The bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea; Mayflower; and Valiant Ambition; tells the story of the Boston battle that ignited the American Revolution; in this "masterpiece of narrative and perspective." (Boston Globe)Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party; British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19; when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord. In June; however; with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege; skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come; and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists.Philbrick brings a fresh perspective to every aspect of the story. He finds new characters; and new facets to familiar ones. The real work of choreographing rebellion falls to a thirty-three year old physician named Joseph Warren who emerges as the on-the-ground leader of the Patriot cause and is fated to die at Bunker Hill. Others in the cast include Paul Revere; Warren’s fiancé the poet Mercy Scollay; a newly recruited George Washington; the reluctant British combatant General Thomas Gage and his more bellicose successor William Howe; who leads the three charges at Bunker Hill and presides over the claustrophobic cauldron of a city under siege as both sides play a nervy game of brinkmanship for control.With passion and insight; Philbrick reconstructs the revolutionary landscape—geographic and ideological—in a mesmerizing narrative of the robust; messy; blisteringly real origins of America.
#25284 in Books Nathaniel Philbrick 2014-04-29 2014-04-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x .90 x 5.40l; 1.00 #File Name: 014312532X416 pagesBunker Hill A City a Siege a Revolution
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Bunker Hill: Where a Battle; then Siege of Boston Became a Roaring RevolutionBy Bill Kaye"Bunker Hill: A City; A Siege; A Revolution;" by Nathaniel Philbrick; is a marvelous book that looks at the lead-up to and early stages of the American Revolution. It is well detailed. Most books covering this period of our American history cover the Battle of Concord and Lexington but stop short of including the Battle of Bunker Hill (which; incidentally; was fought in large part on Breed's Hill in Charlestown) and the subsequent siege of Boston. This history provides the full story and is a must read for any history buff. The main cast of characters are here ... Dr. Joseph Warren who was killed at Bunker Hill; Samuel Adams; Paul Revere; et. al. and their British adversaries. Of the many books on this period that I have read; this is one of the best because it includes the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston; which galvanized the patriots of New England into revolutionary action and ignited the "embers" into full revolution in places such as New York; Pennsylvania; Virginia; and the Carolinas.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Have not finished it yet; but so far I have to say "EXCELLENT"!By T. VoellingerI have read a LOT of books on the Revolution; in fact it is all I have read for years now; and so far (have not finished this yet); this is one of the best I have read! I was surprised to find that this book is more than just the title! I have not even gotten to the Battle yet! In fact; not even up to Lexington Concord yet! The book takes you through all of what transpired leading up to the start of the Revolution. Of course; since this is a lot of territory to cover; a lot of details are missing; that I have read in other books; BUT; there have been many; many details that I have not seen in other books. Its like the author knows what most people (that do any reading on the subject at all) already know so he skips over those and adds details that he knows are not in a lot of other books. In addition; the writing style is excellent; very enjoyable to read. If you are a student of the Revolution; I heartily recommend this book!7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Much More Than What Your School Textbook Taught YouBy Bill EmblomAuthor Nathaniel Philbrick has favored us with his latest effort on Bunker Hill. I thoroughly enjoyed his previous books on The Mayflower and the one on General Custer. This book entitled Bunker Hill is divided into three parts entitled I. Liberty 2. Rebellion and 3. The Siege. I have to admit I found the book slow going in part 1. The book picked up considerably in part 2 with the battles at Lexington and Concord. Part 3 is about the battle on Bunker and Breeds' Hill which proved to be the single bloodiest battle in the war with 1100 causalities suffered by the British and 400 by the colonial army.I found the author bringing out the personalities of those involved to be very well done with the hero; if there is to be one; to be Dr. Joseph Warren who was killed in the battle. Author Philbrick states that had Warren not been killed American history may very well have been quite different because the name George Washington may only have been a footnote in history and best known for his role in the French and Indian War. People generally are familiar with George Washington; Paul Revere; Sam Adams; and John Hancock but Author Philbrick also brings out the personalities of General Thomas Gage; Nathanael Greene; Henry "Ox" Knox; and minister Mather Byles among others. Byles is an interesting character and when asked how he could be a "brainless Tory"; Byles answered by saying; "Tell me; which is better; to be ruled by one tyrant 3;000 miles away; or by 3;000 tyrants not a mile away?" He called the soldier who was ordered to guard him as his "observe-a-tory."I enjoy reading about American history; but I did find the book to be more detailed for my taste. If your background is better than mine this should not be a problem for you. Since it was a little more descriptive than I would have liked I will rate it four stars.
