Title The men who lost America : British leadership, the American Revolution, and the fate of the empire / Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy

Published New Haven : Yale University Press, 2013

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Description 1 online resource (xiv, 466 pages) : illustrations, maps Series Lewis Walpole series in eighteenth-century culture and history Lewis Walpole series in eighteenth-century culture and history. Contents pt. I. The view from London. "The tyrant": George III ; The prime minister: Lord North -- pt. II. Victory and defeat in the north (1776-1778). The peace commissioners?: the Howe brothers ; "The old gamester": John Burgoyne ; "The Achilles of the American war": Lord George Germain -- pt. III. Victory and defeat in the south (1778-1781). "The scapegoat": Sir Henry Clinton ; "Bagging the fox": Charles, Earl Cornwallis -- pt. IV. Victory against France and Spain (1782). "Saint George": Sir George Rodney ; "Jemmy Twitcher": The Earl of Sandwich Summary "The loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing book makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of ten prominent men who directed the British dimension of the war, historian Andrew O'Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory. In interlinked biographical chapters, the author follows the course of the war from the perspectives of King George III, Prime Minister Lord North, military leaders including General Burgoyne, the Earl of Sandwich, and others who, for the most part, led ably and even brilliantly. Victories were frequent, and in fact the British conquered every American city at some stage of the Revolutionary War. Yet roiling political complexities at home, combined with the fervency of the fighting Americans, proved fatal to the British war effort. The book concludes with a penetrating assessment of the years after Yorktown, when the British achieved victories against the French and Spanish, thereby keeping intact what remained of the British Empire"-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Print version record Subject Great Britain. Army -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 SUBJECT Great Britain. Army fast Subject Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815 -- Participation, British HISTORY -- Europe -- Great Britain. HISTORY -- United States -- Revolutionary Period (1775-1800) BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY -- Historical. Military campaigns Military participation -- British Politics and government SUBJECT United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- British forces. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140145 United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Campaigns. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140147 Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85056908 Subject Great Britain United States Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2012047724 ISBN 0300195249 9780300195248 9781299648128 1299648126

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