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Questioning popular belief, a historian and re-examines what exactly led to the British Empire's loss of the American Revolution.

The loss of America was an 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.

"A remarkable book about an important but curiously underappreciated subject: the British side of the American Revolution. With meticulous scholarship and an eloquent writing style, O'Shaughnessy gives us a fresh and compelling view of a critical aspect of the struggle that changed the world." -- Jon Meacham, author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

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  • We started tracking this book on July 3, 2013.
  • This book was $23.29 when we started tracking it.
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  • The current price of this book is $11.99 last checked 21 hours ago.
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  • The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on October 15, 2022.
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  • The highest price to date was $23.29 last reached on August 13, 2013.
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Additional Info

  • Publication Date: June 11, 2013
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Lending: Disabled
  • Print Length: 497 Pages
  • File Size: 5,520 KB

We last verified the price of this book about 21 hours ago. At that time, the price was $11.99. This price is subject to change. The price displayed on the Amazon.com website at the time of purchase is the price you will pay for this book. Please confirm the price before making any purchases.