Does anyone know any good books that accurately describe what it was like being a soldier during the American Revolution? Also, do any of these books mention women soldiers? Thanks.
Life of a Revolutionary Soldier
- Thread starter Belle_91
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I know there are some Revolutionary War soldier's pension applications on line. They don't really describe what life was like, but they are sort of an eye-opener in terms of what their participation and the conflicts were like. You might do some googling for those (which might also lead you to some books). Puma
The only book that springs instantly to mind is The Fort by Bernard Cornwell - but I've just checked and it is set in 1779! See here: http://www.bernardcornwell.net/index.cfm?page=2&BookId=51 as he may have written others nearer the time you want.
The American Revolution was still going on in 1779 - so that seems like a good lead. But, of course, where did Cornwell get his information. Puma
Good point Puma! One of the books Cornwell has in his reading club page is Waties Surrender and Other Civil War Narratives by Brian Walters. http://www.bernardcornwell.net/index.cfm?page=5 and scroll down. Cornwells' research for the Sharpe series is pretty impressive so I would think it would be for all his books.
Jeff Shaara's book Rise to Rebellion is one you may want to give a read too.
Non-fiction resources might include: James Nelson's Washington's Secret Navy, George Washington's Great Gamble, Benedict Arnold's Navy and With Fire and Sword; David McCullough's 1776; Arthur B. Tourtellot's Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the war of the American Revolution--though he makes suppositions and conclusions only supported by British documentation; Thomas B. Allen's Tories: Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War; Paul Lockhart's The Whites of their Eyes: Bunker Hill, the First American Army, and the Emergence of George Washington; Scoop on Clothes, Homes and Daily Life in Colonial America by Elizabeth Raum; Alan Taylor's American Colonies: The Settling of North America; Ruth Dean's Life in the American Colonies; Women Soldiers, Spies and Patriots of the American Revolution by Martha Knieb; The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson; The Female Soldier in the War of the Revolution. Deborah Sampson was the first known woman to impersonate a man to join the army and combat. Hands down, the Single Most Valuable source of information in my research has been The Naval Documents of the American Revolution. The NDAR is a collection of the decisions made to build the Continental Navy and Marines, records of the orders given and what changes were made. There is a goldmine of detail, such as stores, rosters, dress, poor medical treatments, uniforms, desertions, etc. Then, it switches to corresponding British documents. These should be available at your local library, but I hunted down some to purchase for my own.
This should be of some help.
Non-fiction resources might include: James Nelson's Washington's Secret Navy, George Washington's Great Gamble, Benedict Arnold's Navy and With Fire and Sword; David McCullough's 1776; Arthur B. Tourtellot's Lexington and Concord: The Beginning of the war of the American Revolution--though he makes suppositions and conclusions only supported by British documentation; Thomas B. Allen's Tories: Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War; Paul Lockhart's The Whites of their Eyes: Bunker Hill, the First American Army, and the Emergence of George Washington; Scoop on Clothes, Homes and Daily Life in Colonial America by Elizabeth Raum; Alan Taylor's American Colonies: The Settling of North America; Ruth Dean's Life in the American Colonies; Women Soldiers, Spies and Patriots of the American Revolution by Martha Knieb; The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson; The Female Soldier in the War of the Revolution. Deborah Sampson was the first known woman to impersonate a man to join the army and combat. Hands down, the Single Most Valuable source of information in my research has been The Naval Documents of the American Revolution. The NDAR is a collection of the decisions made to build the Continental Navy and Marines, records of the orders given and what changes were made. There is a goldmine of detail, such as stores, rosters, dress, poor medical treatments, uniforms, desertions, etc. Then, it switches to corresponding British documents. These should be available at your local library, but I hunted down some to purchase for my own.
This should be of some help.
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Daily Life During the American Revolution by Volo is a good overview. A good primary source (albeit written decades after the Revolution) is Joseph Plumb Martin's memoir. He was a soldier who served for the duration of the war and joined when he was about 15.
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Fusiliers by Mark Urban covers a regiment of Red Coats during the War of Independence. Might be helpful to you depending on what you are looking for. Outside of books, the History Channel doc "The Revolution" gets into some detail about life during the war as well.