Description
Book SynopsisWe have all known from before grade school that The American Revolution was won by a classless citizen army made up of farmers and artisans burning with patriotism and determination. Neimeyer (Naval War College) reminds us that being absolutely certain of something does not make it true. He finds t
Trade ReviewFascinating. * Historical Journal of Massachusetts *
Neimeyer demythologizes the Continental army and very effectively demonstrates that it was an organization that evolved from its original relatively homogeneous make-up into a volatile, multicultural force that included many recent immigrants, African Americans, and Native Americans. . . . A testament to the propertyless, inarticulate, marginal individuals who actually secured liberty for later generations. -- Dr. David J. Fowler,The David Library of the American Revolution
Neimeyer pushes to the next plateau the recent work of historians who have investigated the contributions of the Continental Army to the American Revolution. Because of his research and his synthesis of recent scholarship, the previously inarticulate common soldiers of the rank and file find their voices. -- James M. Johnson,author of Militiamen, Rangers, and Redcoats: The Military in Georgia, 1754-1776
Thoroughly compelling. Neimeyer's research is superb, and his social history perspective has told us more than anyone about the origins of the Continental Army and the meanings soldiers attached to their service. This is a genuinely important book. -- Mark Edward Ledner,co-author of A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic
