Читать книгу Revolution An Uncommon Chronicle of the American War for Independence - Kenneth JD Samcoe - Страница 4

Revolution! is a chronicle of a remarkable contest fought between the largest, most powerful professional army on earth and a motley collection of men and boys, extremely ill equipped and inexperienced in the arts of warfare. Thirty-three narratives describe the battles, while over half the remaining articles reveal how the radical revolutionaries, revered today as our founding fathers, sometimes barely succeed and more often miserably fail to keep a healthy Continental Army and a somewhat pusillanimous Continental Congress together.

Revolution! is also the story of a civil conflict fought in a divided country where the words “liberty” and “independence” are equally cheered, cursed and ignored.

Revolution! is written in the present tense, describing the war as it may have been reported and read while it was happening, much like the news was read and understood during our wars that followed. I believe this format works because, though there was a certain overlapping of campaigns in the northern and middle colonies, no significant battles were ever decided on the same day or even month. And most of the major battles in the south were fought toward the end of the war when there were no critical actions north of Virginia.

Revolution! is a short history, in fact a painfully short history for its author, who in order to keep it that way, excluded a few fascinating players and events that surely made the papers in those days. The naval battles of John Paul Jones and the exploits of Light Horse Harry Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee, aren’t mentioned, for instance, nor are the campaigns in our western frontiers. Though these and other events were exciting chapters in our revolution their results didn’t significantly alter the final outcome of the war.

The short section entitled The Players Afterward came about because I’ve often wondered what happened to these men and women after the war, and I thought the reader might wonder also.

The fictional character, Mr. Anonymous, is included in “conversations” as a source of background and commentary. His observations should fill in certain voids and perhaps answer questions the reader might have after reading a report. The remarks of historical figures were gleaned from their writings or their biographers.

Illustrations in Revolution! were created either through a camera lens aimed at toy figures or by scanning copyright free sketches and processing both through Adobe Photoshop.

The maps in Revolution! are sketches meant only to show approximate locations of cities and battlegrounds.

We are not bound to adhere to the doctrines held by the signers of the Declaration of Independence; we are as free as they were to make and unmake governments ... but (the Declaration) was drawn by men who thought, and it obliges those who receive its benefits to think likewise.

Woodrow Wilson

28^th President of the United States