Revolution on the Hudson

New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

By: George C. Daughan

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

No part of the country was more contested during the American Revolution than the Hudson River. In 1776 King George III sent the largest amphibious force ever assembled to seize Manhattan and use it as a base from which to push up the Hudson River Valley for a rendezvous at Albany with an impressive army driving down from Canada. George Washington and other patriot leaders shared the king's fixation with the Hudson. In fact one of the few things that scholars have agreed upon is that the British strategy, though disastrously executed, should have been effective. Until now no one has argued that this plan of action was lunacy from the start.

Revolution on the Hudson makes the bold new argument that Britain's attempt to cut off New England never would have worked and ultimately cost the crown her colonies. It unpacks intricate military maneuvers, introduces the personalities presiding over each side's strategy, and reinterprets the vagaries of colonial politics to offer a thrilling response to one of our most vexing historical questions: How could a fledgling nation have defeated the most powerful war machine of the era?

©2016 George C. Daughan (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Not what I expected

It's not a bad book, it just has a misleading title.

I was frustrated and angry that the book kept spending so much time on Virginia, Carolina, Pennsylvania, and the Caribbean. Aboit 2/3 of the way through, it occurred to me: This isn't a book about New York in the Revolution as the title claims. This is actually a book about the Howe Brothers, Henry Clinton, Admiral Rodney, and the other main commanders of the British war effort in America. It probably should have been called British Commanders in America. I suspect the publisher changed the title to make it appeal to American audiences.

Its disappointing though, because I really wanted to read about the Revolution in New York.

amazing book

great historical story explaining the history of a area that ended up defining a war

Revolution on the Hudson Shines

George Daughan does a masterful job through research and bringing his characters alive . Jonathan Yen is truly interested in his subject matter and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with his wonderful narration .
This is a new and fresh view of both sides of the Revolutionary War that any reader will find exciting and intriguing .

Tough Criticism But Fair

It's not easy for me to pan this book, as it was well written and well researched, but I felt it to often stayed from what I thought was the primary subject matter, i.e. NYC during the Revolutionary War. Instead it seemed to be a history of the Revolutionary War, including the role New York played. There is a large difference. Similarly, the narrator did a good job, except when he tried to imitate the perceived accents of quotes players, such as Washington. It bordered on somewhere between comical and annoying and it would have been a much better listen if he just read the quote as is.

Copper. Bottomed. Ships.

SO many mentions. But an excellent, detailed account of the war and the various character flaws, bad decisions, and rotten luck that, nevertheless, won independence for these (sometimes) United States.