The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies 1760-1785

by Don Cook

Overview

In The Long Fuse, Don Cook investigates the American Revolution from the British side, throwing new light on this colorful age and its players. He draws from a multitude of primary sources, including personal correspondence and political memoranda, to show how Britain, at the height of her power but suffering from internal political strife, made one mistake after another, culminating in the loss of her prized colonies. In opposition to King George's American policies were such towering figures as William Pitt, Edmund Burke, and Charles James Fox; their speeches in the House of Commons are some of the best oratory in the English language. But despite their eloquence and forcefulness, they did not have the votes to prevail. In the end, the Americans rebelled as much against an English political state of mind as against the British Army. Cook takes us through the war years: King George's decision that "blows must decide" the colonies' future; Lord North's futile effort to negotiate peace after the British defeat at Saratoga, which only hastened the American alliance with France; the secret letter from Washington to Lafayette that the British intercepted, perhaps altering the outcome of the Battle of Yorktown; and the peace negotiations masterminded by Franklin and John Jay. Winner of the Colonial Dames of America Annual Book Award 1996. "The Long Fuse is a marvelous new way of understanding the Revolutionary War. Many Americans have no idea of the extraordinary combination of brilliance, ignorance, stubbornness and intelligence on the British side. We won with a majestic collection of heroes, fools, geniuses, and rogues; they lost with an unforgettable cast of colorful characters. This eye-opening book is a splendid historical synthesis." - John Chancellor

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780871136619
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/09/1996
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

What People are Saying About This

Warren Zimmerman

Don Cook has given us a lively account of the British bumbling and fumbling which led to the birth of our nation. Drawing on his reporters skills in politics and diplomacy, Cook scores a real coup in The Long Fuse - he makes the British actions understandable even as he exposes their incredible stupidity. The result - the vivid chapter on the march of human folly.

John Chancellor

The Long Fuse is a marvelous new way of understanding the Revolutionary War. Many Americans have no idea of the extraordinary combination of brilliance, ignorance, stubbornness and intelligence on the British side. We won with an objective collection of heroes, fools, geniuses and rogues; they lost with an unforgettable cast of colorful characters. This eye-opening book is a splendid historical synthesis.

Alistair Horne

Don Cook's years of experience in London as a foreign correspondent have given him a special insight into the British body politic. I read it at a footing. Cook's hero is clearly Ben Franklin, and in few accounts have I found a more appealing depiction of this Renaissance man, dealing with intransigent pig - headedness. Here is also a classic lesson how, in history, small events when handled insensitively can lead, with terrible inevitability, to great disaster.

Editorial Reviews

Retelling the saga of the American Revolution from the viewpoint of Mother England, Cook ingeniously portrays the 13 colonies' breakaway as a succession of inexorable blunders and collective missteps in London that led to an unnecessary, unwinnable war. Former political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Herald Tribune, Cook lays the lion's share of blame at the feet of autocratic King George III, who prodded his government into war-provoking acts, refusing all suggestions of compromise. Cook's vivid, wonderfully readable narrative sheds new light on the origins of the American Revolution and is peopled with memorable characters: Anglophile diplomat/scientist Benjamin Franklin, testifying before the House of Commons in London against the oppressive Stamp Act in 1766; Isaac Barr, fierce, rough-talking, one-eyed British colonel, sympathetic to the American cause, who warned Parliament that a revolution could be brewing; amiable, indecisive British prime minister Lord North, totally unfit to wage war, who repeatedly tendered his resignation in vain; parliamentarian William Pitt, who dared to question the king's wisdom in fiery oratory. Cook provocatively concludes that with a more conciliatory policy, England might well have reached an accommodation that would have kept the American colonies in the British Empire. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A look at American independence from the British side, drawing on personal correspondence, political memoranda, and other primary sources to show how Britain--at the height of its powers but suffering from internal strife--made mistake after mistake and lost its prized colonies. The author, a longtime journalist, takes a narrative rather than a scholarly approach to the events and personalities of the era. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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