Overview

No part of the country was more contested during the American Revolution than New York City, the Hudson River, and the surrounding counties. Political and military leaders on both sides viewed the Hudson River Valley as the American jugular, which, if cut, would quickly bleed the rebellion to death. So in 1776, King George III sent the largest amphibious force ever assembled to seize Manhattan and use it as a base from which to push up the Hudson River Valley for a grand rendezvous at Albany with an impressive army driving down from Canada. George Washington and every other patriot leader shared the king's fixation with the Hudson. Generations of American and British historians have held the same view. In fact, one of the few things that scholars have agreed upon is that the British strategy, though disastrously executed, should have been swift and effective. Until now, no one has argued that this plan of action was lunacy from the beginning. Revolution on the Hudson makes the bold new argument that Britain's attempt to cut off New England never would have worked, and that doggedly pursuing dominance of the Hudson ultimately cost the crown her colonies. It unpacks intricate military maneuvers on land and sea, introduces the personalities presiding over each side's strategy, and reinterprets the vagaries of colonial politics to offer a thrilling response to one of our most vexing historical questions: How could a fledgling nation have defeated the most powerful war machine of the era? George C. Daughan—winner of the prestigious Samuel Eliot Morrison Award for Naval Literature—integrates the war's naval elements with its political, military, economic, and social dimensions to create a major new study of the American Revolution. Revolution on the Hudson offers a much clearer understanding of our founding conflict, and how it transformed a rebellion that Britain should have crushed into a war they could never win.

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9780393354140

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Reviews

An enlightening combination of military and regional history. -- Booklist Fascinating...Daughan brings all his subjects to vivid life. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) In this fresh, vivid, and often surprising telling of the Revolutionary War, George Daughan explores the timeless theme of hubris and the critical role of geography in the making of American independence. A commanding, compelling performance by an inspired historian. -- Evan Thomas, author of John Paul Jones and Being Nixon [Daughan] deftly highlights how naval power shaped even war on land. -- Wall Street Journal Daughan's narrative is by turns suspenseful, elegant, and moving. -- Ian W. Toll, best-selling author of Six Frigates [A]n exacting account of the personal and national cost of the rebellion on both sides. -- Paula Uruburu - New York Times Book Review

In this fresh, vivid, and often surprising telling of the Revolutionary War, George Daughan explores the timeless theme of hubris and the critical role of geography in the making of American independence. A commanding, compelling performance by an inspired historian. -- Evan Thomas, author of John Paul Jones and Being Nixon George C. Daughan's narrative is by turns suspenseful, elegant, and moving. He entwines lucid analysis of politics and diplomacy with expertly rendered accounts of the military and naval campaigns. -- Ian W. Toll, best-selling author of Six Frigates [A]n exacting account of the personal and national cost of the rebellion on both sides. -- Paula Uruburu - New York Times Book Review [Daughan] deftly highlights how naval power shaped even war on land. -- William Anthony Hay - Wall Street Journal In this sharply drawn narrative, Daughan offers something truly valuable: a focus on the grand scale. -- Noah Benjamin-Pollack - National Book Review [An] enlightening combination of military and regional history. -- Mark Levine - Booklist

"""[A]n exacting account of the personal and national cost of the rebellion on both sides."" -- Paula Uruburu - New York Times Book Review ""Daughan’s narrative is by turns suspenseful, elegant, and moving."" -- Ian W. Toll, best-selling author of Six Frigates ""[Daughan] deftly highlights how naval power shaped even war on land."" -- Wall Street Journal ""In this fresh, vivid, and often surprising telling of the Revolutionary War, George Daughan explores the timeless theme of hubris and the critical role of geography in the making of American independence. A commanding, compelling performance by an inspired historian."" -- Evan Thomas, author of John Paul Jones and Being Nixon ""Fascinating…Daughan brings all his subjects to vivid life."" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ""An enlightening combination of military and regional history."" -- Booklist"

Author Information

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.

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