Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution by Benson Bobrick

From the Publisher

Overwhelmed with debt following its victory in the French and Indian Wars, England began imposing harsh new tariffs and taxes on the colonies in the 1760s. When it did, the independence movement grew in strength until protest and rebellion eventually erupted into war. But despite the charismatic leadership of the independence movement, more than half the colonists remained loyal to England. Benson Bobrick casts light on such important, often overlooked aspects of the American Revolution, and offers compelling portraits of the major figures, as well as some illuminating observations by some of their lesser-known contemporaries. He thrillingly describes the major battles, from Lexington and Concord to Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, Camden, and Kings Mountain, and then the climactic siege of Yorktown when the British flag of empire was finally lowered before patriots guns. At the same time, Angel in the Whirlwind weaves together the social and political as well as the military history of the struggle into one epic tale. A variety of voices is represented: English and American, patriot and loyalist, soldier and civilian, foreign adventurer having come to aid the Revolution and German mercenary hired to serve in the army of the king. Their vivid presence brings life to every page.

Publishers Weekly

At a time when America's most mythic figures are subject to character assault, revisionist ideology and general bad press, Bobrick (East of the Sun) appears as a formidable defense counsel for the Founding Fathers, delivering a deft consolidation of the facts of the Revolution. Many of the stories are familiar; Paul Revere's ride, Arnold's descent into infamy, but the book's strength lies in its many lesser-known details on the battlefield and beyond. Tenuous diplomatic ties that kept the crucial American-French alliance intact are examined, as are battles within nascent America's leadership. Bobrick goes well beyond the standard arguments, and when he ventures to analyze, he is convincing. Superior American ballistics and France's rout of the British fleet at Yorktown are duly noted as linchpins of American victorythough not new ideas, they are often overlooked. And though the format demands only brief treatment of complicated issues, what emerges is a highly impressive show of exhaustive research and engaging storytelling about this greatest of American legends.

Library Journal

Bobrick (Knotted Tongues, LJ 2/15/95) offers here a glorious retelling of the American Revolution, comparable to Don Cook's The Long Fuse (Grove, 1994). It brings to life the major characters of the revolution and gives readers an excellent glimpse of life in Colonial America. The scope is broad and sweeping, ranging from the end of the French and Indian War to the end of the Revolutionary War, with brief coverage of the framing of the Constitution and the inauguration of Washington. No new historical revelations are to be found here, but the work is a superb dramatic narrative and is most certainly an encouraged purchase. Robert A. Curtis, Taylor Memorial P.L., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

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Table of Contents