Publisher's Synopsis
Discover the fascinating stories and history of the American Revolutionary War. With twenty-two chapters, this unique compilation provides a stunning, richly detailed overview of the military strategies, campaigns, battles, and personalities of the war. Because of the enormous size of this encyclopedia, it has been split into two parts for the paperback version. Part One Contents: Chapter 1 - Stories From The American Revolution * Chapter 2 - Battles of the American Revolution * Chapter 3 - The Revolution: Day By Day * Chapter 4 - From Gentility to Atrocity: The Continental Army's Ways of War * Chapter 5 - The American Revolution: Basics * Chapter 6 - The United States Army and the Forging of a Nation * Chapter 7 - Timeline of the American Revolution * Chapter 8 - Supplying Washington's Army Part Two Contents: Chapter 8 - Supplying Washington's Army (Concluding sections) * Chapter 9 - Birth of the Navy, John Paul Jones, Vessels of the Continental Navy * Chapter 10 - Army NCO History: American Revolution * Chapter 11 - Intelligence and the Revolutionary War * Chapter 12 - Intelligence in the War of Independence * Chapter 13 - Thomas Knowlton and His Rangers, The Taproot of U.S. Army Intelligence * Chapter 14 - Rangers in Colonial and Revolutionary America * Chapter 15 - Training the Army, The Musket Drill * Chapter 16 - The Virginia Campaign and the Blockade and Siege of Yorktown, French Participation in the American Revolution * Chapter 17 - The Battle of Camden, South Carolina * Chapter 18 - The Battle of Kings Mountain and the Battle of the Cowpens, South Carolina * Chapter 19 - The British Campaign for Philadelphia and the Occupation of Valley Forge in 1777 * Chapter 20 - Valley Forge History * Chapter 21 - Tolerably Comfortable: A Field Trial of a Recreated Soldier Cabin at Valley Forge * Chapter 22 - Bibliography of The American Revolution: Military History The encyclopedia opens with a basic introduction, Stories from the American Revolution, providing a capsule history of the war from protests in 1763 to the end game at Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris. There is a discussion of African-Americans, American Indians, privateers, and the role of religion in the Revolutionary Period. There are biographies of General George Washington, Nathanael Greene, Salem Poor, Captain John Paul Jones, John Adams, Haym Salomon, and Thomas Paine. The second chapter gives a good overview of the major battles of the revolution. Chapter Three provides a very thorough day-by-day overview through 1783. The next chapter is an essay about the continental army's ways of war. Chapter Five discusses the factors contributing to the success of the American colonies as they revolted against British rule. The following chapter by the U.S. Army is a detailed account of the Army in the forging of a nation, beginning with the European heritage of the colonies. A major section provides a timeline of the revolution with numerous original document transcriptions, placing each text in the context of its history. It gives extraordinary contemporaneous insight into the thoughts and plans of key players in the drama, including Washington. Supplying Washington's Army is the next section of this incredible encyclopedia, answering the question of how the soldiers were clothed and armed and why there was such a shortage of provisions. The role of the first American Navy, and Captain John Paul Jones, is covered in the next chapter, which includes a full list of vessels of the Continental Navy. The history of the U.S. Army noncommissioned officer (NCO), dating back to 1775 with the birth of the Continental Army, is discussed in the next chapter. There are four chapters on intelligence, including the role of Army rangers and Thomas Knowlton. A brief chapter describes the musket drill. Army-supplied histories of four major battles provide vivid accounts: Camden, King's Mountain, Philadelphia, and the Virginia Campaign.
