| |  | Author: Francis Parkman
Publisher: Barnes & Noble
Category: Book
Buy New: $17.16
New (6) Used (9) Collectible (1) from $1.15
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 677
ISBN: 0760768358
EAN: 9780760768358
ASIN: 0760768358
Publication Date: January 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A classic May 21, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Despite having been first published in 1884, Montcalm and Wolfe is still among the most informative books on the subject of the French and Indian war and by and far the most entertaining and least boring available unlike some works recently published.
Highly informative. A joy to read. Pleasant reading for those interested in the subject or just plain interested in reading a good book.
Beautiful prose - Questionable objectivity March 11, 2005
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
Francis Parkman (1823-1893) was the first great American historian and today the most prestigious award in the field bears his name. "Montcalm and Wolfe" represents volumes six and seven of his celebrated study on the Anglo-French conflict in North America. This book is more than an excellent history of a seminal but largely forgotten conflict; it is nothing less than a work of literary art and very much a piece of American history itself.
Even if you have little interest in the Seven Years' War or the colonial-era in general, Parkman's writing alone is reason enough to put "Montcalm and Wolfe" on your reading list. Here is one notable, but by no means unusual, example of Parkman's narrative abilities, which describes the journey of colonial troops through the marshes around Lake Oneida in upstate New York in 1755:
"Thither the bateaux were dragged on sledges and launched on the dark and tortuous stream, which, fed by a decoction of forest leaves that oozed from the marshy shores, crept in shadow through depths of foliage, with only a belt of illumined sky gleaming between the jagged tree-tops. Tall and lean with straining towards the light, their rough, gaunt stems trickling with perpetual damps, stood on either hand the silent hosts of the forest. The skeletons of their dead, barkless, blanched and shattered, strewed the mudbanks and shallows; others lay submerged, like bones of drowned mammoths, thrusting lank, white limbs above the sullen water; and great trees, entire as yet, were flung by age or storms athwart the current - a bristling barricade of matted boughs."
Parkman's descriptions of Braddock's defeat on the Monongahela, the eviction of the Acadians, the siege of Louisbourg and the Battle of Quebec, to name just a few, are so vivid and intense that the images are seared into the reader's mind. I had read about these events several times before, often by skilled historians, but reading Parkman is like being there.
Parkman's work is built on exhaustive primary research and his extensive quotes from the personal letters of the leading figures on both sides of the conflict are fascinating and illuminating. That said, his history is hardly objective. To begin with, he is unabashedly Anti-Catholic. With the exception of the nurse-nuns at Quebec, everyone associated with the Church in Canada is described as completely venal and manipulative. In fact, he attributes much of the war - especially the barbarity of the French-Indian allies - to the actions of local priests, who in turn received tacit support from Versailles. He also wears his anglophilia on his sleeve. He spends much time and effort defending the British actions in displacing the entire Catholic population of Acadia in 1755: it was the priests that fostered opposition to allegiance to King George II; the British actions in Acadia went above-and-beyond to ensure the protection of religious freedom among the Acadians; all the British asked was neutrality; the Acadians themselves are described as simpletons easily manipulated by the French and priests; English settlers didn't appear in Acadia for five years "proving" that the British weren't motivated by a land grab; etc.
One of the more interesting aspects of this non-PC approach is the portrayal of the Native-Americans on both sides. Nearly all contemporary histories go out of their way, it seems, to take the rough edges off of Indian warfare and the result of raids on the frontier. Parkman describes the tribes and their acts in graphic detail: scalping, torture, cannibalism, slavery, etc. The reader gets a palpable sense of the fear an Indian war whoop must have instilled in colonists who no doubt had heard the stories of what happened to those sorry souls that fell into Indian hands.
Finally, there are two basic types of characters in Parkman's writing: good guys and bad guys. The former includes, above all, Montcalm and Wolfe, but also Lord Howe, Roger and his "Rangers," and one other French general, Levi. The latter group is led by the French Governor-General Vaudreiul and the knaves that supplied New France (especially Bigot and Pean) and represented by General Abercromby on the British side (he actually defends Braddock).
In short, "Montcalm and Wolfe" is like reading history written by Saul Bellow. It is one of the most important history books ever written in the English language and easily a classic of American military history.
 Not for today February 6, 2005
1 out of 34 found this review helpful
As literature, its as good as historical writing gets. As history, its racist to the bone.
A classic that keeps its edge June 20, 2003
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is one of the earliest books on the French and Indian War, and it still is a great read. While excellent in its own right, it forms the final and arguably the best volume in a series on the French in North America by Parkman. A lot of work and analysis has taken place since this was written, so something like Fred Anderson's "Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America", (also a great book) is very useful for bring the facts up to date. However Parkman provides a great window into the 18th century from the 19th, he provides detail without being boring, and makes it accessible and real.
Excellent account of a forgotten World War November 10, 2002
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The French and Indian War was a theatre of conflict that was part of the true FIRST WORLD WAR, it is a shame the historians seem to forget that. Francis Parkman does not. He is a classic author that gives a brilliant detailed account of the French and Indian War. The battles, politics both in Europe and North America and major players in the war are brought to life in this classic work. A must read for anyone interested in colonial North America.
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