The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution

by Barnet Schecter

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On 15 September 1776 the British army under General William Howe invaded Manhattan Island, with the largest expeditionary force in their history. George Washington's Continental Army, still in disarray after the disastrous Battle of Brooklyn some two weeks earlier, retreated north to Harlem Heights, leaving New York in British hands. Control of the city was Howe's primary objective. Located at the mouth of the strategically vital Hudson river, it had become the centrepiece of England's show more strategy for putting down the American rebellion. However, as Barnet Schecter reveals in his stirring narrative, far from furnishing a key to the colonies, New York proved to be the fatal chalice that poisoned the British war effort. The Battle for New York tells the story of how the city became the pivot on which the American Revolution turned - from the political and religious struggles of the 1760s and early 1770s that polarised its citizens and increasingly made New York a hotbed of radical thought and action; to the campaign of 1776 that turned New York into a series of battlefields; to the seven years of British occupation, during which time Washington and Congress were as determined to regain show less

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AnnaClaire Schecter often links locations in Revolutionary times with where they would be on a modern map of New York City; Walsh points to interesting things and places of all periods -- including the revolution.

Member Reviews

2 reviews
A suspense filled story.

The story is solid and Robert Ellis didn't disappoint me. Although there is no shortage of newly made corpses and some gruesome mutilations, Lena and Hank keep their spirits high. The story itself is well written and the plot is logical with well defined characters. This is the kind of story that you want to keep for when you can read it all in one evening. Should it be a dark, cold October night so much the better.
½
A decent, fairly scholarly treatment of the various military struggles for New York and the surrounding area (slightly more detailed than "1776").
½

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution
Original publication date
2002 (copyright) (copyright)
Important places
New York, New York, USA
Important events
American Revolution (1775 | 1783); Battle of Long Island (1776-08-27)

Classifications

Genres
History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
973.332History & geographyHistory of North AmericaUnited StatesRevolution and confederation (1775-89)OperationsCampaigns of 1776
LCC
E230.5 .N4 .S27History of the United StatesUnited StatesThe Revolution, 1775-1783
BISAC

Statistics

Members
267
Popularity
120,482
Reviews
2
Rating
(3.89)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
5
ASINs
2