military history will probably enjoy this book. Given that the book is relatively short and written in narrative form, I'd also recommend it to readers without a strong interest in military affairs, but who'd like to know more about the time when the outcome of the American Revolution was very much in doubt. I suspect that the book provides new perspective on just how bleak prospects were for the Continental Army and therefore America during the fabled year of 1776. Poorer military results could have resigned the Declaration of Independence to history as a treasonous document by a bunch of wild-eyed radicals, rather than the foundation for a noble experiment in self-government.

Tom Faranda (MSL quote), USA <2007-01-22 00:00>

A really fine, fine narrative. I couldn't recommend it more. That said, when I suggested it to one of my good friends he found it just "OK." I guess there's no accounting for taste!

Gary McCullough's narrative history of the year of the Declaration of Independence, from the human perspective of George Washington, his army and his opponents.

There is some special interest for those of us who live in the New York metropolitan area, because so much of what happens occurs on Long Island, in Brooklyn, in Westchester and northern New Jersey.

You don't have to be a history buff to benefit from the book. It's really a study of people. For example, why did a corpulent 25 year old named Henry Knox come up with the idea of moving the cannons from Fort Ticonderoga (they'd just been left there when the fort had been destroyed years earlier) down and over to Boston? He had no military background, except from reading books. And how did Washington recognize that Knox might be the man to do it and give him the OK? And then Knox pulls off this incredible feat. 120,000 pounds of iron, through the upstate New York woods, in winter. Possessing the cannons was decisive in forcing the British to abandon Boston. And they provided the bulk of the continental army artillery for most of the rest of the war.

1776 is a pretty fast read, coming in at just under 300 pages. There's plenty on the British leaders, individual troops on both sides, as well as on the vast majority of colonists who were either loyal to the King, or just apathetic.

The book is a reminder that all social movements, for good or bad, start off as minority movements. It's not often emphasized that Washington himself was an incredibly wealthy man (In the last election several historians pointed out that the wealthiest President in our history was George Washington, and no other President is even remotely close). He could easily have not cared a whit and sat out the whole Revolution on his plantation. But something motivated him...

Here is part of McCullough's summation of Washington (page 293):

"He was not a brilliant strategist or tactician, not a gifted orator, not an intellectual. At several crucial moments he had shown marked indecisiveness. He had made serious mistakes in judgment. But experience had been his great teacher from boyhood, and in this, his greatest test, he learned steadily from experience. Above all, Washington never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up."