New book on the first weeks of the Rev War

[Laredo]

A friend sent me info on this book.  Looks like it was just published.

Title:  American Spring:  Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution
Author:  Walter R. Borneman

It can be had in Hardback or Audio.

I have not read it yet.  So, I cannot give a review.  However, it looks to be on topic for us.  I will be digging into it shortly.

Has anyone read this yet?  Comments? 

[Kosciusko]

$30 from amazon, only 2 reviews, both positive, looks interesting, might be worth the gamble

[Prof. C.J.]

It's definitely on my list.  I'll probably order it from Amazon later this summer.  I briefly scanned a copy today at my local B&N.  One of the quick things I did just as a barometer check was look up "Whittemore, Samuel" in the index, and it had multiple pages listed for him -- a promising sign!

[sgtrock]

Bought it, listened to it, liked it, loaned it to another instructor.
There are an amazing amount of facts that Fischer leaves out of his book that is in this one.
Does not focus on anyone person in particular, it's all encompassing. A good read or listen which ever you buy. Why wait?

[Prof. C.J.]

Thanks for the info, Sarge.   Will definitely make sure it is in my next big Amazon order!

[Earl]

I recommend American Spring.  http://earl-earlsview.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-last-of-cool-for-today.html

[Prof. C.J.]

+1 from me for American Spring -- a great companion/complement to Paul Revere's Ride  I got it, read it, loved it! 

(Actually just sent a copy to my Old Man for his birthday a couple of weeks ago, and he loved it too.)

[Nero]

Just finished American Spring.  +1 here as well, detailed notes below.  Note that you can get very good quality used hardback copies on Amazon for less than the Kindle download!  (I usually buy histories in hard copy - the maps are mostly better in that format, and I tend to stick post-its on the book edges where I want to go back and re-read.)

The book is easy to read, mostly 'story telling' similar to Fisher, but obviously in a different voice.  As with DHF, there are plenty of footnotes, but they don't get in the way.

I'll start with my biggest criticism: Borneman somewhat breezes through the lead up to the war, in the interests of getting to the action.  He uses this part of the book to set up some lesser-known characters that he will follow through the book, but he misses some points that are relevant to the later action.  For instance, he tells the stories of the failed Powder Raids to Salem and Portsmouth, but skips the initial Powder Alarm of September, 1774, which helped precipitate the formation of Paul Revere's network, spurred the reorganization of the militia, and gave an early example of the colonists' willingness to turn out under arms.  One strong point in this part of the book is his background setting on Benjamin Franklin, who is not directly relevant to April 19th, but is pulled into the story after the war begins.

The strongest point of the book is the part after Lexington and Concord.  Borneman carries the story, in detail, up through the Battle of Bunker Hill.  He covers some of the early actions at sea, and establishes many of the military and political characters who were important later in the war.  Histories covering the entire RW often skip lightly over this period, so this is useful material hard to find elsewhere.

I particularly like that he spends a good deal of space considering the intelligence aspects of the struggle, both during the run up to April 19th, and after the action starts.  The traitorous activities of Dr. Benjamin Church are discussed in some detail, and there's enough other background to make it clear how hard it was to keep a secret on either side.  He also reviews the question of Margaret Kemble Gage in detail, and concludes there is little to no evidence that she was a source of intelligence.  This is a story that Hackett Fisher swallowed whole and repeats.  I'd already become dubious of it from other sources and dropped it from my telling of the Strikes.  This book puts the nail in the coffin, so far as I'm concerned.

As to the footnotes, one notable change from Fisher:  In the intervening 20 odd years, many primary American and British sources have become available on the Internet, and links are provided to those archives.  Useful material for those who want to mine data of their own for storytelling.

[209Ken]

Just ordered this book brand new from Half.com $10.16 + $3.99 shipping. It was listed on Amazon.com for $30.00.
It pays to shop around!

[BluegrassColonel]

I am listening to the audiobook version of American Summer now.  If you are not already a subscriber to Audible if you download the app to your phone you receive credit for one book.  I did and used the credit on American Summer.  I am enjoying it thoroughly, although I have heard better narrators.  The narrator is not bad, but seems to err on the side of emotionlessness.

The portion of the book that covers the Three Strikes of the Match, as mentioned before, are more narrative that DHF's book, but in my opinion very good.

One note regarding the title of the book.  Given the events in the Middle East over the past couple of years I can see why they went with this title.  However, I am afraid in the very near future that the subtext of the title will be lost on not-too-distant future readers.

I am not finished with the book, but it is certainly a very good, and perhaps great, resource.  While DHF will remain my primary resource, and I am adding many more, I do suggest considering this book for purchase.

[Earl]

This was the title missing from the National Park shop on Minute Man National Park gift shop, so I told the park employee about it. They said they would order it...