Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A fresh look at the Revolutionary War from an international perspective.That America, with help from France, won independence by defeating the mighty British Empire may be the History Channel view, but it cuts no ice with the dozen international historians in this collection of lively, generously illustrated essays, a companion to a current exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In their view, which is not controversial, the war began in 1775 as a Colonial rebellion but attracted attention from Britain's European rivals, who supported it not-so surreptitiously and then openly. European powers offered a more potent threat than Colonial rebels. As naval history professor Andrew Lambert writes, they "could invade Britain, disrupt British trade, and attack British possessions in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and India….Responding to these threats took priority over subduing the rebel colonists." Soon after France declared war in 1778 (Spain joined in 1779), Britain re-evaluated its strategy. Trade, not national glory, supported its empire, and West Indian sugar islands were far more lucrative than North America. The same was true of Asia. By 1780, Britain was engaged in a life-or-death struggle, its outnumbered army and navy battling across the world from India to Africa to Latin American to the Mediterranean. After 1778, it sent more troops to the West Indies than to America. Some of those regiments were sent from America itself. Most startling of all, the contributors conclude that Britain won the world war. Losing the Colonies was upsetting, but France was bankrupt and Spain more moribund than ever. Britain became absolute master of the sea (always its first priority) and acquired a slew of new colonies. Within a generation, she possessed a new empire more extensive than the old. In addition to editors Allison and Ferreiro, the contributors include Alan Taylor, John Garrigus, and Kathleen DuVal.A fine corrective to the traditional David-vs.-Goliath account of our War of Independence and a thoroughly entertaining read.

ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

The American War for Independence was more than a contest between scrappy colonists and British regulars on the North American continent. It was, as this collection of new essays edited by Smithsonian scholar Allison and historian Ferreiro explains, one theater of one campaign within a grand conflict with and among European powers that stretched over more than a century. This richly illustrated and colorful volume, drawing on the Smithsonian's holdings, is an accompaniment to a yearlong exhibition of the same name at the National Museum of American History, and highlights artwork, documents, and artifacts. The narratives cover such topics as the British Grand Strategy and the war aims of America's allies among the major powers; the roles of campaigns in India, on the high seas, and at the colonial periphery; and the global legacies of these wars for autonomy and freedom. This welcoming and informative book is a great addition to history collections. Everyone owes it to themselves to experience this view of America's past and place in the larger world.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A fresh look at the Revolutionary War from an international perspective.That America, with help from France, won independence by defeating the mighty British Empire may be the History Channel view, but it cuts no ice with the dozen international historians in this collection of lively, generously illustrated essays, a companion to a current exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In their view, which is not controversial, the war began in 1775 as a Colonial rebellion but attracted attention from Britain's European rivals, who supported it not-so surreptitiously and then openly. European powers offered a more potent threat than Colonial rebels. As naval history professor Andrew Lambert writes, they "could invade Britain, disrupt British trade, and attack British possessions in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and India….Responding to these threats took priority over subduing the rebel colonists." Soon after France declared war in 1778 (Spain joined in 1779), Britain re-evaluated its strategy. Trade, not national glory, supported its empire, and West Indian sugar islands were far more lucrative than North America. The same was true of Asia. By 1780, Britain was engaged in a life-or-death struggle, its outnumbered army and navy battling across the world from India to Africa to Latin American to the Mediterranean. After 1778, it sent more troops to the West Indies than to America. Some of those regiments were sent from America itself. Most startling of all, the contributors conclude that Britain won the world war. Losing the Colonies was upsetting, but France was bankrupt and Spain more moribund than ever. Britain became absolute master of the sea (always its first priority) and acquired a slew of new colonies. Within a generation, she possessed a new empire more extensive than the old. In addition to editors Allison and Ferreiro, the contributors include Alan Taylor, John Garrigus, and Kathleen DuVal.A fine corrective to the traditional David-vs.-Goliath account of our War of Independence and a thoroughly entertaining read.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

History professor Ferreiro (Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It) and Allison (senior scholar at the Smithsonian-s National Museum of American History) present an enlightening anthology of 16 essays from historians that persuasively argue that the American Revolution -was not simply a colonial uprising, but a world war.- Some of the war-s battles were waged in places as far-flung as India (between France, which had joined the Revolutionary War on the colonial side, and Britain), and even more startling is the contention that the American portion of the wider war, which Americans often think of as the most important part of it, was not the most crucial to the British Empire. The contributors, who make extensive use of primary sources such as Alexander Hamilton-s correspondence, provide just the right amount of detail for the layperson as they examine the French, Spanish, Dutch, and Indian roles in the war, along with more granular questions such as how European allies supplied the colonials with uniforms and weapons. This thought-provoking volume, which is a companion to an exhibit opening at the Smithsonian, is accessible, assuming no prior knowledge; it may even, as the exhibitions- organizers hope, convince American readers that international alliances are important today. (Nov.)