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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I purposely read this book when I did so my reading would fall on the anniversary of the battle. A history nerd, I am!
As with most of Nathaniel Philbrick’s books, this book was about far more than the Battle of Bunker Hill. But in this circumstance, it worked. One really can’t discuss Bunker Hill without addressing what led to it. A lot of the book focuses on Joseph Warren, who, despite his role as a leading Son of Liberty, is often ignored in the annals of history due to his untimely death. The account of Lexington and Concord was actually the best I’ve read to date and really brought home the brutal reality of the day the war began.
As far as Bunker Hill goes, I particularly enjoyed the details of the battle. I had several ancestors from New Hampshire fight in the battle under Colonel John Stark (one of them was even a drummer), so I got excited reading about their defense of what has been dubbed “The Rail Fence” (or as I think of it now based on the book’s description, “The Grass Sandwich.”) One thing I didn’t like about the book is that the narrative of the battle abruptly ended with the death of Joseph Warren. Yes, it occurred during the retreat from the redoubt, but I actually know nothing about what happened (except the obvious) after the Americans ran out of ammunition. What happened to everyone else? I think there are probably better books about Bunker Hill out there, but this one was certainly enjoyable.
As with most of Nathaniel Philbrick’s books, this book was about far more than the Battle of Bunker Hill. But in this circumstance, it worked. One really can’t discuss Bunker Hill without addressing what led to it. A lot of the book focuses on Joseph Warren, who, despite his role as a leading Son of Liberty, is often ignored in the annals of history due to his untimely death. The account of Lexington and Concord was actually the best I’ve read to date and really brought home the brutal reality of the day the war began.
As far as Bunker Hill goes, I particularly enjoyed the details of the battle. I had several ancestors from New Hampshire fight in the battle under Colonel John Stark (one of them was even a drummer), so I got excited reading about their defense of what has been dubbed “The Rail Fence” (or as I think of it now based on the book’s description, “The Grass Sandwich.”) One thing I didn’t like about the book is that the narrative of the battle abruptly ended with the death of Joseph Warren. Yes, it occurred during the retreat from the redoubt, but I actually know nothing about what happened (except the obvious) after the Americans ran out of ammunition. What happened to everyone else? I think there are probably better books about Bunker Hill out there, but this one was certainly enjoyable.
We get so focused on Concord and Lexington and the Constitutional convention that it's easy to forget how much fighting went on particularly in new England from the 1640s until the 1770s. The author does a very good job of laying out that early beginning to our revolution. I enjoyed his book on the whaleship Essex and I'm looking forward very much to finishing this one.
Fantastic book. Having been to all the sites in Massachusetts, & hearing of all the events growing up, I learned just how little I knew. And it was engrossing. Makes me want to visit all over again, along with the book.
You get a good warts-and-all description of so many of the first rebels/patriots and how it all fell into place for America to launch itself into what turns into the birth of a nation.
This story covers from the Boston Massacre to the British evacuating Boston, and will make you want more.
You get a good warts-and-all description of so many of the first rebels/patriots and how it all fell into place for America to launch itself into what turns into the birth of a nation.
This story covers from the Boston Massacre to the British evacuating Boston, and will make you want more.
A well-written account of the beginning of the American Revolution. Gives the reader a better understanding of the months leading up to and including the Battle of Bunker Hill (which was actually the Battle of Breed's Hill) than books that encompass the entire war.
The Battle of Bunker Hill. Most Americans have heard of this famous battle. June 17, 1775, the British forces led by General William Howe attacked the newly fortified Colonial position on Breed’s Hill and were repulsed on the first two attempts. On the third attempt the Colonial forces were finally forced to pull back due to lack of powder. The battle was not a large battle, fewer than 6,000 soldiers were involved. This would have been considered barely a skirmish in Europe. Yet this fight lives on in American legend.
Nathaniel Philbrick turns his talent to the story of this famous battle. He starts the book well before the events of that fateful day. He recounts the struggles between the colonial population and the British government over issues such as taxation. He gives a lot of detail about the nature and use of mob violence in colonial world. Philbrick spends a lot of time on this subject. He paints a rather terrifying spectacle of these mobs. One of the stories he relates is of an outspoken supporter of government policy who is taken from his home, dragged through the town, tarred, feathered, beaten, and almost hanged before the crowd is through with him.
There are two prominent characters in this book that we don’t hear enough about today: Joseph Warren and Samuel Adams. These were the two primary leaders in the anti-government movement. Samuel Adams, the elder of the two was a well known rabble rouser. He understood how to work the crowds and to use every situation to his advantage. Joseph Warren was one of the most respected physicians in Boston. He was also dedicated to the cause of liberty. He was, by all accounts, a great orator and a tireless worker on behalf of the cause. Philbrick spends a lot of time speculating as to whether he fathered a child by a maid. This may be the weakest part of the book. It really doesn’t matter whether or not Warren fathered this child and it does nothing to tell the story.
A good amount of the book deals with the lead up to the British march on Lexington and Concord, and with the actual fights on that April day. I was not aware of the British atrocities committed on the retreat to Boston until I read this book. Many of the dead Americans were civilians who were simply murdered by the British who were enraged over being forced to retreat.
Philbrick spends a lot of time on the battle itself. The main part of the battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill, not Bunker Hill. The colonial forces were supposed to fortify Bunker Hill, but went to far forward and dug in to a less defensible position on Breed’s Hill. The British success drove the colonial forces off of Breed’s Hill and then Bunker Hill. It was in the defense of Breed’s Hill that Joseph Warren has killed. His loss was felt strongly by all who knew him.
Philbrick is a very good writer and knows how to keep the narrative flowing. He has found a lot of interesting stories and a lot of interesting characters. This is an easy to read, enjoyable book that can read with little or no background knowledge of the subject.
Nathaniel Philbrick turns his talent to the story of this famous battle. He starts the book well before the events of that fateful day. He recounts the struggles between the colonial population and the British government over issues such as taxation. He gives a lot of detail about the nature and use of mob violence in colonial world. Philbrick spends a lot of time on this subject. He paints a rather terrifying spectacle of these mobs. One of the stories he relates is of an outspoken supporter of government policy who is taken from his home, dragged through the town, tarred, feathered, beaten, and almost hanged before the crowd is through with him.
There are two prominent characters in this book that we don’t hear enough about today: Joseph Warren and Samuel Adams. These were the two primary leaders in the anti-government movement. Samuel Adams, the elder of the two was a well known rabble rouser. He understood how to work the crowds and to use every situation to his advantage. Joseph Warren was one of the most respected physicians in Boston. He was also dedicated to the cause of liberty. He was, by all accounts, a great orator and a tireless worker on behalf of the cause. Philbrick spends a lot of time speculating as to whether he fathered a child by a maid. This may be the weakest part of the book. It really doesn’t matter whether or not Warren fathered this child and it does nothing to tell the story.
A good amount of the book deals with the lead up to the British march on Lexington and Concord, and with the actual fights on that April day. I was not aware of the British atrocities committed on the retreat to Boston until I read this book. Many of the dead Americans were civilians who were simply murdered by the British who were enraged over being forced to retreat.
Philbrick spends a lot of time on the battle itself. The main part of the battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill, not Bunker Hill. The colonial forces were supposed to fortify Bunker Hill, but went to far forward and dug in to a less defensible position on Breed’s Hill. The British success drove the colonial forces off of Breed’s Hill and then Bunker Hill. It was in the defense of Breed’s Hill that Joseph Warren has killed. His loss was felt strongly by all who knew him.
Philbrick is a very good writer and knows how to keep the narrative flowing. He has found a lot of interesting stories and a lot of interesting characters. This is an easy to read, enjoyable book that can read with little or no background knowledge of the subject.
Not as good as "In the Heart of the Sea". A really thrilling account of the events leading up to Bunker Hill and some of the aftermath (although primarily focused on the life and times of a man named Joseph Warren), but you need a pretty thorough knowledge of the characters of the revolution to follow the exact story. A lot of little things and once-mentioned people go unintroduced. But in terms of a miniature biographical account of Joseph Warren? To die for.
Philbrick is great; this is not my favorite of his works, but it is very engaging and incredibly interesting account of the revolutionary war activities in Boston, from the Boston Massacre to the battle at Bunker Hill and the subsequent seige. Great characters, like Paul Revere, Sam Adams, George Washington....though there are so many characters that it does get confusing at times. Worth a read, for anyone interested in this period, or interested in Boston. My how it's changed.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced