The American Revolution was not the first war where people of a land were striving for independence, and it will not be the last; but it does mark a significant turning point in the literature of this land.
The war signals a time of reinvention — accomplished through spoken and written work. Here, John Rhodehamel has collected some 120 works: letters, diaries, newspaper articles, public declarations, contemporary narratives, and private memoranda.
The characters from this major play of words come from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, but they are brought together in a common goal... that of creating a new country. Therefore, the writers collected in this volume range from well-known men like George Washington, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine, and Benedict Arnold to lesser known Americans like Samuel Blanchley Web, Sarah Hodgkins, and Jabez Fitch.
The characters from this major play of words come from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, but they are brought together in a common goal... that of creating a new country. Therefore, the writers collected in this volume range from well-known men like George Washington, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine, and Benedict Arnold to lesser known Americans like Samuel Blanchley Web, Sarah Hodgkins, and Jabez Fitch.
In the Heat of Battle
Some of the material was written while the men were on the battlefront, so the chance of the intended recipient even receiving the pages was unlikely. As John Bowater writes, "You must not Expect to hear from me often as we are so often sent out of the way when any thing is going home and it is at least a Thousand to one you do not Receive this."
Separately, these pieces may not appear to be more than remnants of a long-lost past. But, together, the fragments create a much greater story — full of the dreams of men and women, both the great and the unknown... These literary pieces all become a part of a framework, which was to become America.
Even in the midst of the battlefield, or in these calls-to-arms, there's a strange beauty there... James McHenry writes home: "The conflict and dashing of the water against the sides of the rock on its fall, produced a fine spray, that issued form the cleft appears at the distance like a think body of smoke, while viewed in the sunshine from the edge of the chasm it exhibits a beautiful rainbow."
Separately, these pieces may not appear to be more than remnants of a long-lost past. But, together, the fragments create a much greater story — full of the dreams of men and women, both the great and the unknown... These literary pieces all become a part of a framework, which was to become America.
Even in the midst of the battlefield, or in these calls-to-arms, there's a strange beauty there... James McHenry writes home: "The conflict and dashing of the water against the sides of the rock on its fall, produced a fine spray, that issued form the cleft appears at the distance like a think body of smoke, while viewed in the sunshine from the edge of the chasm it exhibits a beautiful rainbow."
A Balanced Drama
The drama is played out, from Paul Revere's first wild ride, then up through the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill — up until the final victory and Washington's return to public life, with these words: "Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of action, and bidding an affectionate farewell... I here offer my commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life."
But, the book doesn't just contain the side of of the American revolutionaries. To balance out the literary viewpoint of the war, the editor includes "writings by American Loyalists and by British officers and officials serving in America that provide provocative insights into the losing side of an epochal conflict."
In a time of reinvention, the literature of the land says it all.
But, the book doesn't just contain the side of of the American revolutionaries. To balance out the literary viewpoint of the war, the editor includes "writings by American Loyalists and by British officers and officials serving in America that provide provocative insights into the losing side of an epochal conflict."
In a time of reinvention, the literature of the land says it all.
