"Guns of Burgoyne" is a very enjoyable historical novel about the events leading up to and including the battle of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War. The book portrays how common people from the Hesse-Hanau region of Germany were drafted into military service, and sent off to fight with the British in far-off America, while their "Elector" was paid for their services by the British government. It describes the harsh life the Hessian soldiers had to endure, contrasted against the privileged life of many of their officers. The story is told through the eyes of a young German Lieutenant, Kurt Ahrens, and through Gustav Rentner, an enlisted man "drafted" against his will into the Hessian army. It covers General Burgoyne's advance down Lake Champlain from Canada as he proceeded toward Saratoga and his ultimate defeat. It describes many of the same events that are covered in another of my favorite novels: "Rabble In Arms", by Kenneth Roberts. While that novel describes these events from the point of view of the American Colonists, "Guns of Burgoyne" describes those same historical events from the point of view of the Hessian soldiers accompanying the British. "Guns of Burgoyne" provides an excellent depiction of the Battle of Bennington, as well as the Battle of Saratoga. If you like highly accurate history, wrapped in an enjoyable story told by well developed characters, you must read "Guns of Burgoyne". Its unique perspective, told from the point of view of the Hessian soldiers accompanying the British, provides insight that would be difficult to find elsewhere.

This is a decent survey of the American Revolution, with an emphasis on the military history. There is a little discussion of the diplomatic history, and almost nothing about the politics, economics or social history of the time. Lancaster covers all of the battles, but rarely in enough detail to satisfy anyone wanting an in depth treatment of the tactics employed. Of course, a comprehensive account would be much longer. In lieu of better description, he is often content to name generals or other military leaders, and the book is chock full of the names of military units and, for the American units, their state of origin. It's a celebratory style of writing about American history that's a little dated now, and ultimatately is not a adequate substitute for a thicker account of what happened. Another irritation that the publisher could fix: the maps are next to useless, containing either too much or too little information. More detailed maps of specific battles would be nice, too.

Many Americans know the American Revolution only as a war in which George Washington defeated the British and, thereby, won American Independence. The true story, which we read in this book, is much more than that.

The "American Revolution" provides an interesting survey of the military aspects of our War for Independence. The background political factors which lead to the Declaration of Independence, both American and British, are presented, but once the Continental Army is established the book tends to focus primarily on military matters. One of the things I like about is book is that it gives thorough coverage to American, British and French personalities and initiatives in the war.

Another thing which I like about this work is its ability to impart an understanding of the outline of the War, both chronologically and geographically. The main events and characters are revealed both in their successes as well as in their flaws. While illustrating his greatness, errors committed by Washington are not overlooked.

This book places the pieces of the story which we have often heard into their proper places in the puzzle. All of it, from the early British evacuation of Boston through the Northern campaigns to the shift of action to the Southern theatres to the final evacuation of New York, now seems to make sense. The campaign of George Rogers Clark which won the West (now Midwest) for the new republic is also given fair coverage.

This book makes clear that, not withstanding the immense sacrifice of the Americans, victory was possible only because of the intervention of the French army and fleet.

We are repeatedly reminded that American sentiment was not totally in support of the war. military actions by Tories in support of the Crown, although largely ineffective, are given adequate attention throughout the narrative.

All in all, I enjoyed this interesting introduction to this crucial, but all too little known war.

Following a recent visit to Yorktown, I wanted to know why it warranted so much attention. Bruce Lancaster has done an exceptional job of building a picture that helped me truly appreciate the significance of Yorktown.

I love Lancaster's clear, rapid narrative of the war and surrounding events. Sure, he has some flare that may not be in vogue these days, but that is one reason why this book is so good. He writes with conviction and style, bringing the characters in the war to life. He also does an outstanding job of helping the reader piece together the critical events in the war. This is a book that makes you want to read more about the period.

This book is very good, though it wasn't a book that I raced through and couldn't put down I found it very interesting and enjoyed it immensely. "The Secret Road" is written about the secret service back in the time of George Washington. There are a group of people who feel so strongly for their country that they risk their lives every day. The best part about this book is that a lot of it is true. It is fascinating to know that that the characters were real. It was an interesting read and I suggest that if you like historical fiction, there are a lot of other GREAT books out there. But if your interested in how secret service started, this is the one for you.