Sea History 158 - Spring 2017

Page 54

scores died daily from malnutrition, exposure, and mistreatment. The bodies were buried ashore on the sire of what was to become the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where they later became a problem for the Navy. The only criticism I can offer is the need for a strong editor; there were any number of typos and word errors, which an editor should have caught. Some repetition (which is probably inevitable) might also have been eliminated. Thar said, these distractions were minimal. As a reference, this volume belongs on the shelf of any Revolutionary War buff, resident of the Jersey Shore, or anyone with an interest in early American history. WILLIAM H. WHITE Rumson, New Jersey

British Proclamation of 1763, is nor unusual. M acleod rakes the origins of the proclamation back to the British invasion ofNew France, and especially to the battle for Quebec on rhe Plains of Abraham. The title of Macleod 's volume notwithstanding, the bulk of this work deals with the British invasion and rhe French response. Only in the final pages does the author bring together the battle and the consequences. Thar is nor a criticism, simply an observation. For readers of Sea History, the analysis of the role of waterways and naval operations in the Bartle of the Plains of Abraham will be particularly engaging. Control of the waterways was crucial to the invasion forces and the defenders of New France. The French were dependent on supplies Northern Armageddon: The Battle ofthe from France for survival, and the British Plains ofAbraham and the Making of strove to prevent rhe arrival of those provitheAmericanRevolution by D. Peter Mac- sions and munitions that allowed the leod (Knopf, New York, 2015 , 402pp, French to resist invasion. The fight for supmaps, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978- plies was as demanding for the French as 0-307-26989-8; $35hc). was the armed battle for their holdings in If ever a book title set our the contents the new world. On the night of the British oF the volum e, D . Peter Macleod 's North- amphibious attack on Quebec, supplies to ern Armageddon: The Battle ofthe Plains of the French played a significant role. Because Abraham and the Making of the A merican French defenders had been alerted to the Revolution is that book. Macleod presents arrival of a convoy of small vessels loaded the fight for what is now Canada as the with provisions for Quebec, they allowed turning point in the history of the British British invaders to pass, thinking them colonies in America. The argument that friendly forces . The convoy had been the American Revolution began not in scrubbed, bur this message never made it 1775-76, bur eight years earlier with the through.

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Moreover, the Royal Navy played a strategic role in the invasion and its success. Royal Navy vessels delivered the troops that fought and won on the Plains and the provisions and munitions they needed to fight. From the water, firepower from the fleet reinforced the invasion. Macleod describes the invasion and battle for New France in the first person, as he presents the personal evaluations of the conflict from the writings of men and women on both sides. The on-hand descriptions may be the major attraction of the work. The writing is good and the firstperson additions are worked in beautifully to produce a volume that reads like a novel. The reader cannot help but be impressed with the destruction and suffering inflicted on both sides by the Seven Years War. In the final chapters, Macleod presents and defends his thesis that the reduction of French power in North America set the stage for rhe original British colonies to break away from British authority. Northern Armageddon is recommended to readers with an interest in the American Revolution, the fall of New France, naval warfare, amphibious invasion, and history in general. The book is well written and a pleasure to read. DAVID 0. WHITTEN, PHD Auburn, Alabama

Naval Documents ofthe American Revolution, Volume 12, edited by Michael J. Crawford, et. al (Naval History and Heritage Command and Government Printing Office, Washington, DC , 2013, 995pp, illus, maps and charts, biblio, appen, index, ISBN 978-0-945274-72-8; $90hc) With a foreword by President Barack Obama, the twelfth volume in the Naval History and Heritage Command 's Naval Documents ofthe American Revolution series tells the story of the Revolutionary War on seas, lakes , sounds, and bays during the period April to June 1778. In rhe tradition of rhe preceding volumes-the first of which was published in 1964-rhis immense work includes selectively edited maritime documents, including correspondence, ship logs, muster rolls, orders, reports, and newspaper accounts, that enable a comprehensive understanding of the war at sea in the spring of 1778.

SEA HISTORY 158, SPRING 2017


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