1776 by {author}: summary and why it matters

What it argues

McCullough narrows his focus to a single year, beginning with the siege of Boston, where Washington took command of an untrained army and forced the British to evacuate in March. He then follows the campaign for New York, where the Americans suffered a series of defeats on Long Island, at Kip's Bay and at Fort Washington, and the retreat across New Jersey that left the army reduced to a few thousand men.

The book ends with the victories at Trenton and Princeton that revived the cause. Throughout, McCullough draws on letters from soldiers and officers on both sides and shows Washington as a leader who made mistakes, learned and endured, helped by luck and weather as much as by skill.

The Declaration of Independence plays a smaller role than readers might expect; the focus is on the war.

Why it matters

The book is a tonic against complacent accounts of an inevitable victory, and it respects the sacrifice of ordinary soldiers. It is widely used as patriotic history that does not turn to myth.

About the author

The book appeared in 2005, soon after McCullough's life of Adams, and became a best-seller. McCullough drew on the letters of soldiers and officers on both sides, including the British commanders and Hessian troops, and on the papers of Washington and Henry Knox. He had earlier written on the Brooklyn Bridge, the Johnstown flood and the Panama Canal.

Who should read it

Readers who like narrative history, and families looking for a readable book for older teens.