Lexington and Concord

The Battle Heard Round the World

By: George C. Daughan

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

George C. Daughan's magnificently detailed account of the battle of Lexington and Concord will challenge the prevailing narrative of the American War of Independence. It was, Daughan argues, based as much on economics as on politics.

When Benjamin Franklin wrote home about living conditions in Britain and Ireland, his countrymen were appalled. Could the Crown's motive be to reduce the prosperous American colonies to such serfdom? This idea inspired the vast turnout of Patriot militiamen at Lexington and Concord that so shocked King George III and his ministers. The scorn of the British for the experienced colonial fighters was another key factor. The British troops - many had never been in battle - were outnumbered and outclassed; their leaders were impervious to reason; and the fate of British rule in America was sealed.

Authoritative and immersive, Lexington and Concord offers new understanding of a battle that became a template for colonial uprising in later centuries.

©2018 George C. Daughan (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

more background than actual action

While I did enjoy this book, I think that I should offer a disclaimer that this book's focus is more on the events leading up to the battle of Lexington and Concord than it is about the actual battle itself. I would guess that not more than 15% of the book is spent relating the vents of the battle, so for those wanting more of a military history approach, I would advise looking elsewhere.
Daughan is more critical of Gage than any other evaluation that I have seen. He also highly criticizes King George and his lackeys who serve in Parliament. I am not saying that I disagree, but Daughan squarely places the blame for the war at George's inability to perceive the reality of colonial/British relations. I had always thought George a stubborn fool for refusing to even read petitions from the colonies, but Daughan shows just how petulant he could be.
But there is enough blame to be spread around, and Daughan does give the rebels/patriots a relatively free ride. But he does do an excellent job of showing how attitudes hardened to a degree that war seemed inevitable.

The long lead-up to the American Revolution

the author offers new perspective on the sociological aspect of the struggle. But he shows insufficient insight into British politics of the time.

Less than an hour of Lexington and Concord

The majority of the book was about the arguing and posturing in England. Only a couple of chapters about the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Monotone, Staccato Robot Voice

A grating audio performance. I think the monotone staccato voice of the narrator was also the voice on Commissioner Gordon's speakerphone that advised only Batman can help. The information in the book is very interesting as much of it is details of the British response to the unrest in America. Lots of detail on the king, his advisors, members of Parliament and other British movers and shakers. Also covers the American viewpoint expressed in London, mostly by Franklin who lived in London from 1757 to 1775.

Too sure of itself in it’s speculations

I hesitate to call this a disappointment, but it’s certainly my least favorite nonfiction book covering the revolutionary period. There’s a distinct lack of quoting primary sources, which might not be a problem if I was physically reading this book and could check the author’s notes, but listening to the audiobook it comes across as far too speculative for my taste. Major players often “certainly” felt or acted in ways that seemed hard to verify without directly citing a source, which happens only occasionally in comparison to similar books. I felt like I was taking the author’s word for it which was disconcerting. Either that or one source was seemingly extrapolated to define someone’s actions throughout the whole story; as if their attitudes would never change with circumstances.

The above may be a consequence of listening rather than reading, but the author makes several assertions as fact that felt unfounded. Certainly the notion of a full scale revolution with French, Dutch, and Spanish support for the patriots being a guarantee was anything but in 1775. No one could’ve imagined what was going to happen, and certainly the patriots would’ve been apprehensive about allying with Frenchmen who were continental rivals just 12 years before let alone other monarchs. The author’s belief that the British fired first at Lexington is also stated as fact when it’s still just a theory and while his case may seem solid at first a quick internet search finds equally compelling theories to suggest the patriots fired the opening shots. All I know for sure is that I’ll need to explore more books on Lexington and Concord because I feel a sense of wanting after this book.