Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

by George C. Daughan

Overview

"A wonderful addition to the literature on the American Revolution, full of enlightening facts and figures." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

George C. Daughan’s magnificently detailed account of the battle of Lexington and Concord challenges the prevailing narrative of the American War of Independence. It was, Daughan argues, based as much on economic concerns as political ones. When Massachusetts militiamen turned out in overwhelming numbers to fight the British, they believed they were fighting for their farms and livelihoods, as well as for liberty. In the eyes of many American colonists, Britain’s repressive measures were not simply an effort to reestablish political control of the colonies, but also a means to reduce the prosperous colonists to the serfdom Benjamin Franklin witnessed on his tour of Ireland and Scotland. Authoritative and thoroughly researched, Lexington and Concord is a “worthy resource for history buffs seeking a closer look at what drove the start of the American Revolution” (Booklist).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393245752
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

George C. Daughan holds a PhD from Harvard University, where he studied under Henry Kissinger. One of his previous books, If By Sea, won the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature, and he has been honored with the Samuel Eliot Morison Award from the USS Constitution Museum for his work as a naval scholar. He lives in New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

1 The Final Straw 13

2 General Thomas Gage and George III 18

3 Benjamin Franklin Excoriated 25

4 Britain Closes the Port of Boston 30

5 Declaring War on Massachusetts 36

6 Support for Boston Broadens 43

7 Defiance Escalates 49

8 A Deepening Crisis 58

9 The Counties Strike Back 67

10 His Majesty Refuses to Bend 76

11 The Powder Alarm 81

12 The Colonies Unite 87

13 The Suffolk Resolves 92

14 Congress Completes Its Work 98

15 Slaves 104

16 The Perverse Effects of the Powder Alarm 111

17 The March to War 116

18 Chatham's Opposition 122

19 Lords North and Dartmouth Secretly Search for Peace 132

20 The Decision for War 139

21 Parliament Votes for War 145

22 The Country People 150

23 The Country People Find Many Supporters 157

24 Tensions Mount 163

25 Still Waiting 168

26 Fateful Orders 178

27 Gage's Decision 184

28 Crossing the Rubicon 189

29 Paul Revere 196

30 The British March to Concord Bogs Down 207

31 A Massacre at Lexington 214

32 The Road to Concord 227

33 The Concord Fight 237

34 The Bloody Road Back to Lexington 242

35 Lord Percy to the Rescue 248

36 A Masterful Retreat 254

37 The Siege of Boston: Part One 265

38 The Siege: Part Two 273

39 Earth-Shattering News 280

Conclusion 287

Acknowledgments 295

Notes 297

Select Bibliography 317

Index 329

Editorial Reviews

03/15/2018
The battles at Lexington and Concord, MA, sparked the American War for Independence from Britain. Daughan, winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature and author of works such as If By Sea, writes a diplomatic and military history of the war's first battles, while also including the economic and social foundations of the patriots' motives. British General Thomas Gage, military governor of Massachusetts Bay, understood the dangers the rebellion posed, but King George and other British officials ignored him. According to Daughan, Gage was largely responsible for the fight that followed, failing to cooperate with Adm. Samuel Graves of the Royal Navy and blundering his way through the encounter. The patriots, on the other hand, benefited from sound preparation and leadership, with veteran Colonel James Barrett coordinating much of the action. Daughan provides a patriot-centric view, emphasizing bravery among the colonial militia and the British redcoats' brutality. British soldiers bayoneted a number of patriots, including the wounded, but the rebels treated captured British stragglers well. The maps are useful but could have been more detailed. VERDICT Overall, this sound, accessible history is geared toward general audiences, but it will also appeal to military historians and Revolutionary War enthusiasts.—Matthew Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill Haven

Library Journal

"Mr. Daughan has captured the spirit and substance of the American resistance that led in 1775 to the battles of Lexington and Concord. A most stimulating and valuable book."

Robert Middlekauff

"At the heart of Lexington and Concord are the people in the fray. Mr. Daughan probes their characters through their actions, correspondence and memoirs.… Mr. Daughan is at his most original when conveying military maneuvers and assessing strategies."

Wall Street Journal

This audiobook history of the first shots of the American Revolution will stir you to your patriotic roots. Author Daughan is anything but impartial, and his account of British intransigence and miscalculation is tempered by Mike Chamberlain’s steady, evenly paced delivery. Chamberlain tends to parcel out his sentences, a little like reciting Anglo-Saxon poetry. But his measured reading serves his author well in a narrative that is crowded with names and events yet compelling in its frankness and vigor. Listeners on both side of the current gun debate will find this title particularly relevant in explaining the meaning of an armed militia and the individual’s right to bear arms in the minds of the framers of the Constitution. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

★ 2018-02-05
A readable history of the first battle of the American Revolution and the militiamen "who risked everything to defend their way of life and the freedom of future generations."This is hardly a new story, but Daughan (Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence, 2016, etc.) imbues it with added nuances of character and motivation. Though King George III had not yet succumbed to the madness that would beset him in later years, he demanded nothing less than unconditional submission by the Colonies, reimbursement for tea and taxes lost during the Boston Tea Party, and vicious bombardment of coastal towns. The greatest failure of the king and his officials was their impatience in requiring rapid results without supplying sufficient resources. All, notes the author, were equally guilty of presuming that the reputation of British might would immediately frighten the colonists into submission. Nearly every one of Gen. Thomas Gage's requests was ignored, which was especially surprising given his continuous service in the Colonies since 1755. The strength of the colonists' militias was impressive; their numbers were considerably larger than any thought possible, while the number of loyalists were much fewer. Even though the standard of living in Massachusetts was high, the militiamen were not merely comfortable gentlemen untrained in warfare. Most were veterans of the French and Indian War and well-versed in organizing an army. While the problems seemed to begin in Boston, officials in London thought the Bostonians would be on their own in confronting the king's taxes. They couldn't have been more wrong, as 11 of the 12 other Colonies were quick to back up Massachusetts. As Daughan clearly shows, there were many errors of judgment in Boston, perhaps due to Gage's fury at being ignored; his heart was not in a fight that he knew he would lose.Just like Revolution on the Hudson, a wonderful addition to the literature on the American Revolution, full of enlightening facts and figures.

Kirkus Reviews