Overview

Controversial and revisionist history of America’s first civil war. Published with hugely successful accompanying four-part BBC TV series – written and presented by star military historian, Richard Holmes. Most people view the American Revolutionary War of the 1775–83 (also known as the War of Independence) as a popular struggle for liberty against an oppressive colonial power. REBELS & REDCOATS by historian Hugh Bicheno, written to accompany a four-part BBC television series presented by Richard Holmes, demonstrates that it was in fact America's first civil war. Employing the latest scholarship and vivid eyewitness accounts, Bicheno argues t that the war was the product of a broad French imperial design, and greed of many prominent colonials. As many Americans remained loyal to the Crown as rebelled against it, and the reasons for adopting or changing sides were as varied as the men and women who had to make the unenviable decision. Native and African Americans overwhelmingly favoured the British cause.We hear not only the voices of Rebels and Redcoats, but also of German mercenaries and aristocratic French adventurers, as well as Indian warriors and Black slaves fighting for their independence, which together shed new light on events that forged a nation. The main loser was the French monarchy, which ruined itself to gain no lasting influence over the United States, while unable to exploit the distraction the war created either to invade Britain or gain control of the West Indies, which at the time were considered a far bigger prize than all of North America.

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9780007156269

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Reviews

'Redcoat is a wonderful book, full of anecdote and good sense. Anyone who has enjoyed a Sharpe story will love it, anyone who likes history will want to own it and anyone who cherishes good writing will read it with pleasure.' BERNARD CORNWELL, Daily Mail 'It would be hard to exaggerate the excellence of this book. It is vivid, comprehensive, well-written, pacy, colourful, and above all, highly informative. The author has a command of his subject of Wellingtonian proportions, and his enthusiasm communicates itself to the reader on every page.' Simon Heffer, Literary Review 'This is an army from another, and Redcoat is a splendidly entertaining, moving and informative description of its strengths and foibles.' Hew Strachan, Daily Telegraph

The American War of Independence began as a minor skirmish seemingly doomed to failure. Even those in the 13 colonies that then comprised North America considered the rebels to be no more than a bunch of drunken rabble-rousers. No one could know that their actions would eventually produce the world's most powerful nation. Previous writers have often represented the war as a spontaneous uprising of repressed people against their brutal colonial rulers. In fact it wasn't that way at all, as the American historian and anglophile Hugh Bicheno shows. Nothing about those turbulent years of the 1770s was at all as straightforward as you might believe. Few are aware, for instance, of a French involvement that proved decisive in Britain's defeat. In researching this masterly study, which accompanies a BBC four-part series, Bicheno has drawn on the most graphic contemporary accounts, many of them from personal journals. These show how low-scale conflict turned into a civil war, with more Americans fighting on the British side than there were ranged alongside George Washington for the republicans. The war split families, turning father against son, brother against sister. Many regarded British rule as greatly preferable to that of the money-grabbers who had aligned themselves with Washington's rebels. Bicheno comes to some surprising and challenging conclusions, not least the assertion that both Britain and America emerged from the war far less secure than they went into it. The real winners, always stirring things up from the sidelines, were the French. Bicheno's overall grasp of how culture, greed and extraordinary circumstances came together is illuminating. His book is lavishly illustrated with both pictures and maps, and a six-page chronology is invaluable in keeping track of how the many volatile events intertwined. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Richard Holmes is a celebrated military historian and television presenter, famous for his BBC series 'War Walks' and 'Wellington'. His bestselling and widely acclaimed books include 'Redcoat', 'Tommy', 'Sahib' and 'Dusty Warriors'. He taught military history at Sandhurst for many years and is now Professor at Cranfield University and The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. His latest book (Harper Press, May 2008) is 'Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius'.

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