Jonathan Arnold reviewed George Washington's War by Robert Leckie
Review of "George Washington's War" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
As the title indicates, this history of the American Revolution concentrates on the military aspects of the war. And he does a great job of it. I loved the side histories of most of the major figures in the war, which really gives you a good picture of the men involved. Every battle is described in detail, and Leckie isn't afraid to call out tactics, both good and bad, on both sides. He can be down right brutal at times! There were some excellent discussions of the men and equipment that fought the war, just how ugly it got at times. Didn't realize how many atrocities were committed on both sides. Ugly.
But in the end, I was depressed. Leckie tried to end it on a high note, with high falutin' words about the first government of and for the people, with some small concession to just how one sided …
As the title indicates, this history of the American Revolution concentrates on the military aspects of the war. And he does a great job of it. I loved the side histories of most of the major figures in the war, which really gives you a good picture of the men involved. Every battle is described in detail, and Leckie isn't afraid to call out tactics, both good and bad, on both sides. He can be down right brutal at times! There were some excellent discussions of the men and equipment that fought the war, just how ugly it got at times. Didn't realize how many atrocities were committed on both sides. Ugly.
But in the end, I was depressed. Leckie tried to end it on a high note, with high falutin' words about the first government of and for the people, with some small concession to just how one sided it really was. But it just gets you to thinking, maybe this wasn't so great. I mean, Britain abolished slavery something like 30 or 40 years before we did. And while I am sure being black in the UK is no picnic, I am pretty sure it is better than being black in America. After reading about the revolution in [b:A People's History of the United States|2767|A People's History of the United States|Howard Zinn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494279423l/2767.SY75.jpg|2185591] by Zinn and, most especially, [b:These Truths: A History of the United States|43726521|These Truths A History of the United States|Jill Lepore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560822249l/43726521.SY75.jpg|59883979] by Lepore, you see how one sided these histories really are. And how depressing the end result is currently even.
But if what you are looking for is an entertaining and informative read about the military side of the American Revolution, I don't see how you could do any better.
