New York at War

February 13, 2012
“o other major American city has so repeatedly faced the risks and realities of wartime turmoil and attack as has New York,” writes Jaffe, historian and historical curator. He uses 9/11 as a focal point for reflecting on the city’s long and long-neglected past as a military site. The city’s struggles, and its frequent failure to develop effective defenses, began before Peter Stuyvesant and continued after the administration of Rudolph Giuliani. Pirates, Confederates, and terrorists have held the spotlight. Jaffe tells the story in the context of paradoxes. New York has been a stronghold, a warehouse, and a bank in the service of war yet has also proven consistently vulnerable to attack—a consequence of its origins and development as a commercial center. Contradictory feelings of vulnerability and of immunity inform the city’s perspective on military matters. Jaffe utilized a spectrum of published sources, primary and secondary, in this well-presented, fast-paced narrative of the ways a polyglot, protean community has reacted, and continues to react, to the periodic challenge of ensuring domestic security while maintaining commitments to openness and inclusion. 34 b&w illus., 3 maps. Agent: Sam Stoloff, Frances Oldin Literary Agency.

February 15, 2012
Military history of America's greatest city. Jaffe (Who Were the Founding Fathers?: Two Hundred Years of Reinventing American History, 1996), a historian attached to the South Street Seaport Museum and the New-York Historical Society, begins his study at the earliest point of which we have records: Henry Hudson's entry into what is now New York Harbor in 1609. Hudson and his men encountered a group of Indians, and a skirmish broke out, leaving one of Hudson's men dead. The incident set a pattern that dogged the Dutch colony that grew up on Manhattan Island and spread fingers along the coast and up the Hudson; only in the 1640s was a solid peace with the native peoples concluded. By then, the British were a greater threat, and the city became a British stronghold for more than a century. From there, troops went forth to fight the French and their Indian allies, and there the main force of British power remained during the Revolution. After Washington's troops were driven away in 1776, the redcoats had Manhattan to themselves. Washington managed to exploit the city's vulnerability by threatening attacks against it, keeping troops bottled up to defend it while he won battles elsewhere. In the early days of the Republic, the city became a center for privateers preying on British merchantmen, then suffered blockades by the British fleet that all but stifled its mercantile might. Jaffe moves on to more familiar territory with the draft riots of the Civil War. World War I saw anti-German fervor and U-boat raids on ships leaving the harbor. In the final chapters, the author looks at the Cold War and other late-20th-century events, culminating in 9/11 and the aftermath. Well-researched, with a flair for the dramatic, and full of unexpected tidbits. Military buffs and New Yorkers will especially love it.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 15, 2012

New York City historian Jaffe superbly shows that even though "New York has been lightly touched by war and its devastation," its location as a thriving commercial metropolis and gateway to the rest of the country made it irresistible to both external and internal enemies. One constant motif throughout New York's history has been its openness to the newly arrived immigrants who ultimately built the city. But Jaffe points out that many of these immigrants brought along ethnic rivalries or political beliefs that led to violent encounters, notably during the Civil War. Yet the city also profited by financing wars, defending itself by establishing innovative citywide armories, and later nurturing the birth of atomic bomb science. Reflecting on the events of 9/11 and underscoring New York's historical attraction as a target, Jaffe acknowledges the need for vigilance but only in balance with freedom and diversity, as for the entire nation. VERDICT Encyclopedic in scope, diligently researched, and well written, this magisterial book synthesizes the history of our greatest city in a way not fully done before. It will have strong appeal to general readers, New York history buffs, and specialists with an interest in American military history. Highly recommended.--Richard Drezen, Brooklyn, NY

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.