audiobook The World of the Battleship: The Design and Careers of Capital Ships of the World's Navies; 1900-1950 by From Naval Institute Press in History

Description

In The Long Fuse; Don Cook investigates the American Revolution from the British side; throwing new light on this colorful age and its players. He draws from a multitude of primary sources; including personal correspondence and political memoranda; to show how Britain; at the height of her power but suffering from internal political strife; made one mistake after another; culminating in the loss of her prized colonies. In opposition to King George's American policies were such towering figures as William Pitt; Edmund Burke; and Charles James Fox; their speeches in the House of Commons are some of the best oratory in the English language. But despite their eloquence and forcefulness; they did not have the votes to prevail. In the end; the Americans rebelled as much against an English political state of mind as against the British Army. Cook takes us through the war years: King George's decision that "blows must decide" the colonies' future; Lord North's futile effort to negotiate peace after the British defeat at Saratoga; which only hastened the American alliance with France; the secret letter from Washington to Lafayette that the British intercepted; perhaps altering the outcome of the Battle of Yorktown; and the peace negotiations masterminded by Franklin and John Jay. Winner of the Colonial Dames of America Annual Book Award 1996. "The Long Fuse is a marvelous new way of understanding the Revolutionary War. Many Americans have no idea of the extraordinary combination of brilliance; ignorance; stubbornness and intelligence on the British side. We won with a majestic collection of heroes; fools; geniuses; and rogues; they lost with an unforgettable cast of colorful characters. This eye-opening book is a splendid historical synthesis." - John Chancellor