RE: Favourite Peoples Revolutionary Leader Military or Other
This is a review of a book about the War of Independence -
At last, a book about the American War that scrapes away all that patriotic, American propaganda surrounding this conflict for the last two-hundred years and produces an unbiased, accurate and honest version of events!
Most American writers would have you believe that the British were military inept buffoons during this war, but that isn't the truth, just patriotic boasting! In fact, the British won most of the battles, the Americans spent most of the war on the defensive and were saved by the King of France in the end!
Another American myth that's destroyed here is the idea that the Americans won the war by sniping at the dumb British redcoats from behind trees with accurate rifles. In fact, BOTH sides used rifles, but mostly smooth-bore muskets. Therefore, the Americans never had any range advantage over the British whatsoever.
George Washington is also correctly exposed as a mediocre general who lost two-thirds of the battles he fought against the British and wasn't the great military genius his admirers would have us all believe today.
Also, and perhaps most interestingly, the myth about 'British tyranny' provoking the American Colonies to rebel is examined and smashed. In fact, the American Colonies had all the freedoms that the Britons back home did.
Trouble started when a radical, hard-line group of the American elite came to power in the American Colonies and wanted to break away from Britain to pursue their own agenda. Only when this was refused, the cries about 'British tyranny' began.
But, then again, if you're an American rebel trying to engineer a war and stir up unjustified trouble, what else are you going to say to encourage Americans to join the army and hate the British! British tyranny to the Americans is a myth also.
This book is a good and insightful read, but I doubt it'll go down well with American readers as it explodes the myth of their 'creation myth', and they won't like that!
amazon.co.uk
