Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution

Victory at Yorktown is a highly readable book that captures the Yorktown campaign with a broad strategic view with a long run up to Yorktown. If you are looking for a detailed book on the Yorktown campaign that includes a tactical study, then this book is not for you as the author only addresses the campaign over the final chapters of the book. But, if you want to read a book about the overall events that lead up to the Yorktown campaign, then this book will not disappoint. The bulk of the book deals with the sad fragile condition of the Continental Army, the financial impotent congress who cannot support it, the emergence of the strong French support in troops, the mobilization of the allies' troops and navy and perhaps most fascinating, the harmful discord within the British Command, from Generals Clinton and Cornwallis to Admiral Graves. The author starts with circumstances from 1780 forward providing a strategic understanding of how Yorktown came into being, thus the southern campaigns are necessary and the author provides the detail in summary form. The book does stray a bit as in the interesting detail on Benedict Arnold's betrayal and the maps are limited (3 buried in the middle of the book) but overall an enjoyable read finishing up with a touching portrayal of Washington's final days as commander while he stifles his army's planned march on congress. What is quite amazing, as my friend's son observed, is how Yorktown was a matter of miraculous timing. The Continental and French Armies made a very long and complicated journey to reach the peninsula blessed with the dramatic and necessary appearance of the French fleet that traveled quite a ways itself. Another interesting note in this book was the number of black soldiers in the militias who fought throughout the campaign that is described here and not otherwise noted in other books. It would have been even more interesting if the author elaborated more particularly as the British attempted to utilize blacks as well in avariety of roles with the temptation ofa better life. A more appropriate title for potential readers for this book would have been, "The Last Years of the Revolution that Ended at Yorktown". The book is a very good read particularly if you know and want what you are getting.

If your weren't up on how much the French and other European powers assisted with Washington's victory at Yorktown, please read this book. Excellent account of the French ground and naval contributions to the battle at Yorktown. Also, continues to highlight what other authors have discussed regarding the precarious nature of the American troops at Washington's disposal. The book also brings up some interesting anecdotes about how disorganized and unsupportive the majority of the Congress at the time was. If you are just an interested reader on the Revolutionary War, this book will be for you; great read.

Some criticism here that the author jumps around somewhat and is not a slave to chronology. Let me suggest books with bigger print and more illustrations for those who find themselves thus challenged. This was in fact the most complicated campaign, requiring more coordination, stones and pure luck than any other. For those who retort "Trenton" let me merely respond "scale". Two fleets (one in Newport and the other in the West Indies) had to arrive at the York/James at precisely the same time as an army which traveled 700+ miles mostly on foot on horrible roads from New York. It is well-written, with many interesting new details and a suspense that builds despite the fact the outcome is well known. If you consider yourself a buff you have to add this one to your personal library.

This history covers the period 1780-83 and not only the Battle of Yorktown. Ketchum's writing is lively and includes many personal vignettes. Perhaps the outstanding feature of the book is that he includes the writings, decisions, and actions of the British and French figures, which are often ignored in the American perspective on the Revolution. He also does well to convey the war weariness of America at this point and how nearly the Revolution did not succeed. Finally, he continues the narrative to 1783 and does not end it at Yorktown, so you get an appreciation of the uncertainty after that battle and the two-year wait for the war actually to end. One criticism is that the book contains a paucity of maps, so it is hard to follow the battles of the southern campaign (which the first half of the book covers). Also, the guerilla warfare in the south is given short shrift, being covered from the perspective of Greene and Morgan, with only a paragraph devoted to Swamp Fox Marion. Lastly, little is mentioned about the peace negotiations or the treaty and its implications. Overall a very good read and informative.

After reading this book, in spite of the previous customer reviews, I am extremely disappointed in the seemingly short sighted attitude of those individuals who wrote subject reviews. I would agree that possibly the title for this book is incorrecet as it covers a lot more ground than Yorktown and goes into a significant amount of history leading up to the battle at Yorktown. I was pleased with the overall subject and the information that Ketchum presented in a very factual and yet interesting manner. I would consider this one of the books that makes a better understanding of everything leading up to the final "full scale" battle between American and French allied forces and those of Great Britain in our fight for independence.