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Original Title:	1776 Year of Illusions
ISBN:	0785807241 (ISBN13: 9780785807247)
Edition Language:	English

1776: Year of Illusions

Thomas Fleming

Hardcover | Pages: 525 pages

Rating: 4.08 | 88 Users | 11 Reviews

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Title	:	1776: Year of Illusions
Author	:	Thomas Fleming
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 525 pages
Published	:	September 1st 1996 by Castle Books (first published September 1975)
Categories	:	History. Military History. American Revolution. Nonfiction. North American Hi.... American History

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Many of the myths and illusions Fleming debunks have been known to scholars of the Revolution upwards of fifty years. Still, many of them were potent then and now.

This book explores the events and motives of both sides in the American struggle for independence. And, while the focus is properly placed on the actors in the field, the background deliberations in Philadelphia, London and Paris are not forgotten. The work depends heavily on primary sources of diaries and letters of the participants. Fleming's summary in the last pages is an excellent statement of his thesis and is well done.

On the negative side, the author's opinions and snide asides riddle the book and diminish its credibility. After castigating both sides for believing that the struggle could be deciding by one dramatic action, Fleming avows "he probably could have ended the Revolution that afternoon." (August 28, 1776, p.359) Labeling actions "idiocy" and "ridiculous" may please a popular audience, but it reveals of subjectivism. He sets up straw men, such as "the myth of the omnipotent American rifle," that tumble at his mere suggestion. Fleming decries the eighteenth century Pennsylvania's abandonment of the "hallowed principle" of one man, one vote (p. 302) despite that standard's twentieth century origin. Perhaps Fleming tips his hand when he speculates (p. 467) what an "investigative reporter" might have made of the American conduct of the war. His product reflects the headline-seeking reporter rather than the reflective scholar.

An observation: Fleming reports (p. 215), "By the change in weather on March 5, 'much blood was saved,' [Washington] told his brother John Augustine (Jack) Washington. 'This remarkable interposition of providence is for some wise purpose I have not a doubt.'" Washington won a battle by default which he would rather have fought (and possibly lost) by main force. Interestingly, Washington's great "victory" at Yorktown five years later was the same sort of non-battle. By then he was content.

Solid, scholarly work marred by a breathless, emotional presentation. Still, a good read.

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Ratings: 4.08 From 88 Users | 11 Reviews

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A good and unconventionally organized analysis of the factors leading to American's declaration of independence and the first year of the war that was also very nearly the last year. This book focuses on many neglected historical aspects of the war, including British homeland policy, French diplomacy and intervention, Hessian recruitment, the campaign for Canada, intercolonial squabbles, forgotten founding fathers, and an American submarine developed 150 years before the U-boat.

Satisfying history of the year of libertyI chose this rating because of the sometimes confusing timelines. In general this book would be good for amateur historians, and would be an excellent choice for an undergraduate seminar.



Many of the myths and illusions Fleming debunks have been known to scholars of the Revolution upwards of fifty years. Still, many of them were potent then and now.This book explores the events and motives of both sides in the American struggle for independence. And, while the focus is properly placed on the actors in the field, the background deliberations in Philadelphia, London and Paris are not forgotten. The work depends heavily on primary sources of diaries and letters of the participants.

Many of the myths and illusions Fleming debunks have been known to scholars of the Revolution upwards of fifty years. Still, many of them were potent then and now.This book explores the events and motives of both sides in the American struggle for independence. And, while the focus is properly placed on the actors in the field, the background deliberations in Philadelphia, London and Paris are not forgotten. The work depends heavily on primary sources of diaries and letters of the participants.

Librarian note:There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this nameThomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was

This has been one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read., bar none. I usually stick to fiction but this one caught my eye and I have no regrets about reading it. It's not real quick read but it does flow like a novel.