Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121717 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

The New York Times Book Review, Pauline Maier
Ketchum, who is the author or editor of several books on American wars, draws on an enormous range of sources, including diaries and letters by officers and common soldiers. The strength of Saratoga lies in his vivid descriptions of the rugged landscape and in his many arresting portraits of participants which make clear how personal rivalries affected the conduct of the war on both sides.

From Kirkus Reviews
An exciting and richly detailed narrative history of the events leading up to the decisive battle that altered the course of the American war for independence. Distinguished historian Ketchum (The Borrowed Years: 19381941, etc.) uses a wide range of primary and secondary sources to vividly depict this extraordinary drama. When ``Gentleman Johnny'' Burgoyne's feared army of British and German veterans invaded New York, intending to meet up with General Howe's forces, they seemed at first unstoppable. Burgoyne's fierce (and uncontrollable) Indian allies terrorized the countryside, killing civilians and burning and looting outlying settlements. The settlers (some of them previously lukewarm about the revolution) were forced to unite to defend their lives, families, and homes. The Americans soundly defeated the forces of the king at the fierce battles of Bennington and Fort Stanwix. At the same time, a merciless civil war between loyalists and rebels was being fought out in a series of small, vicious engagements. Burgoyne's logistical problems (he was compelled to drag mountains of equipment and supplies over narrow, primitive roads in unfamiliar country) and constant casualties served to weaken his seemingly invincible army. His exhausted forces were finally surrounded at Saratoga, and in the ensuing battle the Americans won a great victory under the courageous leadership of Benedict Arnold, Dan Morgan, and John Glover. Burgoyne's stunning surrender of his 6,000-man army brought a reassured France into the war on the side of the Americans, a move that would prove decisive. With clear, vigorous prose and well-drawn portraits of famous and obscure personalities, Ketchum captures a stirring time in American history, producing what should be the definitive study of Burgoyne's defeat for many years to come. (8 pages b&w illustrations, not seen) (History Book Club alternate selection) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
"This is superbly researched, full-scale narrative history at its best." (David McCullough)“More than a brilliant, gripping account of one of history’s most important battles; it is a vivid, needed reminder of how hard-fought, gritty, sweat-soaked, god-awful, heroic, and all-important was the American War. Like Shelby Foote unfolding the drama of the Civil War, Richard M. Ketchum writes of the Revolution as if he had been there . . . No novelist could create characters more memorable than the protagonists on both the American and British sides . . . This is superbly researched, full-scale narrative history at its best.”—David McCullough, author of John Adams

Customer Reviews

Detailed work on a turning point in the Revolutionary War
"Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne presented a plan to end the Revolutionary War and stifle the American colonists' bid for independence. It would involve a three-pronged campaign, with Burgoyne leading a contingent from Canada down to Albany, NY. The end result, he believes, would be the destruction of the Revolution itself.

However, as the Preface notes at the outset, "At Saratoga, the British campaign that was supposed to crush America's rebellion ended instead in a surrender that changed the history of the world." This book examines the campaign conceptualized by Burgoyne and the factors that led to his crushing defeat--and the entry of France as an ally of the colonial rebellion.

The story of Saratoga is also a story of English ineptitude. General Howe was to send troops northward toward Albany; General St. Leger was to lead a contingent from the west toward the east. The result would be a devastating defeat of the colonials. However, Howe did nothing; St. Leger was unable to make the rendezvous and turned back at Fort Stanwix. That left Burgoyne alone against the American forces.

And never did a Yankee general get so much credit for so little merit as Horatio Gates. He commanded the motley American army facing off against Burgoyne. The book well illustrates that others, such as Benedict Arnold, had a much more critical role in victory.

But the heart of the book is the factors leading up to the defeat of the British army at Saratoga. Great detail, a well portrayed narrative arc, from Burgoyne's optimistic start of the campaign to the lugubrious end. Well portrayed are the battles at Fort Ticonderoga, the disaster at Bennington, and the final denouement at Saratoga.

This is a nice portrayal of the campaign that changed the course of the war, well written and with enough detail to understand what was happening. Well worth looking at for those interested in this battle and the Revolutionary War.

Very informative
Here's what I'll say about "Saratoga": I learned a great deal from reading the book, but I can't say that it was a fast read. Part of that is because so many of the starring characters in this story were not completely familiar to me, so I had to, at times, recall whom I was reading about. There were times when the book dragged a bit and I wish it could have been written in more of a narrative style. However, I'm very glad I read it because Saratoga is a campaign that tends to be glossed over in classes while the focus is on the respective primary armies. It was an incredibly important part of the war and Ketchum explained what happened and why we should know. I'd recommend it to a history student or buff, but not someone looking for a casual read.

The Downfall of Gentleman Johnny
This richly textured book brings the American Revolution back to life! Ketchum brings a level of detail to his writing that may seem daunting to the general reader, but every page will be sheer delight to the true history lover! Not only does he give us the big strategic picture of the war, and the tactics utilized on the battlefield, he also gives us glimpses of the everday lives of the soldiers and civilians caught up in the campaign.
People like Burgoyne, Gates, and Arnold, not to mention many others whose names are all but forgotten live again in the pages of this book. One of Ketchum's main themes is how the grand strategy of the war was affected by British control of Canada. The Americans knew this; that's why Ketchum starts his book off with Benjamin Franklin's failed diplomatic mission to Canada to get Quebecois support for the Americans. Burgoyne saw Canada's importance better than any other British leader;hence, the seeds of his grand plan. The book very neatly comes full circle with Franklin's successful alliance negotiations with another group of Frenchmen-Louis XVI and his ministers at Versailles.
The star of this book is Burgoyne himself. Swaggering, cocky, and perhaps over-confident, he was a much better general, Ketchum argues, than most people have given him credit for. Even after his surrender, he looked much more like a conquering, as opposed to a defeated general. Ketchum's pen portrait of Burgoyne helps us understand why his troops idolized him right to the bitter end.