Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Washington goes to War
Review: "The City at the Heart of the American Revolution" is the subtitle of Barnet Schecter's book The Battle for New York. This title led me to believe that the book was going to focus exclusively on the city of New York during the years 1775-1783.Although the book does not focus entirely on events in the city during the war years, it does a very good job of telling the story of the American Revolution while displaying the importance of New York during this critical time in American history. I found the chapter on the relationship between events in the city of New York and the battle at Yorktown to be most impressive and valuable. This chapter gave me a new appreciation for the American army and their abilities in time of grave crisis. General George Washington, in all his splendor, is well depicted in this book, especially as his actions relate to his desire to recapture the city of New York, which was occupied by the British. Other American, British, & French military leaders are also described in the book, provided that their actions relate to one or more of the campaigns in New York. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a basic understanding of the Revolutionary War and is looking for a slightly different perspective than that presented in many general histories. After accepting the fact that the book was not going to focus on New York City, the only disappointment I found in this book is that the battle of Saratoga, which I believe was pivotal in the war, does not get much attention, despite its location and the interaction between Burgoyne and Clinton.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, entertaining account of a close to home battle
Review: As a born and bred New Yorker I was fascinated to read about the close to home battles fought in the early days of the Revolution. Those concrete NYC masses were once bucolic fields and small hamlets. Battles were fought where we now have massive bridges and urban sprawl. Schecter tells the story with an engaging style of a novel. He does not overwhelm us with tactics or military details. He tells a more personal account of the men and women who fought in this battle. What is also interesting is how the loyalties were clearly split among New Yorkers. This was not a revolution of unanimity. The British Loyalists felt that their attachments to the crown were as patriotic as the cause of the revolutionaries. Well done Mr. Shecter.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Addition To Revolutionary War Canon
Review: Despite the title, this book provides a good general history of the American Revolution but, from a military standpoint, starting with the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776 rather than with Lexington and Concord in 1775. Anyone who has read extensively concerning the battles will not really find anything new about Saratoga, Trenton, Princeton, Guilford Courthouse, Yorktown, etc. However, for the general reader, the book does provide good summaries of many battles and may whet your appetite to read books that are more specific....such as the volumes written by Richard Ketchum on Saratoga, and Trenton/Princeton. For the person who has already read quite a bit about the Revolutionary War, what makes this book worthwhile is Mr. Schecter's focus in the first half of the book on the battles in and near New York City, and in the second half of the book his arguments, generally convincing, that New York City was always important to the strategy of both sides. Even though the British occupied New York City, they were always worried about the rebels launching a counterattack, especially once the French allied themselves with the Americans. As British resources were limited, and as tremendous distances were involved, this nagging concern with New York City prevented the British from concentrating their forces sufficiently to be able to deliver a knockout blow. Mr. Schecter has some interesting things to say about the Battles of Brooklyn, Harlem Heights, etc. While not downplaying the strategic errors made by the rebel forces, the author is persuasive when he makes his point that these battles were not quite as one-sided as they have been portrayed in the past. Although it is true that the British took many more prisoners than the Americans did, the dead and wounded on the British side were usually greater...once the Hessian losses are factored in. This is a key point, as the British traditionally tended "not to count" the losses sustained by their mercenary forces. And while many historians down through the years have pointed out that the British commander General Gage missed several opportunities, by his conservative strategy, to trap and destroy (or force a total capitulation by) Washington's forces, Mr. Schecter points out that one reason, though certainly not the only reason, for this conservative strategy was a grudging and growing respect for the willingness of the Americans to fight. Yes, it is true that there was sometimes panic and hasty retreat on the rebel side, but there were several instances, also, of stubborn fighting...which resulted in those not inconsiderable British/Hessian casualties. This book does have some weaknesses: Mr. Schecter has an annoying habit, especially in the first half of the book, of disrupting the narrative by providing detailed information concerning current day locations of where much of the action took place. A reader that does not possess an intimate knowledge of New York City will find this information to be extraneous, and I assume there will be many such readers. Another glaring weakness is the maps. There are not enough of them and they are poorly placed- usually after rather than just before or during the narrative descriptions of the battles. On the plus side, Mr. Schecter's main thesis is interesting, he writes well and he includes many first-person quotations (which help bring the story to life). Particularly enlightening and amusing are the excerpts from the memoirs of a soldier, Joseph Plumb Martin, who fought throughout the war. He may have been a "common" soldier, but his wit, insights and writing ability were quite uncommon. Thanks to Mr. Martin we are brought down from the stratosphere of grand strategy and politics to the cold earth of the battlefield- where the citizen-soldier usually had inadequate clothing and would sometimes go several days without food or sleep......and his bed would be the hard ground and the ceiling consisted of the stars.
Rating:
Summary: Never look at New York the same way again
Review: Full disclosure: I went to school with Barnet but even if I hadn't, now that I'm on a military history kick I would still have read this book and loved it. Especially if you live in New York City it's essential reading. 9/11 made me move out of my damaged Tribecca apartment, and otherwise I was one of the lucky Manhattanites -- but however the attack affected you, it will give you a different perspective to understand how the city was actually under siege not really all that long ago. And if you don't live in New York, but you're at all interested in the Revolution, this will give you a thoroughly new take on it. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: siege of new york was critical
Review: hard to imagine british troops landing near the UN. never knew what "fort lee" was named after. the list of mystererious names and places for those of us who grew up in the area goes on and on. this book filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of history around the new york area. if you were going to read 1 book on the american revolution, i would recommend this one. extremely enjoyable read!
Rating:
Summary: siege of new york was critical
Review: hard to imagine british troops landing near the UN. never knew what "fort lee" was named after. the list of mystererious names and places for those of us who grew up in the area goes on and on. this book filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of history around the new york area. if you were going to read 1 book on the american revolution, i would recommend this one. extremely enjoyable read!
Rating:
Summary: A great read.
Review: I couldn't have been more pleased with this book. It covered all that I'd hoped, and didn't drift to subject matter that made it tedious to read. One of my favorite things about the book was the detail of NY's modern landscape and where events that occured during the war, are located today. I can't wait for my next trip to NYC so I can visit many of the sites listed (of personal interest is the Kip's Bay area, as I descend from the Kip family that the area is named after). This book should be required reading for folks living in NYC...especially those studying the American Revolution in school. Imagine the field trips... Sections in the book that were somewhat humorous (the American's refusal to deliver British messages to Washington unless they were addressed in a manner that acknowledged his position, etc.) had me laughing out loud, while other sections (Knowlton and Hale's stories, etc.) stirred emotion. As a history buff, this is one of the best books I've read. Two thumbs up for Mr. Schecter.
Rating:
Summary: A great read.
Review: I couldn't have been more pleased with this book. It covered all that I'd hoped, and didn't drift to subject matter that made it tedious to read. One of my favorite things about the book was the detail of NY's modern landscape and where events that occured during the war are located today. I can't wait for my next trip to NYC so I can visit many of the sites listed (of personal interest is the Kip's Bay area, as I descend from the Kip family that the area is named after). This book should be required reading for folks living in NYC...especially those studying the American Revolution in school. Imagine the field trips... Sections in the book that were somewhat humorous (the American's refusal to deliver British messages to Washington unless they were addressed in a manner that acknowledged his position, etc.) had me laughing out loud, while other sections (Knowlton and Hale's stories, etc.) stirred emotion. As a history buff, this is one of the best books I've read. Two thumbs up for Mr. Schecter.
Rating:
Summary: The Battle for New York City
Review: Mr. Schecter has done a fabulous job of describing the American Revolution as it took place within the present-day boundaries of New York City. The Battle for the City is set forth in all of its very exciting but unfortunately little known details. Other amateur Revolutionary War historians may have known, as I did, that the "Battle of Long Island" (the traditional name is rather confusing since it was fought entirely within present-day Brooklyn) and the subsequent capture of Manhattan were pivotal events in setting the course of the war, but all of the accounts I had read before seemed to gloss over the specifics of the engagements. Probably because we (the Americans) lost so ignominously. The author does not hide from the serious mistakes made by General Washington and the other Patriot generals, but he also brings to light the many heroic engagements that the American forces fought in this campaign, at locations scattered all across the city -- on Staten Island, in Brooklyn, in the Bronx, on Manhattan and just outside the city at White Plains (I'm sure something important happened in Queens too but I can't recall what now). In particular, I found Mr. Schecter's description of the delaying action fought by a small unit of Americans when the British tried to outflank the Continental Army in the Bronx to be very stirring. I had never known anything before about that particular engagement, and after reading about it I wanted to enlist in Glover's regiment even though I'm 225 years too late! In addition to the pivotal campaign, Mr. Schecter vividly captures events in the city preceding the British invasion in 1776, as well as the long years under British occupation before the final evacuation and General Washington's triumphal reentry into the city at the end of the War. The author also provides detailed itineraries for touring the surprisingly many Revolutionary War sites that can still be seen in the expanse of New York's 19th and 20th Century sprawl. I am looking forward to touring the city soon and trying to find all of these sites! I'm not from New York but Mr. Schecter's book had me riveted from the introduction to the last footnote. My wife gave me this book for my birthday last year, and I am overjoyed that she did! The only caveat I have is that if you are looking for details about the many equally fascinating events that occurred in Upstate New York during the Revolutionary War, they're not here. Having said that, this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in not just the big picture, but also the details, of the American Revolution.
Rating:
Summary: The Battle for New York City
Review: Mr. Schecter has done a fabulous job of describing the American Revolution as it took place within the present-day boundaries of New York City. The Battle for the City is set forth in all of its very exciting but unfortunately little known details. Other amateur Revolutionary War historians may have known, as I did, that the "Battle of Long Island" (the traditional name is rather confusing since it was fought entirely within present-day Brooklyn) and the subsequent capture of Manhattan were pivotal events in setting the course of the war, but all of the accounts I had read before seemed to gloss over the specifics of the engagements. Probably because we (the Americans) lost so ignominously. The author does not hide from the serious mistakes made by General Washington and the other Patriot generals, but he also brings to light the many heroic engagements that the American forces fought in this campaign, at locations scattered all across the city -- on Staten Island, in Brooklyn, in the Bronx, on Manhattan and just outside the city at White Plains (I'm sure something important happened in Queens too but I can't recall what now). In particular, I found Mr. Schecter's description of the delaying action fought by a small unit of Americans when the British tried to outflank the Continental Army in the Bronx to be very stirring. I had never known anything before about that particular engagement, and after reading about it I wanted to enlist in Glover's regiment even though I'm 225 years too late! In addition to the pivotal campaign, Mr. Schecter vividly captures events in the city preceding the British invasion in 1776, as well as the long years under British occupation before the final evacuation and General Washington's triumphal reentry into the city at the end of the War. The author also provides detailed itineraries for touring the surprisingly many Revolutionary War sites that can still be seen in the expanse of New York's 19th and 20th Century sprawl. I am looking forward to touring the city soon and trying to find all of these sites! I'm not from New York but Mr. Schecter's book had me riveted from the introduction to the last footnote. My wife gave me this book for my birthday last year, and I am overjoyed that she did! The only caveat I have is that if you are looking for details about the many equally fascinating events that occurred in Upstate New York during the Revolutionary War, they're not here. Having said that, this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in not just the big picture, but also the details, of the American Revolution.
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