Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755-1763 | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Brumwell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 777191
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 1
ISBN: 0521675383
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.26
EAN: 9780521675383
ASIN: 0521675383
Publication Date: January 9, 2006
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Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: C20081118203843B
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Product Description
This book examines the experiences of the British Army soldiers, or 'redcoats', who fought in North America and the West Indies between 1755 and 1763. It explores the Army's distinctive society, using new evidence to provide a voice for ordinary soldiers who have previously been ignored by historians. While other books on the period concentrate upon major personalities and events, this study examines events from the perspective of the individual: the experience of combat, captivity among the Indians, the Army's women and the fate of veterans. Stephen Brumwell is a former newspaper journalist and Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Leeds and now works as a freelance writer. He is the author of scholarly articles and the co-author of The Cassell Companion to 18th Century British History (2001). Hb ISBN (2001) 0-521-80783-2
Book Description
This book examines the experiences of the British Army soldiers, or 'redcoats', who fought in North America and the West Indies between 1755 and 1763. It explores the Army's distinctive society, using new evidence to provide a voice for ordinary soldiers who have previously been ignored by historians. Whilst other books on the period concentrate upon major personalities and events, this study also examines events from the perspective of the individual: themes covered include the experience of combat, captivity amongst the Indians, the Army's women, and the fate of veterans.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Individual narratives makes Redcoats come alive February 2, 2007
A thouroughly researched and well-documented narrative comes alive thanks to the numerous quotations which reflect the personal views and experiences of individual officers and men.
Brumwell's study brings insight and depth to a profession whose image has been traditionally distorted by mystique and prejudice.
Copious examples reveal the plight of individual soldiers, lending a human perspective to what is an excellent academic study.
 Essentially a fluffed-up doctoral dissertation October 13, 2003
6 out of 20 found this review helpful
Redcoats is a book for the historian or academician but not the general reader. Brumwell has one point to make, more or less, that the English soldier in North America adapted to the style of fighting needed during the French-Indian War and was effective. This does not require an entire book and does not make for an interesting one. Every page contains several footnotes which usually don't explain anything further and could better be placed at the end. I had to work to finish the book. But possibly I'm being unfair in that I was looking for a book to build on my understanding of the war and not such an esoteric treatment of one part of it.
A good read. November 27, 2002
6 out of 10 found this review helpful
I truly enjoyed this one. Definitely one of the top ten I read this year. The book was thorough, enticing and educational. I look forward to Brumwell's next book.
A Practical Look at the Soldiers of Britain in the F&I War November 10, 2002
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Having recently met Dr. Brumwell, a soft spoken gentleman. And having had the pleasure of discussing this book. He asked me a simple question, after he made sure I'd actually read the book, " Did you agree or disagree with the content?" I assured him that I totally agreed with him, as it was 'bang on' with the research I had completed. I have been trying for some years to explain that soldiers in the war did not venture about the wilds in their 'Sunday Best' and on the contrary were quite adapted for this forest warfare by 1758. This book when carefully read will give a true picture of the adaptation both common soldier and officer had made. As a reenactor of 'the Black Watch' in this time period, I need only to point to this book as a primary source for documentation for our strange uniforms and tactics. I highly recommend this book to the scholar and reenactor alike. It is very refreshing to see such a large amount of study going into something like this. And as I had told Stephen,"If it were in my power, I'd see to it you'd recieve a medal, for a job very well done." He, on the otherhand, said,"I could only wish."
Very well-researched and well-written January 4, 2002
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
It is very refreshing to see a book about the Seven Years War in America that combines solid academic scholarship and research with insightful interpretation -- all in a readable format. This is not a romanticized account of soldiers vs. savages. Rather, this is a history of the redcoat himself, not a chronological account of the French and Indian War (If you want the latter, simply read Fred Anderson's superb "Crucible of War.") Brumwell describes the redcoat's life, background, recruitment, service, etc. through a variety of perspectives, including one quite interesting chapter on the use of Highland regiments in America. His detailed account of how soldiers were recruited, drafted and transferred for service in the British regiments during this period is particularly valuable. This author strives to make the point that the "man in the ranks" who shouldered a musket under very trying conditions, for poor pay and in dangerous conditions, should be seen as the main reason for the success of British arms in the colonies.
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