Recovering the Role of New York in the Revolutionary War

During the Revolutionary War, nearly a fifth of the battles took place in New York, second only to New Jersey. Yet the state's role in the war (and even New Jersey’s) tends to be overlooked in the literature, making this book welcome.

Following a foreword by noted New York historian Russell Shorto, the book comprises an introduction,  “The American Revolution in New York Revisited: an Introduction,” by Thomas S. Wermuth, and seven papers on various aspects of the war in the state,       

1. “The Propriety of a Vigorous Government”: Revolution and the Creation of the Empire State,” by Dillon L. Streifeneder
2. “Fix It Up, in Open View”: The Declaration of Independence in Wartime New York, by Emily Sneff.
3. Raking the Ashes: The New York City Fire in Historical Memory, by Benjamin L. Carp.
4. Long Island Loyalties: Unveiling the Oath of Allegiance During the Revolutionary War, by Christopher F. Minty and John Cordino.
5. From Defeated People to Sovereign Nation: The American Revolution in Seneca Country, 1779-1790, by Elana Krischer.
6. “The Last Desperate Struggle”: Leaving New York Behind and Paving the Way to Victory at Yorktown, by Iris de Rode.
7. “Standing on Their Own Soil”: The Struggle for Emancipation in Western New York, by Lucien Holness.

Each of the papers throws fresh light on the war in New York, often opening new areas of inquiry. All are intended for the serious scholar of the state in the War for Independence, though some of the papers may be of value to lay students of the state in the war.

---///---

Note: Fire and Freedom is also available in e-editions.

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium

www.nymas.org