New York 1776: The Continentals first battle

(Paperback)

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Description

General Sir William Howe's New York campaign gave the British their best chance of destroying the Continental Army and George Washington's resistance to colonial power. Howe succeeded in dividing the Continentals, defeated them on Long Island and forced Washington to retreat to Brooklyn Heights. Under siege there, Washington successfully crossed the East River to Manhattan but soon had to fall back on Harlem Heights. After a few weeks Howe forced the Continentals north to White Plains and defeated them again. However, he allowed Washington to withdraw and preserve his army when a more aggressive pursuit could have ended the war. Instead, with the British army rapidly weakening and facing huge manpower shortages, Washington emerged from a succession of defeats to produce what was ultimately a war-winning strategy. The author provides fascinating insights into a unique campaign in which a string of British victories ultimately led to failure and defeat.

Reviews

"The book provides conclusions on what came after the battles and how the event steered others that followed. The final section, which for this subject is quite small, is what the battlefields are like today. Since this area has been extensively populated and reformed in the last 250 years, very little actually remains. It is a superb book on the subject and one that all students of American history should have in their libraries. I can recommend to you without reservation." --Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (May 2008)

"David Smith's New York 1776: The Continentals' First Battle details the strategies, tactics and battle experiences of opposing forces during the 1776 campaign." --California Bookwatch (May 2008)

"All the actions are described here and shown by excellent maps and birds'-eye-views, and the good selection of contemporary illustrations are ably backed by good colour plates. Highly recommended." --John Prigent, Internet Modeler (April 2008)

"A student in American and military studies at the universities of Iowa, Hull and Liverpool, David Smith has written the usual concise but comprehensive entry in Osprey Books' Campaign series, well supported by maps and illustrations by Graham Turner. Commendably, he avoids applying too much 20th century hindsight in his appraisals of the protagonists, putting them rather in the context of their own times. The result is a more understanding picture of Howe -- and an undiminished appreciation of the magnitude of Washington's achievements in the wake of his New York fiasco." --Jon Guttman, Military History (June/July 2009)

Author Bio

David Smith is a freelance writer on a variety of subjects. His main area of interest is US and British military history. He attended the University of Iowa and University of Hull for his degree in American Studies. He then completed his MA in Military Studies with distinction at the University of Liverpool, with a thesis on the battle of Long Island. He now lives in Chester, UK. This is his second book for Osprey. Graham Turner is a leading historical artist, specializing in the medieval period. He has illustrated numerous titles for Osprey, covering a wide variety of subjects from the dress of the 10th-century armies of the Caliphates, through the action of bloody medieval battles, to the daily life of the British Redcoat of the late 18th century. The son of the illustrator Michael Turner, Graham lives and works in Buckinghamshire, UK.