What is your favorite book about the American Revolution?

[Son of Isaac]

For most of us, I think we are surprised upon our first visit to an Appleseed event to become aware of just how little we know about the American Revolution, April 19th, 1775, the 3 strikes and the events that lead to our foundation. 

As I read the many posts on our forum, it is clear that Appleseed is a gathering place for those who are seeking and those who have found historically significant resources for that period in our history.

Can you please take a moment to post your favorite book, article, poem, etc.?

~TravelPatriot

[Cyclops WY]

That would be the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wyoming.

Cyclops_WY

[Son of Isaac]

That would be the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Wyoming.

Cyclops_WY

Bravo!  

It seems like somewhere along the way, citizens, judges and politicians stopped reading the Constitution and every other bill that was passed into law.  The word-for-word reading of the US and State Constitution should be required in every public school.

Although I must give you the award for the best recommended reading, I hope your answer does not result in the only submission to this thread!  

~TravelPatriot

[boltgun71]

"They Are Indeed A Very Useful Corps- American Riflemen in the Revolutionary War" by Michael Cecere

"Patriots- The Men Who Started The American Revolution" by A.J. Langguth

[Cyclops WY]

OK you got me.  I have read a few books about the American Revolution.  I am boring......I would have to say I like Paul Revere's Ride the best.  Written by David Hackett Fischer.
Other good books about that day and leading up to that day are: The Minute Men.....by John R. Galvin and Lexington and Concord The Beginning of the war of the American Revolution written by Arthur B. Tourtellot

I still like the Constitution the BEST. 

Cyclopes_WY

[GoldFish]

Miracles of the American Revolution: Divine Intervention and the Birth of the Republic
By Larkin Spivey

Excellent read.  Every American (and Appleseeder) should read this book right book as well as Paul Revere's Ride.

[MeanStreaker]

Behind Paul Revere's Ride, I enjoy studying A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier more than all the others I've read.  It's the personal account of Joseph Plumb Martin, a Revolutionary War private, that saw action from 1776-1783 and was involved in many of the major battles.  

We hear about the terrible times at Valley Forge, or the miserable, deathly march to Quebec -- but it's another thing to read about those trying times in the words of someone who saw similar conditions.

From the Amazon summary:

Joseph Plumb Martin (1760-1850) served as an enlisted soldier in the American Revolutionary War, and published a memoir of his war experiences in 1830. That book, "A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier," is an amazing document of a pivotal era in United States history.

Martin recalls his experiences in military campaigns from 1776 to 1783. He was an enlisted man who rose to the rank of sergeant, and his memoirs present the war from that perspective, rather than from the viewpoint of generals or political leaders. The suffering of the common troops is vividly detailed. Martin tells of the sleep deprivation, hostile weather conditions, combat death and injury, and lack of clothes. The men suffered from many diseases. But their most constant enemy was probably "the monster Hunger." Martin describes at length the horrible foods the men had to eat: bread "hard enough to break the teeth of a rat," carrion beef, and even tree bark.

From a tactical standpoint, Martin's descriptions of 18th century trench warfare are fascinating. Martin is eventually transferred to the Corps of Miners, and I was especially interested by the descriptions of his corps' duties: blasting rocks, dismantling enemy fortifications with axes, etc. He gives insights into how the miners' corps worked together with the infantry.

Martin's narrative is enlivened by his wit and humor. One of my favorite lines comes after he mentions the village of Maidenhead: "don't stare, dear reader, I did not name it."

Martin ends his narrative with a passionate defense of the rights and dignity of veterans. He notes with anger that Revolutionary soldiers were "turned adrift like old worn out horses" after the war. He strikes me as very ahead-of-his time in his concern for veterans."

It really brings home how much we owe those that came before us and how minor the troubles are us Appleseeders come across...

[Earl]

I like Rabble In Arms by Kenneth Roberts and for the other side The King's Rangers by John Brick. Both of which are works of fiction but good reading.