The Glorious Cause - Jeff Shaara [0]
Title Page
Dedication
To the Reader
Introduction
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Part 2
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Part 3
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Afterword
Other Books by Jeff Shaara
Copyright
Dedicated to my great-grandparents
Giuseppe and Anna Sciarra
who left Italy one hundred years ago,
and brought their dreams to America.
The legacy of our founding fathers
takes many forms.
TO THE READER
THIS IS THE SECOND OF A TWO-VOLUME SERIES THAT TELLS THE STORY of the American Revolution from the points of view of several key participants. This story follows a time line that begins in August 1776, shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and follows the progress of the war itself to its conclusion. However, this is not what anyone would describe as a history textbook.
By definition, this is a novel. The story is told by the characters themselves, from their perspective, through their actions, dialogue, and thoughts. However, the events, and each character’s contributions to those events are as historically accurate as I could present them. Through research that includes memoirs, written accounts, diaries, and collections of letters and documents, I have attempted to reach into the minds of each character, to show you their world as they saw it.
This story is told primarily from the points of view of George Washington, Nathanael Greene, Benjamin Franklin, and Charles Cornwallis. Throughout, there are numerous other characters, including names that are familiar (I hope) to every schoolchild: the Marquis de Lafayette, Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold, “Mad Anthony” Wayne, John Paul Jones, “Light-Horse Harry” Lee.
While I never knowingly alter any direct quote, or change the wording of any written document, the spoken language of the time presents a challenge to the modern ear. Though speech is certainly less formal than what was written (as is true today), there is, to our ears, a stilted and sometimes poetic quality to their language. While I am careful to remain true to the era, the dialogue must still be understandable to the modern reader. I have thus attempted to tread a fine line between the old and the new, avoiding at all costs any anachronistic words or phrases. I have also purposely avoided the use of foreign accents. The English characters in this story certainly spoke with “veddy” proper British accents. Those French and German characters who spoke English at all, naturally spoke with accents appropriate to their native tongues. For me to write this dialogue with every inflection (“Ya, I yam comink, Cheneral Vashington . . .”) would have been a needless interruption of the flow of the story and a distraction to the reader. I am aware of the accents. I am asking you to be as well. For this, I hope I am forgiven.
As you move through the events of this extraordinary time, you may be surprised by the primitive nature of the war. There were no railroads, no telegraphs, no West Point training. The weapons were smoothbore cannon and flintlocks, to which words like accuracy and reliability simply don’t apply. The most useful weapon was the bayonet. And for much of the war, the Americans didn’t have them. It often surprises people how few soldiers actually fought in the most critical battles. Very often, three thousand men was considered an “army.” (By contrast, in 1863, the two armies at Gettysburg totaled close to two hundred thousand