Shots Heard Round the World is a history of a conflict that began as a struggle by American colonists for greater rights and morphed into a wider war. France and Spain supplied the American rebels with secret aid and in 1778, three years into the conflict, France allied with the United States. A year later Spain entered the war as an ally of France. While the war raged in North America, the two Bourbon nations fought the British on the seas and far-flung battlefields. In 1781, seven long years into hostilities, the war’s outcome remained in doubt, confronting leaders in America, London, Versailles, Madrid, and the capitals of Europe’s neutral nations with difficult choices. Shots Heard Round the World explores the choices made by the belligerents, the military actions that resulted, and the peace negotiations that followed.

 Available April 1, 2025