A week ago I finished the book 1776 by David McCullough. I had never read one of McCullough's books before, but I loved his narration in the Ken Burns' Civil War series, and would really like to read more of his works in the future. My friend and I heard him speak at Oakland University years ago. We had horrific seats but that didn't matter because we were able to hear his voice, which is so amazing. So of course when reading through 1776, I heard McCullough's voice in my head the whole time. It was similar to when I read Stephen Hawkings "A Brief History of Time" and through the whole book imagined his computer voice talking to me. Needless to say, it took me a long time to finish!
I have to say that 1776 had the most sudden conclusion to any book I've ever read. No, don't worry, we still gain our independence (oops, did I just give away the ending?!). It seemed so sudden because I am not used to reading books with pages upon pages of citations, and therefore did not realize I was so close to the end. I nestled into bed one night to read a few pages, and then, what do you know, I had finished it!
I started reading 1776 in preparation for our weekend trip to Boston a few weeks ago. Thankfully, the Revolutionary War started during the British occupation of Boston and I was able to get through that part prior to our trip! I would have thoroughly enjoyed going to the historical sites in Boston even if I hadn't read the book of course, but being immersed in the book while going through Boston ended up being really, really cool. The book picks up after the Battles of Lexington/Concord and Bunker Hill, and I wish McCullough could have included these battles and the events leading up to those initial conflicts, like the Stamp and Townsend Acts and the Boston Tea Party, just to get a bit more of that background.
That aside, the book makes you realize how very easily the British could have won that war based on the moments of that year. McCullough also does a tremendous job at describing the incredible hardships soldiers faced at that time. Walking miles and miles with the barest of clothes and shoes. Freezing to death during overnight secret marches. Being overcome by disease. Suffering for days and days before dying from war wounds. Prisoners of war being bayoneted after their capture, or being kept on prison ships for months. Horrible, horrible things.
Jim and I went to the Minute Man National Historical Park during our visit. I had been once before and Jim thought it to be just as powerful an experience as I had 5 years ago. Within the Minute Man Park are the historical remnants of the Battles at Lexington and Concord and the trail taken by the British in their retreat back to Boston. April 18, 1775 was the night when the lanterns were lit in the Old North Church ("one if by land, two if by sea") and the midnight ride of Paul Revere took place, when Revere took off for Lexington and Concord to warn them that the British were coming (Paul Revere was also joined by a guy name William Dawes, who we just don't seem to talk about at all!).
The British were met with huge opposition at Lexington and Concord, and at the Old North Bridge was "the shot heard 'round the world." The British retreated back to Boston, but along the way were met with resistance from thousands of militia men who showed up from surrounding villages. By the end of the day, 273 British and 93 Americans were killed, and the Revolutionary War had begun.
Old North Bridge, the location of the Battle of Concord
The trip from Boston to Concord is about 18 miles. The British marched through the night on their way to Lexington and Concord, and those battles occurred in the early morning. Just imagine walking that far, through the night, only to find yourself under fire the ENTIRE way back. That's 36 miles in one day. No sleep. No food. No water. No Nike tennis shoes or blister band-aids. Oh, and you're being fired at the whole time.
If you ever go to the Minute Man National Park, there is a travel center that has a somewhat cheesy video presentation that is still pretty well done and informative. Leave some time to just wander and picture what went on there over two hundred years ago. And, when you're ready to leave that behind and switch to more transcendental thinking, Walden Pond is just down the road. War and Peace, and so near each other.
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