Customer Reviews:
 An excellent overview for the lay historian January 9, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
While there are more "scholarly" treatments on the French and Indian War on the market, Borneman's is probably the only work on the subject the average reader will ever need to read. Detailed yet readable, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of any lay historian interested in the nuts-and-bolts of this often overlooked war and its role in the shaping of an American nation.
 Excellent History November 11, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Walter Borneman's coverage of the French and Indian war tells the tale of one of the first global conflicts extremely well. Best of all, he sets the context that created the war and defines the context that the war created which lead to the American Revolution. He does a credible job describing the battles and personalities that defined the conflict. He gets at the heart of the economic as well as personal causes for the war. He writes clearly and enjoyably, making the book easy to read as well as informative. The maps in the book, specifically the ones outlining battles, are poor especially when one considers the overall quality of the rest of the work. That minor weakness aside, this is a great book, informative on the topic and well worth reading.
 Not much new here September 25, 2007
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
A couple of years ago I read Fred Anderson's CRUCIBLE OF WAR as well as a few other tomes on these 1760s events in British America - e.g. GUNS AT THE FORKS, A FEW ACRES OF SNOW, Eckert's books, and others - and since reading CRUCIBLE I have continued to wonder why any other author would even bother taking up this subject again, as Anderson (and Eckert especially) handled it all so masterfully and interestingly and in such detail.
Borneman mainly draws upon the work of others and throws it together in a new mishmash not much different. But, while he accorded Anderson some respect, he hardly mentioned Allan Eckert at all, which amazed me as his fascinating 'Winning of America' series of six massive historical narratives of this same period - really it is seven volumes if one counts THAT DARK AND BLOODY RIVER, or eight volumes if one counts his huge biography of the Shawnee Indian leader Tecumseh - is far and away the best series on these events I've yet come across.
So, why bother reading this one? Well, I guess to find some new details, although they are few and far between here. I recommend Anderson and Eckert instead as far greater investments of one's reading time.
The first true world war August 20, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The French and Indian War, as it was named by the French and Indians' opponent, the British, was part of history's first grand global war. Extending beyond the Ohio Valley and Canada to Germany, India, and the Caribbean, the 1754-63 conflict ushered the rise of the British Empire and the sunset of the French monarchy. Walter Borneman tells us about the North American portion of this world war, with brief forays into the courts and battlefields of Europe as well as the colonial outposts of Martinique and Manila.
Sparked by a border dispute (involving a young, naive George Washington), the French and Indian War quickly grew into the largest war yet waged in North America, with thousands of British and French soldiers battling from the Ohio Forks to Oswego and Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) in New York to Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. The British initially suffered from military disasters (Braddock's expedition to the Ohio Forks in 1755; Abercromby's frontal assault on Fort Carillon in 1758, among others), but under the bold leadership of William Pitt, the British rallied and forced the French from America. Spending unprecedented amounts of treasure and arms, Pitt forged a new world power from the halls of London, and ensured that the French would never again challenge Britain in the colonies and the high seas. For the most part, Pitt succeeded; but in the aftermath of the French and Indian War the seeds for the downfall of Britain's American empire were already sown. Within a few years the so-called Patriots were already fighting British policies, and the controversy from that ultimately led to bloodshed on a fateful April morning at Lexington and Concord.
Borneman tells it all with the clarity and the prose that would keep a reader reading. He knows how to tell the stories, to keep it factually correct while maintaining the reader's interest. A good book for those who wish to explore this not-well known part of American (and Canadian) history.
A Misunderstood and Poorly Named War August 18, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had not realized how badly this war was named until I read this book. Borneman describes how this was the first global war, actually an extension of the centuries long English-French conflicts into the new territories they both wanted to claim. In the end, Borneman demonstrates how this war was named for its losers.
Interesting to the modern reader is how poorly the vast lands of North American are valued in comparison to the Caribbean Islands.
While the details of the battles read like a text book, the character portraits of participants are vibrant. I appreciated that Borneman gives the full story of the people, telling of their later careers and situation in life.
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