Washington's Immortals

January 25, 2016
Military historian O’Donnell (First SEALs) turns from his usual focus on WWII to examine the Revolutionary War, following the fortunes of a Maryland regiment of Washington’s Army. The Marylanders played a key role in battles throughout the conflict, from the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn to the British defeat at the 1781 Battle of Yorktown. O’Donnell skillfully views the long-term strategies of the opposing generals in the context of the yearly ebb and flow of the war while conveying with immediacy the chaotic back-and-forth of individual battles. He also adeptly provides noteworthy thumbnails of both minor and major players, including American and British generals as well as ranking officers and the soldiers who shouldered the brunt of battle. Although O’Donnell writes from the American perspective, he objectively evaluates how the corps of both sides navigated the accouterments of war, injury, betrayal, reversals, and hardship, with credits given and criticisms made regardless of uniform. Surprisingly, O’Donnell manages to build a sense of drama as the war progresses, and though the writing can be stiff, readers with an interest in the Revolutionary period and military history generally will find this interesting and informative. Maps & illus. Agent: Andrew Zack, the Zack Company.