Fusiliers The Saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution

by Urban, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780802716477
• ISBN10: 0802716474
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-11-13
• Publisher: Walker Books

Summary

The American Revolution from a unique perspective--as seen through the eyes of a redcoat regiment. From Lexington Green in 1775 to Yorktown in 1781, one British regiment marched thousands of miles and fought a dozen battles to uphold British rule in America: the Royal Welch Fusiliers. Their story, and that of all the soldiers England sent across the Atlantic, is one of the few untold sagas of the American Revolution, one that sheds light on the war itself and offers surprising, at times unsettling, insights into the way the war was conducted on both sides. Drawing on a wealth of previously unused primary accounts, and with compelling narrative flair, Mark Urban reveals the inner life of the 23rd Regiment, the Fusiliersand through it, of the British army as a wholeas it fought one of the pivotal campaigns of world history. Describing how British troops adopted new tactics and promoted new leaders, Urban shows how the foundations were laid for the redcoats' subsequent heroic performance against Napoleon. Fighting the climactic battles of the Revolution in the American south, the Fusiliers became one of the crack regiments of the army, never believing themselves to have been defeated. But the letters from members of the 23rd and other archival accounts reveal much more than battle details. Living the Revolution day-to-day, the Fusiliers witnessed acts of kindness and atrocity on both sides unrecorded in histories of the war. Their observations bring the conflict down to human scale and provide a unique insight into soldiering in the late eighteenth century.Fusilierswill challenge the prevailing stereotypes of the enemy redcoats and offer an invaluable new perspective on a defining period in American history.

Author Biography

Mark Urban is diplomatic editor of the BBC’s Newsnight and a former defense correspondent for the Independent. He is the author of The Man Who Broke Napoleon’s Codes and of Wellington’s Rifles, the story of the British soldier fighting against Napoleon in Wellington’s army. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
The March from Boston: 19 April 1775	p. 1
The Royal Welch Fusiliers on the Eve of Revolution	p. 7
The Fight at Lexington and Concord	p. 19
Bunker Hill	p. 34
Boston Besieged	p. 48
Escape From Boston	p. 62
The Battle for New York	p. 75
The Campaign of 1776 Concluded	p. 89
The 1777 Campaign Opens	p. 99
The March on Philadelphia	p. 113
The Surprise of Germantown	p. 124
Winter in Philadelphia	p. 131
British Grenadiers	p. 143
The World at War	p. 157
The Divided Nation	p. 168
The War Moves South	p. 181
The Battle of Camden	p. 200
Into North Carolina	p. 218
Greene Offers Battle	p. 236
The Beginning of the End	p. 253
Yorktown	p. 269
Going Home	p. 285
Home Service	p. 298
The Army Re-Born	p. 307
Sources	p. 321
Bibliography	p. 367
Index	p. 375
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