At the age of 21, James Thacher (1754–1844) joined the newly formed American army as a surgeon's mate, eventually advancing to the role of surgeon for the Massachusetts 16th Regiment. In 1823, he published his Journal, reporting both wartime events he witnessed and those he heard about during his service. One of the most valuable and entertaining accounts to have survived the Revolution, Thacher's diary vividly conveys the tumultuous spirit of the era. Thacher's eyewitness reports include the siege of Boston, the hanging of British major John André, and the momentous defeats of the British Army at Saratoga and Yorktown. His direct and vivid observations range from parties where he and his fellow officers were handsomely entertained by supporters of the new nation's army to hardscrabble days when there was little to eat and nowhere to keep warm. With its cogent overview of the war's major campaigns and battles, its insights into the character of Revolutionary leaders, and its firsthand views of the daily life of a Continental Army officer, the Journal provides a heightened sense of the drama and excitement of the Revolution.

Excerpt from A Military Journal During the American Revolutionary War, From 1775 to 1783 Be It Remembered, That on the seventeenth day of May. in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three and in the forty-seventh year of the Independence of the United States of America. Richardson & Lord, of the said District, have deposited in this office, the title of a book the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit: "A Military Journal during the American Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783. describing Interesting Events and Transactions of this period, with numerous Historical Facts and Anecdotes, from the original Manuscript. To which is added, an Appendix, containing Biographical Sketches of several General Officers. By James Thacher, M. D. late Surgeon in the American army." 'As Americans we hail with delight any attempt to rescue from oblivion the words or actions of those whose names we have been taught to revere.T'" In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, " An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the times therein mentioned:" and also to an Act entitled, "An Act supplementary to an Act. entitled. An Act tor the encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies during the times therein mentioned ; and extending the benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Engraving and Etching Historical and other Prints." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The War of 1812 was fought by eighteen states--the original thirteen states that formed the Union, as well as Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Louisiana. In the preparation of this work, the compiler surveyed the records of the National Archives, as well as many of the libes and archives of the eighteen states in which fatalities were recorded. The end result is an authoritative list of some 3,500 known military dead of the War of 1812. The entries, which are alphabetically arranged, give the name of the deceased, his rank, the name of his company or branch of service, his date of death, and an indication as to whether the individual died in battle or as a prisoner of war.

A fascinating naval perspective on one of the greatest of all historical conundrums: How did thirteen isolated colonies, which in 1775 began a war with Britain without a navy or an army, win their independence from the greatest naval and military power on earth? The American Revolution involved a naval war of immense scope and variety, including no fewer than twenty-two navies fighting on five oceans—to say nothing of rivers and lakes. In no other war were so many large-scale fleet battles fought, one of which was the most strategically significant naval battle in all of British, French, and American history. Simultaneous naval campaigns were fought in the English Channel, the North and Mid-Atlantic, the Mediterranean, off South Africa, in the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, the Pacific, the North Sea and, of course, off the eastern seaboard of America. Not until the Second World War would any nation actively fight in so many different theaters. In The Struggle for Sea Power, Sam Willis traces every key military event in the path to American independence from a naval perspective, and he also brings this important viewpoint to bear on economic, political, and social developments that were fundamental to the success of the Revolution. In doing so Willis offers valuable new insights into American, British, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Russian history. This unique account of the American Revolution gives us a new understanding of the influence of sea power upon history, of the American path to independence, and of the rise and fall of the British Empire.

Revolutionary Surgeons offers an integrated picture of surgeons as political and military leaders of the American Revolution. Prominent surgeons participated in political activities that ultimately resulted in the breakaway of the colonies from Britain. Surgeons were members of the Sons of Liberty and other groups opposing Acts imposed on the colonies by Parliament. Similar to other groups in society, surgeons were split in their view of the growing opposition against the English rule of the American colonies and the wish to create an independent nation. Even with different opinions of the revolution, Loyalists and Patriots were often able to get along and live peacefully in the same communities. Surgery underwent dramatic developments during the 1700s. Although anesthesia was still a century in the future, surgeons performed extensive procedures, including laparotomies (opening of the abdomen) for tumors, mastectomies for cancerous growths, amputations of the leg above or below the knee, and cutting for the stone (removal of bladder stones). An increased understanding of human anatomy was one reason why surgeons kept moving the boundaries of what was considered possible. With no anesthesia, patients’ screams from pain and horror were unimaginable. Many patients died from shock on the operating table or from postoperative bleedings and infections. Stories about surgeons as leaders of the American Revolution and about their heroic surgical procedures provide for an exciting read.