ePub Road to Yorktown; The (Military) by John R. Maass in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Unavailing CampaignsBy VA DuckThe Road to Yorktown is a well written; very focused and precise account of La Fayette's independent command in Virginia beginning in late 1780; ending as his command is subsumed under General Washington at Yorktown in the fall of 1781.The account is detailed and easily followed; though by style and content perhaps of greatest interest to those inclined to military history; rather than biography; or traditional narrative history. The book follows the campaigns of La Fayette in his pursuit and avoidance [!] of Lieutenant General; Earl; Charles Cornwallis and Cornwallis’ crafty and ruthless cavalry commander Banister Tarlton.For this reader (a Virginian) there were a number of discoveries and clarifications for which to thank author Maass and the read flowed naturally along the paths of chronology and command to include; La Fayette; Anthony Wayne; Cornwallis; Tarletan and Simcoe. The helplessness of Virginia through either; exhaustion; inept political leadership or an odd form of apathy drawn from years of hardship are central to the story and to La Fayette’s effectiveness. Maass offers: "Inadequate resources; too few troops and a lack of organization doomed Virginia’s defensive efforts." Governor Jefferson suffers a scar on his reputation during this period - the justification for which Maass leaves up to the reader - presenting both sides of the story.Four stars for this reader because of: a) the book's emphasis on 'itinerary’ rather than intent; or plan; or obvious campaign objective - engagements are few and indecisive and the reader is left wondering if La Fayette’s campaign had ANY real impact at all on Cornwallis; who’s eventual move to his entrapment at Yorktown was his own decision; done at the behest of his superior; General Sir Henry Clinton in New York; b) Mass insists on using “period” maps to illustrate the movements of the forces. Unfortunately for the reader the map’s visual clarity suffers from lack of resolution on the kindle version of the book and the map’s illustrative value seems (to this reader at least) far less helpful to the read than a properly annotated modern map might have provided; c); the book ends as the events of Yorktown begin - anticlimactic in its impact on the read... but in fairness to the author's stated objective; by that time La Fayette’s independence of command had come to an end.Recommended for the reader of military history; or natives; or visitors to the state of Virginia who may be interested in traveling the routs of the American or British forces.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Campaign of 1781 in VirginiaBy Howard A. Curle Jr.This book was excellent. It gave an extremely detailed picture of the Virginia Campaign of 1781. The detailed information about the routes taken by the various British and American units was very helpful; especially as the author described those routes in relation to modern roads. I was thrilled to learn that a British cavalry unit had actually spent a night in a location no more than a quarter-mile from my house. This kind of information really brings history alive. This was a pivotal period of the American Revolution and the book does it justice. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the American Revolution in Virginia.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Liked it. As the title saysBy Jeffrey HareLiked it. As the title says; it is the "road to" Yorktown. It gets you there; every bloody footstep of the way to the battle; but not the battle itself. I followed up with the Seige of Yorktown by Thomas Fleming; and that helped finish the story.