Once he got into the American Revolution, a book about Benedict Arnold followed ("Valiant Ambition") and now a book about the Yorktown Campaign. As the American Revolutionary War dragged on, General George Washington became increasingly concerned about securing the resources necessary to strike a decisive blow against the British. Except for Washington’s steadfastness, commanding persona and astute leadership the war would have already been lost. “What scornful looks and hard words have I experienced,” Martin wrote forty-seven years later. It really is a superb read.Thanks to historians like Nathaniel Philbrick, who bring historical personages and events to life in accessible, intelligent prose, I know more history than I ever learned in school. While most of us know the story of Yorktown it takes a history like this that slices one event from the greater story to really inform us of the details and the full story of this one event. I enjoyed this book, but it was lacking a bit of the personal touch that I come to rely on during reading.

I also really appreciated the maps of movement of the 2 major naval engagements, The battle of Cape Henry and the Battle of the Chesapeake, described in this book and also the movements of the armies involved in the siege at Yorktown.I feel like the American Revolution is a topic that many people know on the surface, but not in depth. Without Francisco Saavedra's invaluable aid, the war would likely not have been won at YorktoAlthough I lived in Virginia for several years, and even attended a Fourth of July celebration in Yorktown many moons ago, my knowledge of the pivotal Battle of Yorktown and the events and people leading up to it was woefully infinitesimal. The book moves at a steady pace as Philbrick adds details of military, political, and social fronts, but battle scenes ratchet up the pace; as always Philbrick provides an interesting perspective on characters, Washington especially, but also Benedict Arnold who appears as an English officer and gets his comeuppance; Philbrick has chosen a rather obscure battle--or at least one not usually highlighted--and has made an excellent case for its importance; lots of details--historical, military, cultural--and a real sense of time and place; Philbrick's style is compelling and his use of primary sources along with his journalistic writing makes for an authoritative but accessible account. Philbrick was Brown’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978; that year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI; today he and his wife Melissa sail their Beetle Cat Clio and their Tiffany Jane 34 Marie-J in the waters surrounding Nantucket Island.Philbrick was Brown’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978; that year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI; today he and his wife Melissa sail their Beetle Cat Clio and their Tiffany Jane 34 Marie-J in the waters surrounding Nantucket Island.“A total of about 200,000 Americans had served in the war, but that did not mean the rest of the country of about 3 million would show them any gratitude or respect.

Like all of his books, it is well researched and well written, providing both the broad sweeps of history and the little "nuggets" that I look for to help me draw teenagers into the fascinating idiosyncrasies of history. It seems that Washington had long known that without the French Navy there would be no victory for the Revolution. I only picked this one up because it was a book of the month pick. Order it again or get it from a library (or the Libby app like I did) if you want to read it.In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at YorktownDespite the Philbrick’s title, In the Hurricane’s Eye, Washington appears to be less of a genius than ‘lucky’ in the Victory at Yorktown. Americans in 1783 were desperate to put the trauma of the Revolution behind them, and these broken and penniless soldiers were a daily reminder of what they preferred to forget. Yorktown is the battle that won the war, but Philbrick does an excellent job digging into this topic to show how unlikely American success actually was. I still believe he was a good commander but Philbrick shows his poor decision making to be critical to the eventual loss of the war by the British. The French army at the battle was just as large as the Continental army, if not bigger. Like all of his books, it is well researched and well written, providing both the broad sweeps of history and the little "nuggets" that I look for to help me draw teenagers into the fascinating idiosyncrasies of history. At least, that's how it might seem at a surface glance. A planet on the brink. Well, the work is much more about the former than the latter. A broad, engaging and insightful history of the Yorktown campaign.A broad, engaging and insightful history of the Yorktown campaign.I am absolutely fascinated with the events surrounding the American Revolution- call me a sucker for the most unlikely victories one could imagine- and I love an opportunity to dig in to the time period with my reading. Order it again or get it from a library (or the Libby app like I did) if you want to read it.In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at YorktownDespite the Philbrick’s title, In the Hurricane’s Eye, Washington appears to be less of a genius than ‘lucky’ in the Victory at Yorktown. —The New York Times Book ... The French Navy defeated a British fleet one of the few times in modern history. I somewhat knew most of the characters already, so that helped, but the book was still a slow and dense read. Full disclosure: I received this book as an ARC. It shows the interactions and politics involved between the British, French, and American sides and all the infighting and backroom dealings that are seldom discussed when discussing military affairs. Further, in his Notes he laboriously lists---in microscopic print---his sources and sometimes their detractors. For the last three years of the war, Washington did little besides sitting along the Hudson and dreaming of retaking New York. Only the newly appointed chief in New York, Sir Guy Carleton, showed a civilized streak, forcing even Washington to accept the freeing of former slaves.Solid narration of the events that led to and culminated in the Battle of Yorktown. Clear some space on your bookshelves, readers. He was Brown University’s first Intercollegiate All-American… Nathaniel Philbrick grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and earned a BA in English from Brown University and an MA in America Literature from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. It definitely increased my understanding of the battle of Yorktown and informed my visit, though I'm not sure my travel companions appreciated all my new-found knowledge. He also deals with the nearly 2 year gap between Yorktown and the peace treaty of 1783 but only to discuss the status of the army and Washington during this period.

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