The Revolutionary War

A fully illustrated account of Britain's attempts in 1776 to try and isolate New England from the other colonies. Having declared their independence, Britain's former colonies in North America would need to fight for their liberty. The response from the other side of the Atlantic was slow, but when it arrived it appeared overwhelming. Hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of troops gathered to re-establish the Crown's control. If the Revolution was not to die in its first year, the Americans would need to take on the largest expeditionary force ever sent by Great Britain up to that point with an army of amateurs.

The 1776 campaign saw a nearly uninterrupted string of British victories; at Long Island, White Plains and Fort Washington the Americans proved unable to stand against the disciplined regulars led by General William Howe, who received a knighthood for his efforts. The war appeared all but over as General George Washington led the tattered remnants of his army to safety at the end of the year, but as British thoughts turned to the next campaign, Washington showed that he was not yet finished, winning significant morale-boosting victories at Trenton and Princeton.

Detailing the armies, commanders, strategies and tactics employed on both sides, The Northern Strategy, 1776 takes a fresh look at one of the most remarkable campaigns of the 18th century, one in which the British failed to secure their longed-for knockout blow and instead found themselves drawn into a long and painful war of attrition.

100 photographs and illustrations

About the Author

Dr David Smith is a military historian who has written on subjects as diverse as Mongol weaponry and modern-day operations in Afghanistan. His speciality is the American Revolutionary War, on which subject he earned his PhD in 2013. As well as lecturing on military history at the University of Chester, David has written books on the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Camden, as well as a study of the British general Sir William Howe.