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Summary: Complexities of Burgoyne's Campaign Brought to Life
Review: Like Ketchum's other book "Decisive Day" on the Battle of Bunker Hill this book provides a detailed account of the problems and complexities experienced by both sides at Saratoga. Once again the author builds the scene by giving details not normally found in history books and gives the reader a real sense of what occurred through the use of first hand accounts. The Battle of Saratoga and the Burgoyne Campaign are some of the most interesting and exciting events of the American Revolution. This book details these events in a way that gives the reader a real sense of what happened. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Excellent Account of a Revolutionary Turning Point
Review: Not much can be added to the previous reviews of this excellent book. The author has produced a well written and researched account of this great and interesting period of history. At times I felt for the British and wanted them to win and at other times I felt for the American forces. Its a great book if you can see both sides of the story and come away impressed with both points of view. I thoroughly loved reading this book, at no time did it get bogged down or boring. The use of first hand accounts from participants on both sides were well placed and utilised. I would have liked more maps but those provided were OK. For a person like myself who does not have much knowledge of the American Revolution this is a great book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys general history or who wants to learn about America's past. Well done to the author!
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Summary: Like You Were There
Review: Richard M. Ketchum has done such an outstanding job of historical research and non-fiction writing that it's as if readers are there at the scene, watching events unroll before their very eyes. In "Saratoga" he goes way beyond a simple reciting of troop movements and statistical results; he takes us behind the lines and into the minds of the officers. Who were these men and what prompted them to make the decisions that led to Britian's devastating defeat and a major turning point in the Revolutionary War in favor of the Americans? Ketchum spends a lot of ink setting the stage: Who was "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne and how did he come to lead the British invasion of New England from Canada? Who were the Germans, often inaccurately referred to exclusively as "Hessians," and why were they there supporting the British? How did Burgoyne's decision to employee Canadian and--more relevant--Iroquois Indians to assist the British invasion affect the campaign? Who were the American officers and how did they get a rag-tag crew of citizen soldiers to defeat arguably the greatest army on earth at the time? Ketchum fleshes out his character portraits and explanations of the ensuing action with generous use of quotes from actual correspondence of the day by many parties involved, officers and enlisted men alike. The action chronicles Burgoyne's interminable advance down Lakes Champlain and George to the Hudson River where he is to meet General Howe's northbound Army--a pincer move that will divide the New England and southern colonies and win the war. Their auspicious start--fair weather, fast movement, high morale, superior numbers and weaponry--culminates in the shockingly easy victory over the American's prize northern fort at Ticonderoga with nary a shot fired when St. Claire decides (wisely) to retreat. But from there the fun is over. Nasty weather, brutal wilderness, unruly Indians, incompetent officers, unwieldy supply lines, dwindling troop counts, desertion and disease, and, of course, the tenacious and heroic efforts of the seemingly overmatched American Continentals and militias eventually spell doom for the invasion force in the train wreck called the Battle of Saratoga. Ketchum sketches in fine detail the whole excruciating campaign. One of the startling obstacles of waging 18th-Century warfare was the slow speed of communication, not just with troops deployed across a broad battlefield, but with distant command structure. Never was this more evident than with British efforts to wage war from across the Atlantic, where instructions, supplies, and reinforcements took literally months to appear on scene. With perfect hindsight it's hard to imagine how Burgoyne's campaign had any chance of success, unless he were to charge relentlessly toward Albany, regardless of the condition of his troops; or unless Generals Howe or Clinton had moved to support him in time, as originally conceived. Time and delay were Burgoyne's greatest enemies. History books are often tedious. Not so with "Saratoga." Ketchum has set the table for plenty of exciting what-if play by armchair generals. I couldn't put this exciting volume down! --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of BIG ICE and WAKE UP DEAD
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Summary: Excellent!
Review: Richard M. Ketchum is as good a writer as there is. This account of the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution could just be THE definitive work on this subject. As the preface to this book states, at Saratoga the British campaign that was supposed to crush America's rebellion ended instead in a surrender that changed the history of the world. Those 24 words are as succinct as it gets. Who could have guessed that those ragged farmers could have at first cut off and then captured a complete British army in the field? Yet that is exactly what occurred. Along with Yorktown and Cowpens this was one of the few times American forces faced English regulars in a stand up, toe to toe fight and won. Saratoga signaled the ability of American arms and the ferociousness of the American spirit. It destroyed an intricate British campaign to separate New England from the rest of the States and ultimately secured French recognition of American Independence. This is one richly detailed literary effort that truly does describe the turning point of America's Revolutionary War.
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Summary: makes the past come alive
Review: The book begins with the campaign leading to the Battle of Saratoga, General Burgoyne's planning of the campaign in England. The author does an excellent job portraying the characters from Benedict Arnold to Burgoyne and the rest. I enjoyed most his depiction of what living in the New York/Vermont area was like. It was the frontier; settlers were still subject to Indian attack. The logistical challenges for both sides were also masterfully presented, from moving guns, getting food, to exchanging messages.
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Summary: Horrible
Review: This book describes the battle of saratoga accurately, but thats the only good thing about it. The book goes into way too much detail about irrelevant information and is destracting. It also goes off on many tangents that take away from the main point of the story. It could have been written a lot better. Personally I fell asleep a few times while reading the book
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Summary: A civil war treatment of the Revolution
Review: This book does for the Revolution what so many good books do for the Civil War, brings it to life with good explanations of the battle campaign, excellent character sketches, and top flight writing that keeps you moving right along. Concentrating on the events from the fall of 1776 to the fall of 1777, Ketchum brings you along as the decisions are made, and the personalities involved conflict. He tells it from the point of view of the general and the drummer boys, and has done the research to back it up (without feeling the necessity to bore you with every bit of research he discovered. He gives you the good stuff) What McPherson, Foote and Sears do for the Civil War, Ketchum does for Saratoga and the Revolution.
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Summary: Granny Gates
Review: This is a relatively new book, and it is an excellent history of the series of battles, the campaign, that was the turning point of the American Revolution. Seldom does a British armed force surrender; in the Revolution two did-at Yorktown and at Saratoga. This prompted the French to weigh in as allies and send aid, as well as a fleet and an army, to support the Americans against Britain. Ketchum, who was an editor at American Heritage and responsible for some of their better publications, including one on the Revolution, has told his tale with verve, wit, and accuracy. His character sketches are colorful and right on target. The author's treatment of both sides is even-handed, and the bitter fighting at both Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights is painted with a wide, colorful brush, not leaving out the sheer horror and brutality that was 18th century warfare. This book is highly recommended. Although I believe John Elting's The Battles of Saratoga to be better, this volume belongs in every collection on the Revolution.
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Summary: An excellent and very readable book
Review: This is an excellent book and I recommend it highly. More than almost any other author, Ketchum gives you a very real sense of what it was like to be a soldier in the revolution. In this he has gotten even better than in "Decisive Day", his book on Bunker Hill. The major players are very well characterized and the book as a whole reads like a page-turner. As to shortcomings, I would have liked about five or six more maps to give a better sense of place. The few maps included are not quite enough. Also I would have liked to see a short epilogue telling us what happened to the people Mr. Ketchum's skilful prose has brought to life for us. Last, I would have liked to see a short note on visiting the site of the battle and what museums or other resources are available. In general, though, I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Not As Good As Earlier Ketchum Books
Review: This is the story of British General Burgoyne's invasion of New York/Vermont in 1777. The maps are barely adequate - too few and don't show military actions fully. Ketchum's strength is his writing style which is fluid and readable. There are lots of interesting period details and interesting military details. Burgoyne was an ambitious braggart but he was also a soldier well in advance of his day, requiring officers to read military-related books and treat their men as human beings. His management of the campaign however was loose. Ketchum portrays Arnold in derogatory fashion, as vain and quarrelsome. Gates' inactivity is explained away. The actual battle is covered rather quickly in the last 100 pages; Ketchum fails to show the tactical picture very well. There is no order of battle or analysis of the battle. This work is not as good as Ketchum's earlier Revolutionary War books.
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