Synopses & Reviews
In this engrossing narrative of the great military conflagration of the mid-eighteenth century, Fred Anderson transports us into the maelstrom of international rivalries. With the Seven Years' War, Great Britain decisively eliminated French power north of the Caribbean and in the process destroyed an American diplomatic system in which Native Americans had long played a central, balancing role permanently changing the political and cultural landscape of North America.
Anderson skillfully reveals the clash of inherited perceptions the war created when it gave thousands of American colonists their first experience of real Englishmen and introduced them to the British cultural and class system. We see colonists who assumed that they were partners in the empire encountering British officers who regarded them as subordinates and who treated them accordingly. This laid the groundwork in shared experience for a common view of the world, of the empire, and of the men who had once been their masters. Thus, Anderson shows, the war taught George Washington and other provincials profound emotional lessons, as well as giving them practical instruction in how to be soldiers.
Depicting the subsequent British efforts to reform the empire and American resistance the riots of the Stamp Act crisis and the nearly simultaneous pan-Indian insurrection called Pontiac's Rebellion as postwar developments rather than as an anticipation of the national independence that no one knew lay ahead (or even desired), Anderson re-creates the perspectives through which contemporaries saw events unfold while they tried to preserve imperial relationships.
Interweaving stories of kings and imperial officers with those of Indians, traders, and the diverse colonial peoples, Anderson brings alive a chapter of our history that was shaped as much by individual choices and actions as by social, economic, and political forces.
Review
"Characters come brilliantly to life, and events, some awful and unbelievable, are vividly painted in this important and beautifully written history....[Anderson] displays massive erudition, deft command of a sprawling array of sources, familiarity with all the relevant written histories, and, happily, the ability to tell what amounts to an extended series of whopping good tales." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[E]legant....This volume...will be of interest not just to Seven Years' War buffs, but also to those interested in the entire Revolutionary era. Anderson's magisterial study...is essential reading on an often ignored war." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Anderson carries his mastery of a vast scholarly literature lightly. His wide-ranging story is eventful and fast-paced, yet always clear. His exposition of cultural conflicts, strategy, politics and diplomacy is lucid. His characterizations are vivid and memorable. This book will be read by many people and will be in print for a long, long time." Charles Royster, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Each frontier ambush, siege, and occasional set-piece battle of the war is ably narrated, but better yet is Anderson's connection of the fighting to the political-diplomatic centers....Eminently approachable by the avid American history buff, Anderson's complete, balanced, and fluid opus will doubtlessly be the best word on its subject for some time." Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
Review
"Reading Crucible of War is an enriching experience....Anderson meets the enormous challenge he has set for himself." The Wall Street Journal
Review
"[F]ascinating....Enriched by a plethora of excellent maps and illustrations, this book combines exhaustive original research with a wonderfully accessible writing style. This terrific book is highly recommended..." Library Journal
Synopsis
Anderson transports readers into the maelstrom of 18th-century imperial rivalry and the the Seven Years' War in which Great Britain decisively eliminated French power north of the Caribbean.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 747-832) and index.
About the Author
Fred Anderson is Associate Professor of History at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is the author of
A People's Army: Massachusetts Soldiers and Society in the Seven Years' War (1984), as well as many articles, essays, and reviews.
From the Hardcover edition.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations xiii
Introduction: The Seven Years' War and the Disruption of the Old British Empire xvii
Maps xxvii
Prologue: Jumonville's Glen, May 28, 1754 3
Part I. The Origins of the Seven Years' War, 1450-1754
1. Iroquoia and Empire 11
2. The Erosion of Iroquois Influence 22
3. London Moves to Counter a Threat 33
4. Washington Steps onto the Stage ... 42
5. ... And Stumbles 50
6. Escalation 66
Part II. Defeat, 1754-1755
7. The Albany Congress and Colonial Disunion 77
8. General Braddock Takes Command 86
9. Disaster on the Monongahela 94
10. After Braddock: William Shirley and the Northern Campaigns 108
11. British Politics, and a Revolution in European Diplomacy 124
Part III. Nadir, 1756-1757
12. Lord Loudoun Takes Command 135
13. Oswego 150
14. The State of the Central Colonies 158
15. The Strains of Empire: Causes of Anglo-American Friction 166
16. Britain Drifts into a European War 169
17. The Fortunes of War in Europe 176
18. Loudoun's Offensive 179
19. Fort William Henry 185
20. Other Disasters, and a Ray of Hope 202
21. Pitt Changes Course 208
Part IV. Turning Point, 1758
22. Deadlock, and a New Beginning 219
23. Old Strategies, New Men, and a Shift in the Balance 232
24. Montcalm Raises a Cross: The Battle of Ticonderoga 240
25. Amherst at Louisbourg 250
26. Supply Holds the Key 257
27. Bradstreet at Fort Frontenac 259
28. Indian Diplomacy and the Fall of Fort Duquesne 267
29. Educations in Arms 286
Part V. Annus Mirabilis, 1759
30. Success, Anxiety, and Power: The Ascent of William Pitt 297
31. Ministerial Uncertainties 312
32. Surfeit of Enthusiasm, Shortage of Resources 317
33. Emblem of Empire: Fort Pitt and the Indians 325
34. The Six Nations Join the Fight: The Siege of Niagara 330
35. General Amherst Hesitates: Ticonderoga and Crown Point 340
36. Dubious Battle: Wolfe Meets Montcalm at Quebec 344
37. Fall's Frustrations 369
38. Celebrations of Empire, Expectations of the Millennium 373
39. Day of Decision: Quiberon Bay 377
Part VI. Conquest Completed, 1760
40. War in Full Career 387
41. The Insufficiency of Valor: Levis and Vanquelin at Quebec 391
42. Murray Ascends the St. Lawrence 397
43. Conquest Completed: Vaudreuil Surrenders at Montreal 400
44. The Causes of Victory and the Experience of Empire 410
45. Pitt Confronts an Unexpected Challenge 415
Victory Recollected: Scenographia Americana 421
Part VII. Vexed Victory, 1761-1763
46. The Fruits of Victory and the Seeds of Disintegration 453
47. The Cherokee War and Amherst's Reforms in Indian Policy 457
48. Amherst's Dilemma 472
49. Pitt's Problems 476
50. The End of an Alliance 487
51. The Intersections of Empire, Trade, and War: Havana 497
52. Peace 503
53. The Rise of Wilkes, the Fall of Bute, and the Unheeded Lesson of Manila 507
54. Anglo-America at War's End: The Fragility of Empire 518
55. Yankees Invade Wyoming--and Pay the Price 529
56. Amherst's Reforms and Pontiac's War 535
57. Amherst's Recall 547
Part VIII. Crisis and Reform, 1764
58. Death Reshuffles a Ministry 557
59. An Urgent Search for Order: Grenville and Halifax Confront the Need for Revenue and Control 560
60. The American Duties Act (The Sugar Act) 572
61. The Currency Act 581
62. Postwar Conditions and the Context of Colonial Response 588
63. An Ambiguous Response to Imperial Initiatives 604
64. Pontiac's Progress 617
65. The Lessons of Pontiac's War 633
Part IX. Crisis Compounded, 1765-1766
66. Stamp Act and Quartering Act 641
67. Grenville's End 652
68. The Assemblies Vacillate 657
69. Mobs Respond 664
70. Nullification by Violence, and an Elite Effort to Reassert Control 677
Part X. Empire Preserved? 1766
71. The Repeal of the Stamp Act 691
72. The Hollowness of Empire 709
73. Acrimonious Postlude: The Colonies after Repeal 714
74. The Future of Empire 729
Epilogue: Mount Vernon, June 24, 1767 735
Notes 747
Acknowledgments 833
Index