Synopses & Reviews
The loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing book makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of ten prominent men who directed the British dimension of the war, historian Andrew Oandrsquo;Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory.and#160;In interlinked biographical chapters, the author follows the course of the war from the perspectives of King George III, Prime Minister Lord North, military leaders including General Burgoyne, the Earl of Sandwich, and others who, for the most part, led ably and even brilliantly. Victories were frequent, and in fact the British conquered every American city at some stage of the Revolutionary War. Yet roiling political complexities at home, combined with the fervency of the fighting Americans, proved fatal to the British war effort. The book concludes with a penetrating assessment of the years after Yorktown, when the British achieved victories against the French and Spanish, thereby keeping intact what remained of the British Empire.
Review
"Much of [the book's] value lies in the sheer volume of engaging material it brings together and in the originality of its organization and approach to a much studied question, namely why Britain lost the War of the American Revolution. . . . A treasure-trove of information on the British operation of the War.”—Richard Johnson, University of Washington Fred Anderson
Review
and#160;andquot;Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy has written a remarkable book about an important but curiously underappreciated subject: the British side of the American Revolution. With meticulous scholarship and an eloquent writing style, O'Shaughnessy gives us a fresh and compelling view of a critical aspect of the struggle that changed the world. This is a great book.andquot;andmdash;Jon Meacham, author of
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of PowerReview
"Scrupulously researched and superbly written, these humanizing portraits of conventional cardboard figures from American history offer, like all great history, lessons for today: military might does not guarantee political success; do not try to govern that which you do not own; and resist empire's temptations."—Gary Hart, United States Senator (Ret.)
Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History - Guggenheim-Lehrman Institute
Review
"Deeply researched, carefully argued, and clearly written, The Men Who Lost America cuts through the thick crust of romantic myths to cast the American Revolution in a refreshing new light. Blessed with an impartial, open mind, Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy reveals the talents as well as the human foibles of a rich cast of intriguing characters including America's last king. In the end, O'Shaughnessy gives the American revolutionaries exactly what their story has so long needed: worthy adversaries who fought hard and well."—Alan Taylor, author of The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies Gary Hart
Review
"Beautifully written and deeply researched,
The Men Who Lost America is a great achievement. It will provide any interested reader with a delightfully user-friendly way of understanding how and why the British lost the revolutionary war."—Pauline Maier, author of
Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 Alan Taylor
Review
“Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy brings the human experience of the Revolutionary era to life in these graceful sketches of ten British political and military leaders. To see the period from the perspective of the able, earnest men who struggled to hold the British Empire together is to understand the origins of the United States in ways that Americans have seldom tried to imagine them. It’s about time we did, and there’s no better place to start than with this book.”—Fred Anderson, University of Colorado, Boulder
Pauline Maier
Review
“[OShaughnessy] shatters entrenched stereotypes.”—William Anthony Hay, The National Interest Richard Johnson
Review
“[An] engaging study. . . based on an extensive reading of the vast literature and of many original sources.”—Brendan Simms, The Wall Street Journal The National Interest
Review
“A delightfully myth-shattering book.”—Open Letters Monthly Brendan Simms - The Wall Street Journal
Review
“An extensively researched, gracefully written study”—John Taylor, Washington Times Jon Meacham
Review
Winner of the 2013 Great Midwest Book Festival in the Regional Literature category, given by JM Northern Media LLC
Review
Winner of the 2014 Cincinnati History Prize sponsored by the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey. Great Midwest Book Festival - JM Northern Media LLC
Review
Received an Honorable Mention for the 2013 American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE), in the U.S. History category. Cincinnati History Prize - Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey
Review
and#8220;[An] engaging study.and#8221;and#8212;Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal
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Finalist for the George Washington Book Prize 2014. PROSE Awards - American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence
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Finalist for the 2013 Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History. George Washington Book Award - George Washington College
Review
and#8220;An extensively researched, gracefully written studyand#8221;and#8212;John Taylor, Washington Times
Review
“[An] engaging study.”—Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal Brendan Simms
Review
Winner of the 2014 George Washington Book Prize sponsored by Washington College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the prize recognizes the year’s best books on the nation’s founding era, especially those that have the potential to advance broad public understanding of American history. PROSE Awards - American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence
Synopsis
A unique account of the American Revolution, told from the perspective of the leaders who conducted the British war effort
Synopsis
This unique account of the American Revolution, told from the perspectives of King George III, Lord North, General Burgoyne, and other British leaders, brings to light the real reasons behind the British Empireandrsquo;s stunning and unexpected loss.
About the Author
Andrew Jackson Oandrsquo;Shaughnessy is Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Monticello, and professor of history, University of Virginia. He lives in Charlottesville, VA.