The Day the Revolution Ended: 19 October 1781

This fluent history actually covers the whole final year of the American Revolution, which began with the American cause facing disastrous shortages of men, money, munitions and morale. Hallahan, an Edgar Award-winning novelist, tells the story of the Americans' recovery and triumph with admirable clarity, fashioning his facts into an enjoyable narrative. He sketches the personalities of the leading players--George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Cornwallis, the Marquis de Lafayette, Sir Henry Clinton--with the sureness of an accomplished mystery writer. And he provides fresh portraits of lesser-known characters like Sergeant Major John Champe, whom Washington sent on a covert operation to kidnap Arnold. The author also does a fine job of providing accessible accounts of the armies' often convoluted military strategies, showing how the British alliance with Southern loyalists unraveled and how the American alliance with France finally paid off in money, supplies, reinforcements and a French fleet that drove off the British ships. Hallahan (The Day the American Revolution Began) relies heavily on secondary sources, so aficionados of the period won't find many new facts in this volume. However, the book's engaging style makes it an excellent choice for fans of popular history.