Revolutionary People at War: The Book Review

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Royster does an effective job of explaining how the revolutionaries managed to hold on and keep fighting against the larger British forces. In the hellish nightmare of war, "Liquor in moderation was thought to relieve fatigue," Royster explains (144). This was not a decision that the generals made -- allowing soldiers to drink alcohol during battles -- but rather it was fully endorsed by Congress. Those that haven't read Royster's book might not know that Congress "rewarded victory with rum" -- although perhaps elected officials didn't realize that liquor had its bad side; many soldiers "got drunk every day and men sold their clothing and equipment to buy liquor, which "aggravated mutiny as well as valor" (144).

Two themes beyond what have already been expressed are important to Royster's book. One is religion, which he uses as a subtle and not-so-subtle theme off and on; a total of 52 pages of this book relate to various aspects of God and religion, including all the passages from 152 to 177. That said, it is also fair to mention that the soldiers and families of soldiers in that era did indeed put a lot of faith in God. The other theme is George Washington's leadership and the lack of direct criticism he received, even when he did not perform up to his own standards. When General Washington's army failed to beat Howe a number of soldiers began questioning the competency of Washington (Royster, 1979 178-79).

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Other failures attributed to Washington (losing Long Island, losing a garrison at Fort Washington, along with other failed battles) resulted in "private, not published or spoken…" criticism.

Royster explains that the rumors castigating Washington were apparently spread from members of Congress that Washington had lost his "zeal" for victory, that he was "weak-willed" that he used "poor judgment" -- and that his army lacked discipline (180). Part of the grousing and complaining, according to Royster's narrative, was simply due to the fact that the war was dragging on for years and many observers had expected it to end promptly. Royster goes into great detail to point out all the dynamics of camp life, the food shortages, the injuries, the men who went AWOL -- and the joy of ultimate victory. When the war ended, and there were hugs and handshakes all around, and many soldiers weren't even sure how to go home, Washington's humanity was in full view: "Many, including Washington, wept" (Royster, 1979 353).

Conclusion

This is probably not the most brilliantly written book about the American Revolution, and one could argue there are a few too many religious images and themes woven in to the narrative, but Royster was thorough, he conducted the story-telling part of his job very well, and moreover, Americans reading this book can feel a sense of pride at what a rag-tag army could muster against a much….....

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