The First Salute

Fülszöveg

On 16 November, 1776, a ship flying the ensign of the Continental Congress (as the rebellious colonies called themselves) entered the port of St. Eustatius in the West Indies and was welcomed by the firing of guns. It was the first official salute to the United States of America and was to have the most profound repercussions for England, her American colonies and the rest of the Old World. From this 'first salute' to the last campaign of the War of Independence five years later, Barbara Tuchman offers an unusual perspective on the events that shaped a nation. Moving away from the familiar land battles of the Revolution, she focuses largely on the offshore noises - the machinations of the French and Dutch, the conflicts of English princes and politicians, and the victories and disasters at sea. 'All the elements of the great story are here in these pages... truly thrilling... Tuchman alsó offers unforgettahle pictures of life (if that be the word) on eighteenth century men-of-war-... Tovább

Fülszöveg

On 16 November, 1776, a ship flying the ensign of the Continental Congress (as the rebellious colonies called themselves) entered the port of St. Eustatius in the West Indies and was welcomed by the firing of guns. It was the first official salute to the United States of America and was to have the most profound repercussions for England, her American colonies and the rest of the Old World. From this 'first salute' to the last campaign of the War of Independence five years later, Barbara Tuchman offers an unusual perspective on the events that shaped a nation. Moving away from the familiar land battles of the Revolution, she focuses largely on the offshore noises - the machinations of the French and Dutch, the conflicts of English princes and politicians, and the victories and disasters at sea. 'All the elements of the great story are here in these pages... truly thrilling... Tuchman alsó offers unforgettahle pictures of life (if that be the word) on eighteenth century men-of-war- the stench, the had air, the rotten food, the disease. You could smell a ship coming... Tuchman's main theme is the inspiring emergence in America of a new world... compared with other hooks ahout the War of Independence, it must rank high' Spectator 'Tuchman displays all her genius' Observer 'A fresh and ultimately dazzling perspective whose skilful arrangement is matched only by the sure scholarship on which it is based... superbly readable, thoroughly researched'Kirkus 'Tuchman is fascinating... it is the compulsive flow of her narrative that makes the book' The Times 'A book that deserves a wide generál readership as well as a speciálist one'Times Educational Supplement Vissza