1777

Publisher's Summary

In the autumn of 1777, near Saratoga, New York, an inexperienced and improvised American army led by General Horatio Gates faced off against the highly trained British and German forces led by General John Burgoyne. The British strategy in confronting the Americans in upstate New York was to separate rebellious New England from the other colonies. Despite inferior organization and training, the Americans exploited access to fresh reinforcements of men and materiel and ultimately handed the British a stunning defeat.

Assimilating the archaeological remains from the battlefield along with the many letters, journals, and memoirs of the men and women in both camps, Dean Snow's 1777 provides a richly detailed narrative of the two battles fought at Saratoga over the course of 33 tense and bloody days. While the contrasting personalities of Gates and Burgoyne are well known, they are but two of the many actors who make up the larger drama of Saratoga. Snow highlights famous and obscure participants alike, from the brave but now notorious turncoat Benedict Arnold to Frederika von Riedesel, the wife of a British major general who later wrote an important eyewitness account of the battles.

©2016 Oxford University Press (P)2017 Tantor

Very Interesting & Factual

I highly recommended for anyone that has a thirst for knowledge about history and the revolutionary war.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Saratoga,The Miltias Strike Back

......And so the Courage and Determination of various collections of militias from various parts of the old colonies showed the Bloody British and the rest of the world that the Rebels could fight and win out over one the world's foremost best trained armies in their own way and on their own terms.
The British learned that it was not a good idea to march even a highly skilled well disciplined professional army down roads surrounded by forests and angry American Rebels.
1777 is an hour by hour account of what many consider to be the turning point in the American Revolution.The indecision and excellent organizational skills of Gates,the hot headed Benedict Arnold,Gentlemen Johnny Burgoyne and MANY more characters and facts both familiar and unfamiliar are all there.
A major factor in the American success was that through the efforts of the governor of New York, the American forces were for a change Very Well Supplied.If you want historical detail and a lot of things you didn't know about Saratoga this is the book for you. If you don't,wait for a historical novel "Shaara"version to come along.
I would read both.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazing and detailed story!

Very happy with this book. The depth of detail and story telling was very enjoyable. Even though I knew the outcome it kept me glued to the book and I recommend it.

A thorough and enlightening account of the battle

Well done! I found it to be a complete and enthralling account of the pivotal battle that shifted the tide toward American independence.

Great detailed account of the whole Battle

Starts a bit slow, but continually builds and well worth the listen for any Revolutionary War fans.