The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777

By Rick Atkinson

‘To say that Atkinson can tell a story is like saying Sinatra can sing … A powerful new voice has been added to the dialogue about [America’s] origins as a people and a nation. It is difficult to imagine any reader putting this beguiling book down without a smile and a tear.’ New York Times

In June 1773, King George III attended a grand celebration of his reign over the greatest, richest empire since ancient Rome. Less than two years later, Britain’s bright future turned dark: after a series of provocations, the king’s soldiers took up arms against his rebellious colonies in America. The war would last eight years, and though at least one in ten of the Americans who fought for independence would die for that cause, the prize was valuable beyond measure: freedom from oppression and the creation of a new republic.

Rick Atkinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning An Army at Dawn and two other superb books about the Second World War has long been admired for his unparalleled ability to write deeply researched, stunningly vivid narrative history. In this new book, he tells the story of the first twenty-one months of America’s violent effort to forge a new nation. From the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to those at Trenton and Princeton in winter 1776–77, American militiamen and then the ragged Continental Army take on the world’s most formidable fighting force and struggle to avoid annihilation.

It is a gripping saga alive with astonishing characters: Henry Knox, the former bookseller with an uncanny understanding of artillery; Nathanael Greene, the blue-eyed bumpkin who becomes one of America’s greatest battle captains; Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man who proves himself the nation’s wiliest diplomat; George Washington, the commander in chief who learns the difficult art of leadership when the war seems all but lost.

Full of riveting details and untold stories, The British Are Coming is a tale of heroes and knaves, of sacrifice and blunder, of redemption and profound suffering. Rick Atkinson has given stirring new life to the first act of America’s creation drama.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: May 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9780008303310

Rick Atkinson

Rick Atkinson is the bestselling author of the Liberation Trilogy—An Army at Dawn (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History), The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light—as well as The Long Gray Line and other books. His many additional awards include a Pulitzer Prize in journalism, a George Polk Award, and the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award. A former staff writer and senior editor at The Washington Post, he lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews for The British Are Coming

[castlelass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“The column stretched for more than a mile, first rising east from the river, then turning sharply south onto Bear Tavern Road. As the road angled through dripping copses of hickory and black oak, soldiers draped handkerchiefs, greased rags, coat skirts, and blankets over their musket priming pans, to small effect. Whenever the march stalled momentarily, as night marches inevitably did, men fell asleep on their feet and had to be forcibly roused. Sergeants prodded the sick and lame who lingered by the roadside, but at least two soldiers fell behind and froze to death on the tableland that night.”

Rick Atkinson brings history to life in vivid detail in this first book of a planned trilogy about the American Revolutionary War. This book covers the initial battles of Lexington and Concord in 1776 and documents the course of the war by its military campaigns, ending this volume with the battles of Trenton and Princeton in 1777. It tells the story from both the British and the American perspectives, starting off in Great Britain with King George III reviewing his fleet.

The author highlights the talents of key players such as Henry Knox, Nathanael Greene, Charles Lee, Benjamin Franklin, Horatio Gates, and of course, George Washington; and on the British side Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis, Thomas Gage, Richard Howe, William Howe, and so many more on both sides of the conflict. Benedict Arnold makes an appearance in the Canadian campaign. It also covers the experiences of ordinary people living through this turbulent time, as documented in diaries, letters, and journals. It covers the significant roles of the Hessians and the French.

This is a book for people who want specifics. We get details of what they wore, ate, weather conditions, diseases they faced, difficulties in paying and retaining troops, horrible conditions suffered by the combatants, combat statistics, economic impact, counterfeiters, weapons, types of ships, supplies, shifting loyalties of the citizens depending upon which side occupied the and surrounding area, and so much more. I very much appreciated the maps, as well as the paintings and drawings included at the end.

Rick Atkinson’s narrative non-fiction is top rate. He excels at establishing an atmosphere, relating what happened and why, and portraying the human impact. It is a lengthy book and took me a long while to get through it, but I found it well worth my time. Highly recommended!

[powderfinger69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Over the years I have read several books regarding the American Revolution. Most of the time, I find those dealing with the battles to be less interesting. Either they bog me down in military details I don't want to know or read more like patriotic gibberish. I gave this one a try based upon the author's fine reputation for his World War II series, and I am very glad I did. Well researched. Well written. Much information from both sides of the conflict. All of this while maintaining an easy going narrative.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

History books covering the American Revolution abound, and yet Atkinson brings something to this book I've yet to encounter in other works: a nuanced understanding of the British perspective. Atkinson definitely covers the formation of American colonists into military units and their struggles, but he also includes more about the British side of the conflict than others. The author has clearly spent time with the papers of King George III and also researched the workings of the British Parliament and its prime ministers during this era. The result is a book that tells a familiar story but also adds new details that can make the story new to even those well-versed in American Revolutionary history.

[markm2315 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author's industry and interests have produced a remarkable history, just as it did in his Liberation Trilogy, in this first volume of a planned three-volume history of the Revolutionary war. I have read other histories of this war, but Atkinson's concerns including, for example, the rebel's difficulty in acquiring gun powder, the effect of smallpox, the absence of appropriate clothing and footwear, the changing affiliations of the citizenry, and the British difficulties of feeding thousands of troops with a supply chain across the Atlantic, all have resulted in an absorbing history that is unusually good at providing the reader with an immediate experience.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Manages to convey the era and the battles well. The hardships and brutal conditions these people went through.

[drlord_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While this book took a while to complete, I have not read a more complete accounting of the beginning of the revolution. I enjoyed the way that Rick Atkinson presented both sides of the conflict showing the English angst and the way he delves into the minutia in an entertaining and captivating way. I am looking forward to the next edition.

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finished this, after three months of reading, a while back -- before this book was included on the list for the DAR Library's Book club 2021-22. Very detailed and focuses on the military maneuvers and decisions and decision-makers of the Revolutionary War in America. Once the trilogy is complete (only this one, the first, is currently out), it‘ll be a good reference source. Recommend for those who already have a strong interest in the subject. It might be a bit dry for those with little background knowledge.

[larryerick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won't belabor this with a lengthy review. This author is really outstanding at this kind of book. He provides ample and well-placed background on social and political dynamics for the time period, plus he gives depth to numerous persons, not just the ones known to elementary school kids. It's obvious he digs deep and wide for information on his subject, giving frequent credit to other historians who came before. Despite that expanse of information, his writing style is quite captivating, especially during critical military confrontations. If I must nitpick -- and I fully acknowledge this is very minor -- I did not feel the author finished this volume as smoothly as I expected. It was almost as though he had all these great little tidbits to share and wanted to throw his readers a few more treats until his next volume in his planned trilogy comes out. It just wasn't in keeping with what had come before. I still have three other of this author's books on my shelf to read yet. Nevertheless, I very much look forward to his second volume in his Revolution Trilogy to be published.

[dbeveridge_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rick Atkinson is a unique and valuable chronicler of American war. His Liberation Trilogy, covering America's military contributions to the western theater of World War II, was a fresh, landmark contribution to the historical record of that well-chronicled saga. This, the first installment of the Revolution Trilogy, brings the same meticulous research, elegant storytelling, and as in the Liberation Trilogy, a wealth of fresh sources that bring to life the players, from George III and George Washington to the rebel militiamen--largely farmers and tradesmen--and the British regulars--a peacetime army who found themselves transformed from occupation forces to war fighters on foreign soil. The period covered in this volume brings to life the wealth and grandeur of the British Empirical might, arrayed against the improvisational, fervent fire of the insurrectionists; detailing the mistakes, the defeats, and the triumphs of war, as well as the personal stories of loneliness, exposure, brutality, and raw bravery all the soldiers; a worthy contribution to the stories of our history.

[drmaf-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting book focusing on the first two years of the American Revolution, covering the period from Lexington and Concord to Trenton and Princeton. It very much focusses on the military aspect of the revolution, the politics is mentioned only in passing and only in conjunction with what was happening on the battlefields The siege of Boston, the British assault on New York, the failed American campaign in Canada and the failed British campaign in the Carolinas, and Washington's masterstroke in crossing the Delaware in winter and ending the British threat to Philadelphia are all covered in details, with the broader strokes of the campaigns and the personal battle experiences of individual commanders and soldiers all covered in detail. It cant be said the book is impartial, there is a subtle but detectable slant to the revolutionaries, and while Atkinson freely acknowledges British skill and bravery, the clear message is of a justified revolution against an overbearing and often brutal regime that succeeded because of the courage and determination of a largely non-professional army. Fascinating well-told by an expert writer.

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written telling of the political, economic, and military factors of this period.

[jarratt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well written and very, very detailed account of the first couple of years of the American Revolution.Over the years I've been a student of this topic, I've discovered I much more enjoy reading about the politics rather than the battles. And this book is heavy on the latter, and quite sparse on the former. Small battles seemed to get many more pages than, say, The Declaration of Independence. And oddly, Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" wasn't even mentioned until late 1776 when it was published at the beginning of that year.But most battles are accompanied with maps which help my geography-deficit brain understand which brigades went where and when. I'm very much looking forward to the remaining two books in this trilogy.

[japaul22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first in a new three part history of the Revolutionary War. I believe Atkinson won the Pulitzer for this first installment and it's easy to see why. It's well-researched and thorough but still fun to read. That being said, I think I'm finally ready to admit that reading about war, especially history that focuses on battles and troop movements, just is not for me. I like reading about this era in biography form (I've read and loved biographies about John and Abigail Adams, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) because I find delving into a life and exploring personality and motivations interesting, but a focus on the actual strategy of fighting a war just does not interest me. So even though this is well done and does balance the war details with society and some more personal stories, it just wasn't my favorite. I don't think I'll continue with this series, but I still would recommend it for anyone interested in the time period.

[ibkennedy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great detail. Easy to read style. Fascinating prespectives.

[cweller_19 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rick Atkinson gives us a well written and in-depth look at the political, military and cultural history of the first two years in the American Revolution. This is the first of three books in the series, planned trilogy.

[whiskey3pa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written and constructed. I was particularly impressed with the management of the various regions. This is a military treatment, primarily, so a minimum is given to the political efforts of the Continental Congress. The actions and motivations of the British receive a lot of attention and greatly enhance the telling of the tale. Recommended and eager for the next volume.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am no Revolutionary War expert, but I thought this was excellent. It was concise but complete and it gave me information I had not read before. Unless you are an absolute expert on 1775-1777, I think you'll find this interesting. It is mostly about the military action, it goes into the politics and economics as little as possible. I find Atkinson's style to be easy to read and engaging. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

[mattries37315 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The American Revolution was both political and martial in scope, yet while the high dramatic points are often touched upon it’s the details that are missed where real history can be seen affecting and creating those high points. The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton 1775-1777 by Rick Atkinson is the first book in a trilogy chronicling the military history of American Revolutionary War from major battles to minor skirmishes to unknown campaigns left out of other general histories of the period.The account of the Revolutionary War begins in 1773 with the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party put Massachusetts under martial law and the resulting insurgency throughout the entire colony that restricted the royal government’s control to Boston alone. This situation led to the British regulars’ expedition to Concord, via Lexington, thus beginning a colonial rebellion that would slow mushroom into a global conflict. From this beginning Atkinson chronicles the military events of the war over the next two years in as best chronological fashion he can provide with multiple theaters opening up from Boston to Virginia to Canada to the Carolinas to New York and New Jersey with multiple other little events happening around the colonies as well. Atkinson avoids venturing into the political aspects of the Revolution save for how it directly affected military affairs thus George Washington’s appointment and the Declaration of Independence shaping the American military cause are covered, on the flip side the politics on the British side especially George III’s view and how the British government’s instructions to it’s commanders and the logistics of a transatlantic war were covered in-depth to provide context to the how and why of various British strategies. And the slowly developing diplomatic “front” which would be important later in the war is given its groundwork beginning, centered around Benjamin Franklin.The approach Atkinson takes in his chronicle of the American Revolutionary War is first and foremost a military history with political, diplomatic, and social influences of secondary importance and in context of their influence on the military situation. In previous histories of the period I’ve read, the civilian governments support, or lack thereof, of the Continental Army were focused on a lot but Atkinson flips the narrative and focuses more on the British side to emphasize the transatlantic nature of their war effort especially as their expectations of loyalist support in both manpower and supplies. Atkinson brings forth many minor engagements surrounding better known battles, first in the Canadian expedition and later in various Southern colonies/states in 1775-6 that general histories do not touch on. While Atkinson is good in providing biographical information to many important participants from both sides as well and how disease affected both sides, it is also where some of his biggest mistakes and oversights occurred that left one scratching their head but not bad enough to ruin the whole of the book.The British Are Coming begins Rick Atkinson’s military history trilogy of the American Revolution in dynamic way while also giving the reader a new view of the period. The emphasis of the historical narrative on the martial conduct of the war from major battles and campaigns to minor engagements as well as giving a clearer focus on the British side of the conflict makes this different from other books of the period I have read and has me looking forward to the next book.

[doondeck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An outstanding survey of the first two years of the Revolutionary War. I have read many books about this period but they most often focused on the political side of the revolutionary period. This volume and its expected two successors delves into the military story. Atkinson tells this story like a novel with an untold amount of detail and circumstances surrounding the American adventure.

[labdaddy4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After completely enjoying Atkinson's WWII trilogy I was looking forward to diving into his new first installment on the American Revolutionary War. Excellent as expected. The author brings history alive. While being thorough, detailed, and well-researched his descriptions are vivid and moving. It took me a while to adjust to his device of often using language not commonly used today but it is well worth it for the feel of being genuine. The author's in-depth coverage of specific theaters, places, and battles was much better than broad sweeping coverage of time periods with overlapping and non-coordinated events. Highly recommended and I am looking forward to the second leg of the trilogy.

[tarheel-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Highly recommended. An in-depth look at the military, political, and cultural history of the American Revolution. First in a three volume series, reading this filled in many gaps in m6 knowledge from high / college history. Engaging read, I enjoyed it in short sips of reading over a month or so.

[stevesmits · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a remarkable history of the first two years of the American Revolution. The research is deep and the topics covered are broad. Atkinson has chosen to write not only on the military campaigns but also the political currents at play in America, England and France,and on the personalities that shaped the decisions on both sides. The narrative is told in chronological order making it easy to follow the events as they unfolded and making the connections between various dimensions clear to see. One gets a clear sense of the context that underlies the action taken by both sides in the early years of the conflict.One of the problems of military histories, and I have read many, is the difficulty of following the movements and actions of combat action, owing especially to lack of knowledge of terrain and of sorting out the confusion of multiple engagements happening simultaneously. Atkinson does an excellent job in making the diverse tactical positioning and clashes as clear as possible. In his descriptions of battles and skirmishes he reminds us of how brutal this war would be on its participants. He makes it plain how the British arrogantly underestimated the resolve and spirit of the rebels in the early years of the war. At the same time he notes the great difficulties Washington faced in organizing and sustaining a cohesive and sustained fighting force. One is also struck by his emphasis on how the shortcomings of logistics for both sides hampered greatly their ability to fight effectively.Atkinson' prose is outstanding. This book is highly recommended. I eagerly await volumes two and three of the trilogy.

[daddywarbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The British are Coming, by Rick Atkinson is a well written military history of the first phase of The American Revolution, from the beginning volleys up through the Battle of Princeton. The author intends to follow up with two later volumes encompassing the remainder of the war. I look forward to there release.I was not familiar with Mr. Atkinson's writing but was very pleasantly surprised by this book. The narrative is free-flowing and engaging despite the wealth of information that is presented. Individual full-length, battle histories would presumably have more in-depth information, but the Author has successfully identified and presented the essential facts about each successive battle. The maps are also well done and well coordinated with the text. Mr. Atkinson's work is clearly well researched, with numerous sources referenced, allowing further historical research if one wishes. The book is not 'heavy' and bogged down with minor 'factoids' (as sometimes happens with the diligent researcher). I found the text to be a pleasurable read, even at 564 pages long.Mr. Atkinson has created a solid contribution to American Revolutionary War literature. I applaud the accomplishment.

[waltzmn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you're going to insist on laser focus, it really helps to focus on the right thing.Rick Atkinson has clearly set out to supply one of the most detailed overviews of the American Revolution yet available; this book is more than 550 pages long, not counting notes and index (not supplied in my advance reader's edition), yet it covers less than the first two years of the war. Presumably the goal is to write a three volume set covering the entire war.Or rather, all the battles of the war. Want to understand the war? I'm not sure you will learn much here. That's because there is absolutely no discussion of politics. For practical purposes, the only mention of the Continental Congress is when they flee from Philadelphia. We have no insight into their deliberations; we don't know how many representatives were there; we don't know what laws they passed. We hear a little about British politics, mostly focused on George III himself, but not enough to realize that there was a major faction in parliament which didn't like what was going on. You can't tell the history of a war without telling the background!Also, you never really feel that, in this vast, sprawling war, which involved areas from Florida to Quebec plus the British Isles themselves, more than one thing could happen at one time. The war opens in Boston. There is a brief side excursion toward Canada in upstate New York (with a short side look at Maine and another at the southern states). The fight shifts to New York, then New Jersey. And that's it. It's like someone took a chronology in multiple columns and cut up the columns and pasted them in another book one column after another.And why waste all the time talking about Benjamin Franklin when he never actually does anything in this period? We don't need to know how he got to Paris; his real activity came later, and could be covered when it mattered. In this book, it's a pure dead end.Also, although this book is clearly intended for the American market rather than the British, I think it a little too pro-American. It talks a lot about how ill-kept the American troops were, but doesn't really bring home the depth of this preventable disaster. It once calls General Howe "able," even though it makes it clear that, had Howe had any initiative at all, he would have stamped out Washington's army in 1776 and won the war. And it gives a clear impression that Trenton and Princeton were war-turning events. They really weren't; they just burned British fingers a little, encouraging General Howe to maintain the inertia he surely would have maintained anyway. The turning point came the following year, at Saratoga (which finally gave Franklin something to talk about in Paris).That said, the result is readable, and mostly accurate except for some slips that I would hope will be corrected by a copy editor, plus some mistakes about disease (smallpox variolation is not immunization, and malaria is not a "winter malady" in areas where there is frost to kill off mosquitoes!). This truly feels like part of a really good book -- the other part being, of course, the politics. But, without its other half, you really can't understand the Revolution. I know everyone hates politics right now; I know I'm disgusted by all the people in the Federal Government who put political party ahead of nation! But one of the big purposes of politics is to prevent war. Leave it out, and... this is what is left.