Our First Civil War

Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution

By: H. W. Brands

Narrated by: Steve Hendrickson

"A fast-paced, often riveting account of the military and political events leading up to the Declaration of Independence and those that followed during the war ... Brands does his readers a service by reminding them that division, as much as unity, is central to the founding of our nation."—The Washington Post

From best-selling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands comes a gripping, page-turning narrative of the American Revolution that shows it to be more than a fight against the British: it was also a violent battle among neighbors forced to choose sides, Loyalist or Patriot.

What causes people to forsake their country and take arms against it? What prompts their neighbors, hardly distinguishable in station or success, to defend that country against the rebels?  That is the question H. W. Brands answers in his powerful new history of the American Revolution.

George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were the unlikeliest of rebels. Washington in the 1770s stood at the apex of Virginia society. Franklin was more successful still, having risen from humble origins to world fame. John Adams might have seemed a more obvious candidate for rebellion, being of cantankerous temperament. Even so, he revered the law. Yet all three men became rebels against the British Empire that fostered their success.

Others in the same circle of family and friends chose differently. William Franklin might have been expected to join his father, Benjamin, in rebellion but remained loyal to the British. So did Thomas Hutchinson, a royal governor and friend of the Franklins, and Joseph Galloway, an early challenger to the Crown. They soon heard themselves denounced as traitors--for not having betrayed the country where they grew up. Native Americans and the enslaved were also forced to choose sides as civil war broke out around them.

After the Revolution, the Patriots were cast as heroes and founding fathers while the Loyalists were relegated to bit parts best forgotten. Our First Civil War reminds us that before America could win its revolution against Britain, the Patriots had to win a bitter civil war against family, neighbors, and friends.

An American history where the people and places come alive.

Although I’ve read and listened to many historical accounts of the American revolution, Brands writing style captivates the imagination and brings the characters to life. He brings the saga to new heights by including the heroic founding fathers, and the British but more importantly the Native Americans and the Slaves. I highly recommended this book who wants a more balanced understanding of our first civil war.

Amazing Details That Captivate

I wish I read this in high school. The small details of all the various letters, diaries, and other written matter convey a much greater sense of how delicate and convoluted the events before, during, and after really were. I found this book mesmerizing in how it avoided a plodding pace and yet dove deep into how the figures we know by name were torn by dilemma with conviction of their integrity as well as the yoke of unjust distant control by the Crown.

Good Overview from French/Indian War thru Revolutionary

I found this book well done and kept my interest throughout.

I was expecting it to be a bit more of an assessment of loyalist v patriot culture of the period, but instead it was only telling the common narratives & stories of the era in chronological order focusing largely on Washington & Franklin’s contributions. Having previously read Washington & Franklin biographies much of this was a more shallow overview.

That being said, I would still recommend as I enjoyed the authors style and he did a great job of entertaining the reader through the historical account

Not as specific as the title implies

As someone who can’t get enough American revolutionary history, this book was very enjoyable, It turns out that trying to focus on the divide between patriots and loyalists becomes not too much more than a general history of the political and military events of ~1770 to 1787. There is some special attention paid to the plight of loyalists like William Franklin and the infamous turncoat Benedict Arnold, which is what justifies the title. Other than that, a good general overview drawing on many letters of personal correspondence between the important people of the day, complimenting well other more narrowly focused books on the era.

A bit disconnected but still interesting

I’ve read a few of Brands’ books as well as his regular Substack and…this one was not among my favorites, though it grew on me. The “civil war” theme is not pursued with any consistency and honestly doesn’t really kick in until halfway through when you get to the pivotal conflict between Ben Franklin and his British loyalist son. The strength of this book is in the vignettes and extended dialogues, which sometimes go off on tangents, but often interesting ones. The one that I found most fascinating was a conversation between King George III and one of his representatives, in which he asks a lot of smart questions that belie the “mad king” stereotype. Also of interest were the anecdotes of rivalry and competition among Revolutionary generals (leading to Benedict Arnold’s betrayal) and a couple of stories of black escaped slaves who joined the fight for one or the other side. The narrator was the type that can be hard to follow when driving - sort of a weak voice with a tone that goes up and down too often - fine for dramatic effect but I’m more interested in actually hearing the story.