The Tragedy of the Crater

The passion and lore of the American Civil War has tended to relegate the American Revolution to a small core of enthusiasts and readers. Burke Davis's The Campaign that Won America: The Story of Yorktown is a highly readable affair that exemplifies why reading history is exciting. In his detailed treatment of George Washington's famous Yorktown campaign, he maintains it was the war's most decisive engagement, a well-coordinated operation between highly mobile French and American armies that deceived and trapped a mismanaged and confused British army from land and sea reinforcement. Davis's prolific life of writing history, specifically in the Civil War and the American Revolution, has resulted in over fifty books. He is a heavyweight in 18th and 19th century story telling and the book's title clearly announces his perspective on Yorktown and its place within the Revolutionary War. He maintains that command and control--and at its heart, communication--was largely absent from the British chain of command. A lack of urgency or concern throughout the campaign revealed an air of indifference by the British towards the colonials, underestimating a force that was actually a potent threat. Unclear objectives and loss of situational awareness resulted in frequent British confusion. Davis showcases a frustrating affair for the British who seem consistently several steps behind in action. The book is a powerful testament that British inefficiency lost them the campaign. Readers are provided brief character assessments of the key players in the campaign; George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, Count Jean Rochambeau, Admiral Francois de Grasse, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Charles Cornwallis, and Rear Admiral Thomas Graves. Most interesting is the author's presentation of the emotional side of George Washington, one of sheer elation upon learning of France's arrival in July 1780, then utter rage at Rochambeau for his changing of campaign plans against New York. This emotional profile is well woven throughout the text to cast a human dimension of a fighting general above the standard two dimensional presentations of the man. Davis makes a point to display the warm relationship the Americans and French had with one another, underscoring that French involvement was not a minor affair in the war. The Americans respected French expertise in warfare and Count Rochambeau, a competent military man and key leading Frenchman under Washington, had no qualms attempting to influence American strategy. Davis's analysis of command and control of American and British forces is incisive and is presented as the crux to Yorktown's result. Lapses in judgment and odd methods of communication quickly educate one into understanding why reliable and efficient command, control, and communications is so paramount to military operations. The British skill in this area disintegrated over time. Davis uncovers a hostile relationship between Sir Henry Clinton and Lord

A wonderful, engaging book that keeps the reader turning the pages. We see the coming battle at Yorktown, not only from the point of view of the names we know-Washington, Lafayette, Cornwallis, but also from the view of the common soldier. The reader learns not only what happens, but why events transpired the way they did. We read of the British military leaders fighting amongst themselves over petty differences while George Washington sneaks away from their trap in New York and heads to Yorktown. We see the French naval fleet out-maneuvering the British fleet and fighting their way in to eliminate the possibility of the British escaping Yorktown by ship. And the author shows us the participants in the saga as human beings instead of simple historical figures, such as when we see George Washington prancing around with glee when he learns the French fleet is headed in to help the colonial army. The book is written like a novel, not like a history book, which brings the reader into the action. But this is an excellent book that not only entertains, but informs. Even though I already knew a great deal of the history covered in this book, I learned new things-such as all of the trouble the French fleet encountered in their quest to drive off the British fleet. And we see the commander of the French fleet nearly deciding to sail away at the exact moment when they were needed the most. We read just how little it would have taken for the events at Yorktown to turn in the British's favor, but also how many times the British didn't take advantage of their chances. This is not only a good book of history; it is entertaining, it is well-written, it is interesting, and it is informative. It takes an excellent writer to take a story with a known ending yet still be able to instill in the reader the desire to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. Burke Davis does just that in "The Campaign That Won America." This is an excellent book. If one wants to read a book to understand the story of Yorktown and the events that lead up to it, this book is the one I recommend.

The Battle of Yorktown was the final battle in America's War of Independence. Written over 30 years ago, this account is still the standard by which all others are judged.Based upon hundreds of eyewitness accounts and official records, the narrative flows very easily, detailing how Washington combined with Rochambeau and stole a march on the British. This book underscores just how much the United States owes to France. Without French troops and the French Navy, this amazing campaign, which resulted in America capturing its second British Army in the field, could not have been mounted.This is no grade school version of American Independence. It is war in all its gore and all its sacrifice.

This book perfectly describes the various events leading up to, and including, the Battle of Yorktown. The book is about 300 pages long, and is the pefect length. The problem with many of the other books about military battles that I've read is that the author immerses the reader in far too much detail about the actual movements of troops, etc. However, this book represents the perfect confluence of military strategy and personal anecedotes, which make it highly readable.

This is a very readable book about the most important battle of the American Revolution. Davis gives us a lucid, informative, and a most historically fact-based book on the major officers(i.e. Washington, Rochambeau, Cornwallis, de Grasse, Clinton and many others) as well as the circumstances leading to the siege of Yorktown. Each chapter chronicles a critical event, including Washington's long march from New York to Virginia and Cornwallis's failed campaign in the Carolinas which led him to Yorktown. I would most enthusiastically recommend this book to any American patriot.