The Most Insightful Books on the American Revolution: A Military Connection Top Ten List

contributed by Cory Davenport

While Independence Day may only be July 4, the rest of the month still feels like a birthday celebration for the United States of America. Many folks across the country will celebrate its founding with fireworks, grills, and poolside fun with family and friends. But, once the smoke has cleared and the burgers and brats are digesting, it’s the perfect time to settle in with a good book. Whether you take it poolside, camping, or to read on a long summer road trip, celebrate the American experiment and the revolution at its start with one of these great choices. Each one will remind, inform, and instill a renewed sense of patriotism and knowledge. This list contains both historical fiction and historical nonfiction regarding the Revolutionary War as well as the people and the land involved with that struggle for freedom. These are the best Revolutionary War books due to their insight, and the sundry topics they cover.

10.The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki

Before Benedict Arnold’s very name became one in the same with traitor in the United States, he was a celebrated war hero loyal to General George Washington and the revolutionary cause. In this historical fiction novel, Arnold’s treachery is explored through the eyes of his young wife, Peggy Shippen. History buffs will know Arnold was aided by British spy, John Andre, who was hanged for his treason, but few know of the social butterfly Shippen and her secret British loyalties. While a fictional account, Pataki’s story is rooted in the historical facts of Arnold and the complicated and corrupt loyalties surrounding him. This is a great book for someone who wants to dive deep into the lore of the Revolutionary War with intrigue, war, and a bit of romance to boot (especially what it can do to change a person).

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9. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

Notable French officer Marquis de Lafayette was sympathetic to the cause of the American Revolution as well as its hatred of the British. This nonfiction Revolutionary War historical book follows Lafayette through the ups and downs of the American Revolution. It is a gritty and truthful look at the ideals held by the American Founding Fathers and how they sometimes clashed with the brutal realities of the Revolutionary War through the eyes of a Frenchman. It also goes in depth with Lafayette’s personal history as an aristocrat and swashbuckler on the high seas, and explores the personal friendship he shared with General George Washington. The two fought and planned side-by-side through the majority of the war. .

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8. The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn by Robert P. Watson

Utilizing newspaper articles and firsthand accounts of the times, historian Robert P. Watson takes a deep dive into one of the most ghastly and unknown accounts of the American Revolution, the HMS Jersey. Anchored just off the coast of New York City, the Jersey was home to a revolving door of American prisoners and folks whose loyalties were questioned by the British. Guarded by both British troops and their Hessian mercenaries, the prison ship would often house as many as a thousand American patriots at a time, many of whom died from their treatment aboard the vessel. In fact, more men may have died on the HMS Jersey than in the field of battle. This is a great, while very heavy, read about the sacrifices made by average folks and soldiers alike wanting their independence from a world empire.

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7. West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776 by Claudio Saunt

For history buffs who demand an entire panoramic view of the United States during the Revolutionary War instead of only focusing on the original Thirteen Colonies, this book takes a look at the bigger picture. While the British, their Hessian mercenaries and indigenous allies were fighting American patriots, the French, and their indigenous allies, the Spanish were in California and the Russians had moved into Alaska to hunt sea otters. This book takes a wider look at what we now know as the United States in the context of the Revolutionary War and its time.

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6. The God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution by Thomas S. Kidd

This well-researched historical nonfiction explores how religion was crucial to the American Revolution as well as its place in the hearts and homes of those who fought in it. Kidd takes a deep look into the American religious demographics of the late 1700s and how similar and different the average colonist’s religious beliefs were. No matter their differences, however, many were united in the cause against British tyranny. It also looks at how the religious and revolutionary spirit of the American culture are still at play today with roots in our founding.

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5. The Great Divide: The Conflict Between Washington and Jefferson That Defined America Then and Now by Thomas Fleming

Many know the author of the Declaration of Independence and the man who would bravely and violently carry it to fruition did not always see eye-to-eye. This book looks into the tumultuous relationship between two of our most vital founding fathers to explore how their differences and tense relations affected the American Revolution. It also looks into how those conflicts two and a half centuries old are currently affecting the ideals and politics of the United States of America. Of course both Washington and Jefferson loved the United States and its courageous steps toward an uncertain future. Both men were also gifted statesmen and each took a turn at the helm of the nation. Each is remembered for his own accomplishments, but how could so much good come from their disagreements? Fleming takes a deep dive to answer that.

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4. The Price of Greatness: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and the Creation of the American Oligarchy by Jay Cost

The only Founding Father rivalry more bitter than the one between Washington and Jefferson was the one between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. The two had a falling out regarding how each felt the burgeoning new nation should be ran. Hamilton was a champion at growth at all costs, a perfect fit for the first Secretary of the Treasury. Madison, however, believed it should be ran as a vital Republic, This debate was laid bare in the Federalist Papers, some of the most important and seldom read documents regarding the founding of America. In this book, Cost argues both men were ultimately right while illustrating how each was open to a bit of corruption if it was in the interest of the greater good. This principle, Cost asserts, may have ultimately led to the wealthy and economically unequal nation we currently have today. In fact, many of the arguments between Hamilton and Madison may seem familiar to folks who haven’t even read the Federalist Papers, because they echo to this very day when looking at the American divide politically, culturally, and, especially, economically.

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3. The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution by John Oller

Sometimes referred to as “the George Washington of the South,” Francis Marion valiantly fought the British in the unsung Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. Outnumbered, outgunned, and accompanied by a ragtag group of untrained patriots, Marion ensured American victories in the South. While immortalized in a Walt Disney television series in the 1950s and by Mel Gibson in the epic 2000 film The Patriot, Marion’s real life looked much different than his grandiose depictions. Oller takes a whole-picture approach to a man whose name is not as recognizable as many of his peers, despite his accolades and accomplishments being on par with such folks as Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and even George Washington himself. It is a great choice to honor an unsung hero the way he deserves.

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2. A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent by Anne Rockwell

This book (with pictures) is the tale of an enslaved man named James Lafayette. When British General Cornwallis was looting an American camp and taking prisoners, he came across Lafayette, an enslaved man he believed was working as a guide for the British Army. Much to the general’s surprise and chagrin, James was actually an American spy working with the British Army to gain intel to feed back to his American comrades. Following the war, James discovered he was not qualified to win back his freedom, despite his service to his countrymen and their just cause. This book takes a long look at what freedom means, whether it means freedom from the tyranny of an empire across a vast ocean or freedom from bondage. James’s tale mirrors a lot of experiences of American veterans who fought hard to serve their country to find more causes to fight against back home.

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1. Common Sense by Thomas Paine

This pamphlet and collection of essays was penned by Paine between 1775-1776. It was widely, and anonymously, published at the dawn of 1776 during the height of revolutionary spirit in the Thirteen Colonies. Over the course of the war, Paine’s writings were distributed throughout the ranks of Washington’s armies as well as rebels in American cities. It is a short read at less than 50 pages, but it is essential for any patriot who wants to understand the spirit of the American Revolution from one of the people who spurred it in the population. Many historians still regard the small pamphlet as one of the most incendiary pieces of literature ever read. It is still one of the most published pieces of writing in American history with more than 2.5 million copies sold.

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Honorable Mention – Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution by Woody Holton

This book is for the in-depth historian, the people’s historian, and the curious-minded folks who ponder what some of the poor and marginalized folks were doing in the Thirteen Colonies before and during the American Revolution. In this work, Holton explores the perspectives of many unsung citizens of the Revolution as well as unique perspectives on the Founding Fathers. Some of the complaints they levied against the British were being levied against them in their own backyards. Holton even posits some of these grassroots grumblings from the common folk and lower class against whom they perceived as “elites” led to the American Revolution by casting full blame onto the British. This book is definitely for the history buff who thinks they have heard everything there is to know about the Revolutionary War and Founding Fathers.

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Primary Sources, from the Pens of the Founders Themselves –

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison

Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography

As stated previously, the debates held between Madison and Hamilton in regards to the future of the new nation being carved out of the ashes of British colonialism still echoes to the present day. What’s a better way to understand the nuances of each side than to read the debate firsthand? In the Federalist Papers, Madison and Hamilton argue back and forth regarding their ideas of what America should look like in the future. Now, while living in that future, it is a good time to look back into the origins of the first real American divide. Another primary source from that time period is Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Not only was Franklin a Founding Father of the American Revolution, he was a noted statesman, writer, and innovative scientific mind who invented the roots of many things still in use today. He was also the founder of many American taxpayer-funded programs such as the illustrious public library system (where folks can find each of the books on this list).

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