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The Revolution Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts of the War for Independence
A classic oral history of the American Revolution, The Revolution Remembered uses 79 first-hand accounts from veterans of the war to provide the reader with the feel of what it must have been like to fight and live through America's bloody battle for independence.
"In a book fairly bursting with feats of daring, perhaps the most spectacular accomplishment of them all is this volume's transformation of its readers into the grandchildren of Revolutionary War soldiers. . . . An amazing gathering of 79 surrogate Yankee grandparents who tell us in their own words what they saw with their own eyes."—Elaine F. Weiss, Christian Science Monitor
"Fascinating. . . . [The soldiers'] details fill in significant shadows of history."—Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times
"It's still good fun two centuries later, overhearing these experiences of the tumult of everyday life and seeing a front-lines view of one of the most unusual armies ever to fight, let alone win."—Richard Martin, Wall Street Journal
"One of the most important primary source discoveries from the era. A unique and fresh perspective."—Paul G. Levine, Los Angeles Times
"In a book fairly bursting with feats of daring, perhaps the most spectacular accomplishment of them all is this volume's transformation of its readers into the grandchildren of Revolutionary War soldiers. . . . An amazing gathering of 79 surrogate Yankee grandparents who tell us in their own words what they saw with their own eyes."—Elaine F. Weiss, Christian Science Monitor
"Fascinating. . . . [The soldiers'] details fill in significant shadows of history."—Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times
"It's still good fun two centuries later, overhearing these experiences of the tumult of everyday life and seeing a front-lines view of one of the most unusual armies ever to fight, let alone win."—Richard Martin, Wall Street Journal
"One of the most important primary source discoveries from the era. A unique and fresh perspective."—Paul G. Levine, Los Angeles Times
446 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 1980
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July 27, 2011
John C Dann's Book "The Revolution Remembered" is a selection of pension filings by Revolutionary War veterans. The book was recommended to me by a Saratoga National Battlefield Park Ranger. After reading it, I agree with his recommendation.
In the early 19th Century, the State and federal governments determined to provide old age pensions to Revolutionary War veterans in honor of their service. During the Revolutionary War period, there was often little documentaion. And much of what existed was lost in moves and fires, and plain deterioration of paper, during the ensuing years. In light of the poor documentation, the Federal government required sworn testimony regarding the veteran's service. This and all other availible materials were compiled and sent to an office in the War Department where the application was reviewed and approved or disapproved. Particularly sad are the later applications where veterans are the last living member of their unit, or have a hard time remembering details of events from 50 years, or more, previously.
The 80,000 or so applications from this period are an invaluable resource for historians. Many of the applications are plain statements by plain men who provide a view of events not often found by historians.
This compendium provides a long list of such accounts. The author has taken pity upon the poor reader and translated some of them into a more modern dialect and style. This makes the accounts much easier to navigate while still preserving the original flavor and content.
One of the many accounts that particularly caught my interest was that of David Freemoyer. He recounts his experiences during the Sullivan Expedition, including he ill-fated Boyd patrol, and during the seige of the Middle Fort on the Schoarie River. He also served alongside Timothy Murphy who is well known by students of history. His description of the death of Samuel Reynolds who fell of a roof while mooning the enemy an interesting, if unusual, anecdote.
I would recommend this book to students of the Revolutionary War, Military, or American history.
In the early 19th Century, the State and federal governments determined to provide old age pensions to Revolutionary War veterans in honor of their service. During the Revolutionary War period, there was often little documentaion. And much of what existed was lost in moves and fires, and plain deterioration of paper, during the ensuing years. In light of the poor documentation, the Federal government required sworn testimony regarding the veteran's service. This and all other availible materials were compiled and sent to an office in the War Department where the application was reviewed and approved or disapproved. Particularly sad are the later applications where veterans are the last living member of their unit, or have a hard time remembering details of events from 50 years, or more, previously.
The 80,000 or so applications from this period are an invaluable resource for historians. Many of the applications are plain statements by plain men who provide a view of events not often found by historians.
This compendium provides a long list of such accounts. The author has taken pity upon the poor reader and translated some of them into a more modern dialect and style. This makes the accounts much easier to navigate while still preserving the original flavor and content.
One of the many accounts that particularly caught my interest was that of David Freemoyer. He recounts his experiences during the Sullivan Expedition, including he ill-fated Boyd patrol, and during the seige of the Middle Fort on the Schoarie River. He also served alongside Timothy Murphy who is well known by students of history. His description of the death of Samuel Reynolds who fell of a roof while mooning the enemy an interesting, if unusual, anecdote.
I would recommend this book to students of the Revolutionary War, Military, or American history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review