Rating: 
Summary: An entertaining & factual account of the American Revolution
Review: The Baltimore Sun called it "Gripping human drama". That is an excellent 3 word account of this book. It certainly is gripping drama with a lot of drama and action added to accurate historical events. It is told through the eyes and experiences of George Washington, Charles Cornwallis, Nathaniel Greene, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. These five men were certainly pivotal characters in the War for Independence. Nat Greene was Washington's main battle commander.The war was not one in which the outcome was assured for the Continental army and its state militia helpers. The Americans lost battle after battle and the British troops, at one time or another occupied almost every important Colonial city. However, the Americans always pulled out and left and the British could never force them into a decisive battle that might have ended the war. General Washington knew that the British could not defeat him if he was never forced to surrender so he and his army did a lot of marching and also a lot of feinting and "guerrilla" tactics. The Colonies would be soundly defeated in battle after battle but here they would come again. Washington had taken Trenton but Cornwallis marched on the city and Washington, as usual retreated across the Assunpink Creek and started making earthworks and digging in his army. Cornwallis was certain that this time Washington had made the mistake and in the morning he would "bag the fox". Washington left 400 men to make a lot of noise like digging, bang their shovels on cut tree stumps and generally make a racket like an army digging in. The rest of the army slipped down the creek to another ford and marched on Princeton, taking the town from the British with relative ease. In this book all the statesmanship and remarkable ambassadorship of Benjamin Franklin is shown to advantage. Franklin, time after time, convinced the French king and his government to give money to the colonies and to send troops and ships to help fight the war. Actually, after the American war was over, the French treasury was almost depleted from their assistance to the Colonies. It's hard to imagine how the revolution could have succeeded without the help and finances from France, which were procured almost entirely by the services of Benjamin Franklin. Lafayette, Mad Anthony Wayne, Light Horse Harry Lee, Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold and many other of the well known heroes of the war as well as many of the heroes that are less well known all play their parts in this exquisite telling of the American Revolution from 1776 to the end of the war at Yorktown where the Continental Army accompanied by at least as many French troops set siege to Cornwallis' encampment there and completely defeated the British army. "Rise to Rebellion" by the same author is the story of the events that led up to 1776. It is also a superb book.
Rating:
Summary: A Glorious Book
Review: "Glorious Cause" tells the story of the American Revolutionary War, mostly from the perspective of George Washington or those who opposed him in battle. In my opinion, Shaara provides his usual gripping narrative, especially in his battle scenes. Further, he does the great service of setting the record straight. I did not know, for example, that by the summer after Yorktown, the Americans had driven the mighty British army into a mere two enclaves-the cities of Charlestown and New York. Thanks, Jeff, for making the story of our revolution so readable and enjoyable! And, bravo! to George Washington, who Shaara establishes as the father of our country.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: I loved Rise to Rebellion and couldn't wait to read the sequel. I found The Glorious Cause a very good book, but, I thought that it didn't have enough of the politics and policy-making, and instead more battles. My problem was that a lot of times, that a lot of times, it was hard to picture the battle in your head. I'm glad that Shaara put in maps of the battles. I think that it could have been a bit clearer, but otherwise it was a great insight into American history.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the Best of any Shaara Novel
Review: The best praise this book could get is that I bought it the first day it was on the shelves. After reading Rise to Rebellion, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Shaara out does himself (and I dare to say his father) with his narrative of the Revolution. His writing takes the reader deep into the personalities of Washington, La Fayette, Greene and Cornwallis to name a few while continuing the story of Benjamin Franklin as this nation's first and possibly most unknown diplomat. Once you pick it up, you'll have trouble putting it down.
Rating:
Summary: The Glorious Conclusion to the War of Independence
Review: What has started as a suggestion by director Ron Maxwell to continue the story of the "Killer Angels" has taken off in directions no one could predict. Jeff Shaara contines the writing that started with "Gods and Generals" and gives us "The Glorious Cause", the follow-up to his novel "The Rise to Rebellion". "The Glorious Cause" is the story of the conclusion to the American Revolution. It begins with Washington's defeat at New York up to the British surrender at Yorktown and to Washington's return to Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve. Through Shaara's writings, we are given to the emotions of the four main characters, theirs joys and frustrations. And, as others have mentioned, Shaara wisely includes the diplomatic efforts of American emmisaries to Paris that made the French alliance possible. American General George Washington is the first character we meet in the novel, continuing his appropriately limited role from "Rise to Rebellion". We are with Washington with every defeat and through every victory. Through Shaara's writing, we see Washington's frustration as his army goes through one disaterous defeat after another, begs for supplies from an ineffectual and, at times, unconcerned Congress, and must suffer through the political intrigue of his officers, most notably Horatio Gates and Charles Lee. We can see his affection for his most trusted officers, Hamilton, Lafeyette, Greene, Morgan, and Knox. With Shaara, we are given an insight into the mind of American's most reverred Founding Father. Another character that returns from "Rebellion" is Ben Franklin, who has sailed for France in pursuit of an alliance with Britian's greatest foe. Franklin is depicted as a cunning diplomat who has the distinct task to convince a cautious Louis XVI to enter an alliance with the new United States. It's not an easy mission; along with cautious French ministers and a disagreable fellow delegate, Franklin's age has started to catch up with him. He is currently suffering from gout, the first in a series of afflictions that will ultimately take his life. But despite all his problems, Franklin still has one weapon at his disposal; his sharp mind. One of the new characters in "The Glorious Cause" is American General Nathaniel Greene, one of Washington's most capable commanders. In comparison to the other characters, Greene seems underutilized here. We are shown only glimpses of Greene's personality, though they are well used. Greene appears not long after the retreat from New York, having been in a sickbed during the campaign. Greene displays a distinct distaste for Washington's two subordinates, Gates and Charles Lee. But it his campaign in the Carolinas against the British that sets up the ultimate defeat at Yorktown. The final player in the story is British General Charles Cornwallis, considered by many historians as Britian's most capable commander at that time. While in American Cornwallis is known as the British officer who, by his surrender at Yorktown, ended the American Revolution, Shaara casts the character in a sympathetic light. As with Washington, Cornwallis is witness to the political intrigue within the British command that may have done more to hurt the British efforts in America than anything Washington did. We are with Cornwallis as he marches the troops he commands through New York, Philidelphia, Monmouth, and the Carolinas on his road to Yorktown. We can only share Cornwallis' frustration as his commanding officers, Howe and, later, Clinton, allow Washington to escape time and time again, and give the American general the one weapon that ultimately wins the war for the colonies; time. As we read, Shaara subtley suggests that the actions of the British command, along with arrogance and political backbiting, may be more to blame for Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown than the general himself. In certain parts of the novel, most notabley towards the end, the reader might come to the conclusion that Cornwallis may have been a victim of the political intrige the general himself refused to become a part of. We can see Cornwallis' grief as, trapped by American and French forces, he begs Clinton to send help to him at Yorktown, only for the British reinforcements to arrive, suspiciously, too late. "The Glorious Cause" is an excellent follow-up of "The Rise to Rebellion" and gives us more of Jeff Shaara's excellent work first glimpsed in "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure". Through his writings we are reminded that the key players in the American Revolution were human, with human flaws and desires. The story displays that the author definately did his homework with the subject. One editorial reviewer mentions that the accent of the foriegn characters was well done; Shaara himself admits that he disregarded the broken English of the mainly German and French characters for the sake of the flow of the story, but you can still almost hear the accents in the voices. Perhaps the author's greatest triumph is his portrayal of Cornwallis as a tragic character, who, as Shaara mentions in the afterword, could have ended the Revolution in a British triumph had he not been held back by ineffectual commanders. My only complaint is that the author did not do afterwords for George III and Louis XVI, but that is a minor quibble. "The Glorious Cause" is a must read for anyone interested in the American Revolution or has had an interest in Jeff Shaara's works. Add it to your collection today, along with his previous novels "Gods and Generals", "The Last Full Measure", "Gone for Soldiers", and "Rise to Rebellion" as well as Michael Shaara's "Killer Angels". And for those hoping that he will continue writing historical novels, never fear. According to his website, Shaara is working on a novel detailing the events during World War I.
Rating:
Summary: Glorious Cause in the Classroom
Review: I am using all of the Shaara books in my high school classroom. My students and I have learned more about history from reading the Shaara novels than from any other source. We just finished The Glorious Cause and my eleventh graders were captivated by the story. Shaara gives them people and events, not merely names and dates, and my students found this book to be their favorite of the Jeff Shaara books. As a teacher, I appreciate the historical accuracy Shaara uses in each book. My students simply appreciate the fact that they are learning about history in a new way.
Rating: 
Summary: Glorious Cause
Review: I know Shaara is well regarded; I've read some of his other books, I look forward to seeing Gods and Generals on DVD, and I even saw a magazine called "Gods and Generals" on the rack at Borders earlier today. I respect his attempt to present a historically accurate story, especially his attention to getting period mentalities correct. I also find the genre and time period of this book appealing. But I couldn't finish this book. I found the prose style plodding and overwhelmingly expositional. The strict adherence to real historical figures as POV characters means that there's only so much the author can do to them; if they weren't messed with, physically or psychologically, in real life, they won't be in the book. And I like fiction where the protagonists are damaged, tested, challenged, and generally put through hell. Over and over, I found myself skimming, bored. Finally, I gave up. I think that to write a story this expositional, this un-storylike, one has to have the outstanding prose style of a Catton or a Foote, and Shaara isn't there.
Rating:
Summary: great book..great series
Review: Great read! I really enjoy the Shaara style of writing from the perspective of the people involved in the action. The book (and previous volume) turn out to be very good summaries of what occured before and during the War. I appreciate the small details and events that are brought out..for example John Paul Jones navy battle..the poor fellow on the prison ship in New York Harbor...helps get a good perspective on certain things that don't pop into your mind while thinking of the Revolutionary War. Also the maps were sufficient..and helpful in determining what/where/who..etc. My only nit would be he should of spread it over more than 2 volumes. Especially the 2nd volume with the War. Much had to be left out..oh well. I think I could of read 3 volumes by Shaara just on the War itself.
Rating:
Summary: Revolt, Half War, Independance, War
Review: One of the most important factors to accepting an historical perspective is for the well known facts too correlate with the facts in the book. I personally like the blend of detail sequence of events and delightful insights the author provides on the revolutionary war. Author Jeff M. Shaara choice of writing can be classified as very technical and he pay special attention to outlining the sequence of the revolutionary war. In some ways, Shaara attempts to recreate the details of the war by showing battle maps, force build ups, and campaign timelines and actors. Expect the book too take an very academic reaccounting of the war. French Indian war causes a budgetary crisis in England. The American colony is rich in resources: tobacco, sugar, and gold. The colony land owners were as rich or richer than their British counterparts. For example the Pen family own over 40 million acres. England wanted to impose a tax to raise money to replace the depleted budget fund. Parliment Lord's don't feel the tax would be burdensome and for the most part the tax does not represent a significant fee. Some believed taxation would not increase too much because it would hurt merchantism.
Parliment does not acknowlege a voice from the colonies. The king believes the colony is subject to his will. The kings will is divine and the colonies are obligated to obey. Parliment did not view the colonies as having rights in England.
Colonies wanted local control over taxation. A growing sense of self-sovereignty starts to emerge generated by writings and speechs of great thinkers such as Samual Adams, Sons of Liberty, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine. The issue over taxation was directly link to rights of property. The colonist felt if they could not have property by definition they were slaves. The stamp act and sugar act threatens colony citizens to be treated like slave because the have no control over their will and they have no control over their property. Sabotage and diversion tactics were highlighted showing the colonist sidestepped these taxes, in the case of sugar, by converting the sugar in rum and selling it for slaves. Sabotage, intimidation, and mob violence hampered the stamp tax from being employeed fully. The tea tax leads to a revolute and the formation of the intolerable acts: Massachusett Acts (civil servants could selected by parliment), impartial administration of justice act (trial could be moved to England), and the Boston port act (closure until payment is made in full for damages) The Bosten tea party revolt shocked England and demonstrated a savage display of protest as they destroyed thousands of pounds of tea in the Boston harbor. Mob force intimidation to force civil service resignations: The destruction of Thomas Hutchinsons home and Olivers home.
A legal argument that George III was a tyrant because he breaks his own laws. The idea of taxation without representation violates self-sovereity. The colony anger over the intrusion of British military personnel imposed upon them by the Quartering Act.
The idea of certain inalienable right of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The influence of John Locke (natural law) and ideas of Thomas Jefferson that defined colony rights, liberties, and independence.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Historical Fiction
Review: I love the way Sharra writes. He brings out the character of Washington, Greene, Cornwallis, Franklin and others in ways that make you feel as though you know them. Reading it is a great way to learn history while reading a novel.
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