In this Book
- 1777: The Year of the Hangman
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: The University of Alabama Press
summary
A detailed study of the British invasion from Canada during the War of Independence
No one who has read the history of the War of Independence can fail to be fascinated by the campaign of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne. The story evokes pictures in the mind's eye: scarlet-coated Englishmen; the green and blue uniforms of the German mercenaries; the flash of brass and silver and steel accoutrements; the swarms of Indians in their war paint; the whole moving through the green forests or sailing the blue waters of lakes and rivers. Even the names have a lyrical tone: Richelieu, Champlain, Oriskany, Ticonderoga, and La Chine.
Part of this fascination is the fact that the fate of the expedition marked a turning point in the history of the war. It is not surprising that there has been a host of chroniclers, scholars, and novelists, and those who fall in a category somewhere between because their artistry bridges the gaps that footnoted facts cannot, and so allows some scope for imagination (and may teach more history than the rest).
This fascination was partly responsible for Pancake’s exploration of this particular part of the history of the war. There was also the fact that no scholar since Hoffman Nickerson in his Turning Point of the Revolution (1926) has attempted a detailed study of the British invasion from Canada, although there has been a vast amount of literature on specific aspects of the campaign. No study to date has attempted to link the Canadian expedition to the concurrent operation of General Sir William Howe in Pennsylvania in such a way as to present a complete story of the campaign of 1777. From the point of its inception and launching by the American Secretary, Lord George Germain, to the point where it was reduced to a shambles at the end of the year.
No one who has read the history of the War of Independence can fail to be fascinated by the campaign of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne. The story evokes pictures in the mind's eye: scarlet-coated Englishmen; the green and blue uniforms of the German mercenaries; the flash of brass and silver and steel accoutrements; the swarms of Indians in their war paint; the whole moving through the green forests or sailing the blue waters of lakes and rivers. Even the names have a lyrical tone: Richelieu, Champlain, Oriskany, Ticonderoga, and La Chine.
Part of this fascination is the fact that the fate of the expedition marked a turning point in the history of the war. It is not surprising that there has been a host of chroniclers, scholars, and novelists, and those who fall in a category somewhere between because their artistry bridges the gaps that footnoted facts cannot, and so allows some scope for imagination (and may teach more history than the rest).
This fascination was partly responsible for Pancake’s exploration of this particular part of the history of the war. There was also the fact that no scholar since Hoffman Nickerson in his Turning Point of the Revolution (1926) has attempted a detailed study of the British invasion from Canada, although there has been a vast amount of literature on specific aspects of the campaign. No study to date has attempted to link the Canadian expedition to the concurrent operation of General Sir William Howe in Pennsylvania in such a way as to present a complete story of the campaign of 1777. From the point of its inception and launching by the American Secretary, Lord George Germain, to the point where it was reduced to a shambles at the end of the year.
Table of Contents
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- One / The War Begins: 1775
- pp. 7-15
- Two / The American Secretary
- pp. 16-30
- Three / Dress Rehearsal: 1776
- pp. 31-48
- Four / Crisis in New Jersey
- pp. 49-65
- Five / Arms and Men
- pp. 66-86
- Six / Germain and the Generals
- pp. 87-101
- Seven / The Suppression of the Loyalists
- pp. 102-113
- Eight / The Northern Invasion
- pp. 114-128
- Nine / The Gathering Storm
- pp. 129-145
- Ten / Saratoga: The First Battle
- pp. 146-162
- Eleven / Philadelphia Takes Howe
- pp. 163-178
- Twelve / Saratoga: The Forlorn Hope
- pp. 179-191
- Thirteen / Stalemate
- pp. 192-212
- Fourteen / Epilogue: The French Alliance
- pp. 213-222
- Bibliographical Essay
- pp. 253-255
- Image Plates
- pp. 269-276
Additional Information
ISBN
9780817388331
Related ISBN(s)
9780817306878, 9780817351120
MARC Record
OCLC
560709558
Pages
286
Launched on MUSE
2016-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No