Two sides of the war

David McCullough tells the story of one crucial year in the American War of Independence. He begins in London in late 1775, as King George III declares to Parliament that the rebellion in America must be put down.

The book follows both sides: the British army, highly trained and well supplied, and George Washington’s new Continental Army, made up largely of inexperienced volunteers. McCullough also follows figures like Nathanael Greene, a young Rhode Islander raised as a Quaker, who rose quickly to become one of Washington’s most trusted generals.