Revolutionary Summer

Revolutionary Summer by Joseph J. Ellis

Review

A nice short book that unites the work of the Continental Congress move to American independence and what was going and did happen on the battlefield between the Continental Army and the British Army in New York.  The key American figures are John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and the lesser known General Nathanael Greene.  For the British, the key figures are the British commander General William Howe, his brother Admiral Richard Howe, and General Henry Clinton.

Interesting Facts

John Adams was nicknamed "His Rotundness."

It wasn't until after much later in Jefferson's life that he became famous for the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the Congressional Congress considered May 15, 1776 the most important date as this is when they voted on independence and appointed the committee to write the declaration.

Much of the militia sent to defend New York were armed with spears.

The British force that invaded New York was the largest armada to cross the Atlantic until the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.