1781
The Decisive Year of the Revolutionary War
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Narrated by:
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Noah Michael Levine
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By:
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Robert Tonsetic
About this listen
The Treaty of Paris, in 1783, formally ended the American Revolutionary War, but it was the pivotal campaigns and battles of 1781 that decided the final outcome. 1781 was one of those rare years in American history when the future of the nation hung by a thread, and only the fortitude, determination, and sacrifice of its leaders and citizenry ensured its survival. By 1781, America had been at war with the world's strongest empire for six years with no end in sight. British troops occupied key coastal cities, from New York to Savannah, and the Royal Navy prowled the waters off the American coast. The remaining Patriot forces hunkered down in the hinterland, making battle only at opportunities when British columns ventured near.
But after several harsh winters and the failure of the nascent government to adequately supply the troops, the American army was fast approaching the breaking point. The number of Continental soldiers had shrunk to less than 10,000, and the three-year enlistments of many of those remaining were about to expire. Mutinies began to emerge in George Washington's ranks, and it was only the arrival of French troops that provided a ray of hope for the American cause.
In a shift of strategy, the British began to prioritize the south. After shattering the American army under Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina, the British army, under Lord Cornwallis, appeared unstoppable, and was poised to regain the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia for the Crown. However, when General Nathaniel Greene arrived to take command of Patriot forces in the South, he was able to gradually turn the tables. By dividing his own forces, he forced the British to divide theirs, dissipating their juggernaut and forcing Cornwallis to confront a veritable hydra of resistance.
1781 was a year of battles, as the Patriot Morgan defeated the notorious Tarleton and his Loyal legion at Cowpens. Then Greene suffered defeat at Guilford Courthouse, only to rally his forces and continue to fight on. While luring Cornwallis north, Greene was able to gather new strength and launch a counterattack, until it was Cornwallis who felt compelled to seek succor in Virginia. He marched his main army to Yorktown on the Peninsula, upon which the French fleet, the British fleet, Greene, Washington, and the French army under Rochambeau all converged. On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his weary and bloodied army.
In this audiobook, Robert Tonsetic provides a detailed analysis of the key battles and campaigns of 1781, supported by numerous eyewitness accounts from privates to generals in the American, French, and British armies. He also describes the diplomatic efforts underway in Europe during 1781, as well as the Continental Congress's actions to resolve the immense financial, supply, and personnel problems involved in maintaining an effective fighting army in the field.
©2011 Robert L. Tonsetic (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Ulysses S. Grant: A Victor, Not a Butcher
- The Military Genius of the Man Who Won the Civil War
- By: Edward H. Bonekemper III
- Narrated by: E. Roy Worley
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Ulysses S. Grant is often accused of being a cold-hearted butcher of his troops. In Ulysses S. Grant: A Victor, Not a Butcher, historian Edward H. Bonekemper III proves that Grant's casualty rates actually compared favorably with those of other Civil War generals. His perseverance, decisiveness, moral courage, and political acumen place him among the greatest generals of the Civil War - indeed, of all military history.
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Very interesting history
- By Katherine on 08-21-15
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On to Petersburg
- Grant and Lee, June 4-15, 1864
- By: Gordon C. Rhea
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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On to Petersburg follows the Union army's movement to the James River, the military response from the Confederates, and the initial assault on Petersburg, which Rhea suggests marked the true end of the Overland Campaign. Beginning his account in the immediate aftermath of Grant's three-day attack on Confederate troops at Cold Harbor, Rhea argues that the Union general's primary goal was not - as often supposed - to take Richmond, but rather to destroy Lee's army by closing off its retreat routes and disrupting its supply chain.
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Important to understanding the Overland Campaign
- By Jimbo on 12-29-19
By: Gordon C. Rhea
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Hearts Touched by Fire
- The Best of Battles and Leaders of the Civil War
- By: Harold Holzer
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett, Traber Burns, Robin Field, and others
- Length: 50 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In July 1883, just a few days after the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, a group of editors at the Century magazine engaged in a lively argument: Which Civil War battle was the bloodiest battle of them all? One claimed it was Chickamauga, another Cold Harbor. The argument inspired a brainstorm: Why not let the magazine’s 125,000 readers in on the conversation by offering “a series of papers on some of the great battles of the war, to be written by officers in command on both sides.”
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A good audiobook with one big flaw
- By William M. on 12-03-15
By: Harold Holzer
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With Musket & Tomahawk, Vol III
- The West Point–Hudson Valley Campaign in the Wilderness War of 1777
- By: Michael O. Logusz
- Narrated by: Dennis Johnson
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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In this third volume of Michael Logusz's epic study of the Wilderness War of 1777, a sizable British military force, augmented with German and loyalist soldiers, attacks the Northern Army's southern front in the fall of 1777 in hopes of assisting a much larger British Army that is threatened to the north of New York City in the wilderness region of Saratoga.
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Historical Book not Not Boring
- By Robert Nugent on 07-08-18
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Born to Battle
- Grant and Forrest: Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga: The Campaigns that Doomed the Confederacy
- By: Jack Hurst
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Born to Battle examines the Civil War’s complex and decisive western theater through the exploits of its greatest figures: Ulysses S. Grant and Nathan Bedford Forrest. These two opposing giants squared off in some of the most epic campaigns of the war, starting at Shiloh and continuing through Perryville, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga - battles in which the Union would slowly but surely divide the western Confederacy, setting the stage for the final showdowns of this bloody and protracted conflict.
By: Jack Hurst
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The Strategy of Victory
- How General George Washington Won the American Revolution
- By: Thomas Fleming
- Narrated by: Michael Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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General George Washington knew that having and maintaining an army of professional soldiers was the only way to win independence. As he fought bitterly with the leaders in Congress over the creation of a regular army, he patiently waited until his new army was ready for pitched battle. His first opportunity came late in 1776, following his surprise crossing of the Delaware River. In New Jersey, the strategy of victory was about to unfold.
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The detailed history
- By Sandy B on 11-26-24
By: Thomas Fleming
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General George Washington
- A Military Life
- By: Edward G. Lengel
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 20 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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This comprehensive military biography of George Washington entertainingly examines Washington's capacity as a military leader. Acclaimed historian Edward G. Lengel, an associate editor of the University of Virginia's Papers of George Washington project, bases this engrossing work on the most extensive collection of Washington's personal correspondence.
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an embarassment of richs about the Revolution
- By D. Littman on 07-03-05
By: Edward G. Lengel
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Long, Obstinate, and Bloody
- By: Lawrence Babits, Joshua Howard
- Narrated by: Rene Ruiz
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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On 15 March 1781, the armies of Nathanael Greene and Lord Charles Cornwallis fought one of the bloodiest and most intense engagements of the American Revolution at the Guilford Courthouse in piedmont North Carolina. Although victorious, Cornwallis declared the conquest of the Carolinas impossible. He made the fateful decision to march into Virginia, eventually leading his army to the Yorktown surrender and clearing the way for American independence.
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Long, Confusing, and Boring
- By Stephen on 02-06-13
By: Lawrence Babits, and others
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The Seven Days
- The Emergence of Robert E. Lee and the Dawn of a Legend
- By: Clifford Dowdey
- Narrated by: Nicholas Tecosky
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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The Seven Days Campaign was a series of battles fought near Richmond at the end of June 1862. General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had routed General George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Depriving McClellan of a military decision meant the war would continue for two more years. The Seven Days depicts a critical turning point in the Civil War that would ingrain Robert E. Lee in history as one of the finest generals of all time.
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The Seven Days:A different Title would work
- By Margaret Harley on 09-10-21
By: Clifford Dowdey
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Almost a Miracle
- The American Victory in the War of Independence
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In this gripping chronicle of America's struggle for independence, award-winning historian John Ferling transports listeners to the grim realities of that war, capturing an eight-year conflict filled with heroism, suffering, cowardice, betrayal, and fierce dedication. As Ferling demonstrates, it was a war that America came much closer to losing than is now usually remembered. General George Washington put it best when he said that the American victory was "little short of a standing miracle."
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Dramatic Backstory of The War for Independence
- By Amazon Customer on 11-22-15
By: John Ferling
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To the Gates of Richmond
- The Peninsula Campaign
- By: Stephen Sears
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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It was the largest campaign ever attempted in the Civil War: the Peninsula campaign of 1862. General George McClellan planned to advance from Yorktown up the Virginia Peninsula and destroy the Rebel army in its own capital. But with Robert E. Lee delivering blows to the Union army, McClellan’s plan fell through at the gates of Richmond.
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Magnificent chronicle of mismanagement
- By Triceracop on 10-08-13
By: Stephen Sears
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Terrible Swift Sword
- The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Alongside Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, Philip H. Sheridan is the least known of the triumvirate of generals most responsible for winning the Civil War. Yet, before Sherman's famous march through Georgia, it was General Sheridan who introduced scorched-earth warfare to the South, and it was his Cavalry Corps that compelled Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. Sheridan's innovative cavalry tactics and "total war" strategy became staples of 20th-century warfare.
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Full of history but just a little long
- By Dennis on 09-17-13
By: Joseph Wheelan
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The Battle of New Orleans
- By: Robert V. Remini
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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The Battle of New Orleans sets its scenes with an almost unbelievably colorful cast of characters - a happenstance coalition of militia-men, regulars, untrained frontiersmen, free blacks, Indians, townspeople, and of course, Jackson himself. His glorious, improbable victory will catapult a once-poor, uneducated orphan boy into the White House and forge the beginning of a true nation.
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Pronunciation please!
- By Paul Randolph on 05-06-19
By: Robert V. Remini
What listeners say about 1781
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Onewanderer
- 07-24-17
Well written history - grabs your attention from the very beginning to the very end.
The combination of personal stories and historical facts was very well done. The writing flowed like a novel. I found the epilogue fascinating.
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- MCR SR
- 10-26-17
Need to learn to pronounce Gloucester.
Gloucester is pronounced the same in England, MA and VA; Glaw (as in awful) ster.
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- Mark
- 02-13-17
entertaining!
Really enjoyed this book as it gives a rather detailed look at the strategy and tactics of the last battles of the revolution.
An easy read that I would highly recommend to any enthusiast of the war of independence
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- Dennis Jameson
- 05-23-20
Story great marred by errors.
Narrator continuously mispronounced military terms, author made some factual errors of detail. Overall a good story that covers an important time, but it really helps to be familiar with the back story and 18th Century Warfare.
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- C.
- 08-14-13
Pedestrian prose
Really needed a heavier hand with the editing. The prose became tedious at times, lacking in variety of sentence structure and phrasing. Repetitive at times in substance as well. I also didn't feel as it was bringing much new material to the table.
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2 people found this helpful
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- chris
- 11-01-22
Read, don't listen.
The author did a pretty good job and went into good detail about the campaigns in the South. There wasn't too much new, but most authors all use the same sources so it's unfair to expect a lot of "new", but the author still found some. There were a few inaccurate points, but not too many. This is a good book worth the read.
The narrator read very well in most respects. The glaring exception was pronunciation. It's hard not to wince through a lot of this book. The narrator would've been wise to look into that more, but aside from that did a very good job. The pronunciation isn't only his fault as the production staff should also have looked into that. They dropped the ball.
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- dewlaw
- 02-12-17
Mispronunciations drove me crazy
Would you consider the audio edition of 1781 to be better than the print version?
No
What did you like best about this story?
Focused, well researched.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Noah Michael Levine?
Someone who could Google how to pronounce place names.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
No.
Any additional comments?
When you get the gig to narrate a book, seems like the first thing to do would be to look up how to pronounce names. This guy gets them all wrong, from Banastre Tarleton, to the Pacolet River, to Gloucester. The last one drove me insane, because much of the last third of the book concerns York and Gloucester. It's really not that hard, folks.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ryan
- 04-27-18
Great Book
Loved this book. Kept my interest peaked throughout. The readers voice was good. Great History and storyline.
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