Reviews
Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 03:54PM
Reviews of Winning Independence
Publisher's Weekly
“In this deeply researched and well-argued account . . . Ferling is more focused on tactics and strategies than personalities, he draws incisive comparisons between Clinton’s belief that “more was to be gained from avoiding defeat than rolling the dice in hopes of gaining victory” and Gen. George Washington’s mindset. Readers will gain fresh insight into how thin the line between victory and defeat was for both armies.”
Kirkus
“A masterly history of the lesser-known second half of the Revolutionary War. . . . Ferling concludes that, but for its blunders, Britain would have defeated the rebels, who made their own blunders—but not enough to lose. Impeccably researched, as usual, the book is a must-read for any student of Revolutionary history. Yet another excellent work of early American history from one of its best practitioners.”
Library Journal
“Having written several books on the Revolutionary War, Ferling knows the subject intimately, and it shows throughout this impressively researched work. The author’s nuanced account rehabilitates the character and career of British commander Henry Clinton, offering a fresh appraisal of Clinton’s military tenure and his disapproval of the actions of British general Charles Cornwallis. . . . Ferling also considers the Continental Army, most notably the wartime efforts of Colonel George Washington and General Nathanael Greene. As in his previous books, Ferling effectively explains the inner workings of military strategy. His crisp writing, always accessible and engaging, turns what could be a too-lengthy read into a fast-paced page-turner. Specifically, he argues that American victory at Saratoga and Yorktown was far from guaranteed—chance, along with military strategy, played a significant role in the founding of the U.S. . . . Ferling’s lengthy, comprehensive, and essential work has staying power and should become one of the leading resources on the Revolutionary War."
Wall Street Journal
“Americans from childhood are regaled with stirring tales of Lexington and Concord, the crossing of the Delaware, Saratoga, and Valley Forge. They are told almost nothing, unfortunately, about what took place during the Revolutionary War after that. These storied events occur, and then—abracadabra!—Yorktown, with little in between and few connections drawn. In Winning Independence, historian John Ferling seeks to fill in the blanks . . . in this well researched book.” Ferling often focuses on “the planning of the war” and offers “fair-minded assessments of the decisions commanders made or did not make, based on the information they had. . . . ” Mr. Ferling ends on a strong note. His account of the siege of Yorktown is in moments gripping. Alexander Hamilton led the assault on Redoubt 10, a key British defense, and by what he called a “happy coincidence,” the attack came off almost exactly as planned. By the end of Winning Independence, it becomes clear how rarely that was the case.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/winning-independence-review-the-road-to-yorktown-11620684692
New York Times Review by Thomas Ricks (May 21, 2021)
"In WINNING INDEPENDENCE: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781 (Bloomsbury, $40), the veteran historian John Ferling sets out to redeem the reputation of Sir Henry Clinton, the British general who lost that war. As Ferling notes, the conventional view is that Clinton was “capricious, indecisive, overly cautious, muddled and confused, persistently inactive, lacking a strategic vision or a master plan and fatally inhibited by his subliminal sense of inadequacy.” The enjoyment of reading this huge volume is watching Ferling make his case that Clinton was instead “an accomplished, diligent and thoughtful commander.”
Writing with admirable clarity, Ferling contends that Clinton’s “Southern strategy” of shifting the focus of British military operations to Georgia and the Carolinas was an intelligent move. It might have succeeded, he calculates, had Gen. Charles Cornwallis, who led that effort in the field, not been both mendacious and insubordinate. Had the Southern gambit worked, Ferling states, the British might have been able to retain much of the South in a peace settlement — perhaps holding on to Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas — and so whittle down the new United States into a precarious position for survival. But Cornwallis undercut Clinton’s strategy by disregarding orders and marching off to Virginia and then getting trapped there, at Yorktown, by the arrival of a French fleet. In the clumsy hands of Cornwallis, Ferling charges, the South became “a quagmire for the British.”
Net Galley (May 12, 2021)
“Too many readers of history (like me) don;t think there is much new out there concerning the revolutionary war and that we are not going to learn anything new.
This author will be a pleasant surprise for you. Meticulously researched he brings to life the opinions and thoughts of commanders on both sides enabling the reader to make their own tactical decisions.
Few of us have seen the southern campaigns which were critical in rebuilding the morale and faith of the fledgling army of the US and yet Ferling does a masterful job in doing just that.
Many will be surprised at how close Britain was to victory and yet failed to capitalize on seizing several southern colonies. Well done!!"
Washington Independent Review of Books (June 7, 2021)
“Ferling’s research is meticulous, his prose methodical, and his conclusions measured. (It is a shame the book did not benefit from a closer proofreading, however; unfortunate typos abound.) Several maps help plot the action, and we are treated to 18 plates, mostly color, among which are portraits of American worthies by Charles Willson Peale, one of early America’s most intriguing artists.
A select bibliography lists Ferling’s choice of “101 Key Secondary Books of the War, 1778-1781.” Those interested in the War for Independence will want to add Ferling’s newest book to their own required-reading lists. Winning Independence shows that “the journey from Saratoga to Yorktown was long, tortuous, and bloody, and it might have ended quite differently.”
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Christian Science Monitor, July 11 2021 (Highlights)
"The war sprawled out from its 1776 beginnings, and as respected Revolution historian John Ferling stresses in his big new book “Winning Independence: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781,” one of the most crucial theaters of the war is also one of the least-studied: the efforts of the British to take or turn the southern colonies of Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Readers unfamiliar with this period of the Revolution will find it gripping reading to learn how close some of those efforts came to success, despite the surrender of British Gen. Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown. Ferling’s book is full of deep research and dramatic character portraits, a crowning achievement from one of the best historians of the period.”
Journal of the American Revolution (August 3, 2021)
"Winning Independence: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781, is a familiar history, but what makes it unique is the author’s focus on the decisions of British commanders. Of course, Washington and the French were also responsible for the British defeat, but the war was always Great Britain’s war to win. They had more than ample opportunities, all of which they missed. This focus presents the last campaigns of the war in a new light, and the reader comes away with a better understanding of how the Americans supposedly accomplished the impossible. Ferling’s latest book includes valuable maps of the different settings of the important battles (Boston and New England, Quebec, New York and Connecticut, Virginia and Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and Georgia) and several beautiful paintings of the main characters, such as Washington, Clinton, Cornwallis, Greene, Daniel Morgan, Lafayette, Rochambeau, etc. The book’s length is a challenge, but it is well worth the effort."