The First World War

Concord… Bunker Hill… Long Island… Trenton… Cowpens… Yorktown…

For those of us who enjoy studying history these names are more than locations on a map. They are places were our freedom was fought for; places were men gave up their lives so we might live ours in freedom. The American Revolution is packed full of tales about daring fights, last stands, amazing providence, and brave heroes. It’s just the kind of material that would be great historical fiction in the hands of a good author. That’s exactly what Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause, two of Jeff Shaara's books, are.

Mr. Shaara is a renowned writer whose books are full of edge-of-your-seat tension that is heavily rooted in historical accuracy. The 1200 page series begins in the bustling town of Boston, where a young sentry is on patrol in front of the Customs House. Suddenly a group of young men appear out of the hazy winter fog. What follows is commonly known as “The Boston Massacre,” but in reality only five men were killed. Those few shots, fired by a group of soldiers into the angry mob, were the first in a war that would send tremors throughout the world. Some historians call The American Revolution, “the first World War,” as there were battles in Europe and the Caribbean between England and France. Those conflicts are known as the Seven Years War. But, for the most part, the war and conflicts before it was fought in the thirteen colonies over a period of 12 years.

Mr. Shaara uses third-person writing to portray the different people involved in the revolution. Rise to Rebellion covers the Boston Massacre in 1770 to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The book follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington along with the British General, Thomas Gage. The author does a wonderful job portraying the drama as the members of the first Continental Congress debate over the subject of revolution and liberty. Every few chapters the author will portray the events through the eyes of some lesser known character, including a sentry at the Boston Massacre and a man at The Boston Tea Party. This book covers more of the decisions and debate leading up to the Declaration and declared war. But there are battles, and they come with a startling frequency. To quote the back of the book, “it (the book) reveals how philosophers became fighters, and how ideas became their ammunition.”

The second segment in the series, The Glorious Cause, is completely devoted to the war. Mr. Shaara does an excellent job revealing the greatness of Washington as he fights more with wise decisions and strategy than in full confrontations that would have surely led to disaster. There are moments of excitement, as in the battle of Cowpens, and moments of great peril during Washington’s evacuation from Long Island. During the continuous battles up and down the United States the reader will get a glimpse of what it was like for the men in our first army. At the final battle, Yorktown, an exhausted General Cornwallis is finally forced to give up his sword, and the American forces become victorious.

During this book the reader gets a glimpse of the frustrations of Cornwallis over the, at times, stupidity of his superiors, along with Washington’s own frustration concerning his men’s provision, or lack thereof. Mr. Shaara shows how one of the main reasons that the American cause succeeded was because of the people who were all united with a single cause. Freedom.

I recommend this book to history veterans for its accuracy, as well as to novices looking for an exciting read. A note of caution, as in most military accounts, there is some swearing. Also, General Howe has a mistress, and all of his staff (and the reader) are aware of it. But there is nothing explicit. As you read this book remember that we might not be free Americans if it were not for the men and women who laid down their lives for us and our rights.

Buy The Glorious Cause
Buy Rise to Rebellion

Ted Bradley