The Indispensable: Uncovering the Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Helped Shape America's History

Ron krautstrunk: I enjoy reading about Washington and the war , I’ve always wondered about his river rescues. The navy group were body guards and true fighting men.

United States on Oct 14, 2023

K. Connolly: I usually struggle with non-fiction books. But with recently learning that General John Glover is my 7th great-grandfather, I wanted to learn more about him. This books is a gripping story about him and what the Marblehead Regiment did to help the American colonies fight the mightiest empire in the world. The book reads like fiction, with incredible details and giving life to all the participants. I learned so much!! And I would definitely read more books by this author given how well written this book was!

United States on Aug 30, 2023

Robert Morris: The best works of non-fiction tend to be research-driven and that is certainly true of this one. Check out Patrick K. O'Donnell's annotated notes (Pages 361-402) but I hasten to add that his scholarship is presented within a narrative that is both lively and eloquent. Members of the Marblehead  Brigade were "indispensable" to the eventual victory of the thirteen colonies against what was then the most powerful military force in the western world, if not throughout the entire planet.

Consider the fact that, in the winter of 1776, a pall of gloom and the prospect of capitulation hovered over the nascent United States." In fact, "As Washington direly confided in a letter to his brother, 'I think the game is pretty near up.'" According to O'Donnell, Washington staked the entire war on a desperate gamble: "engaging in some of the most difficult maneuvers of the Revolutionary War." Specifically, "a night attack, an assault river crossing in the middle of a nor'easter, and a strike on the British controlled town of Trenton." Washington turned to "the only group of  men he knew had the strength and skill to deliver the army to Trenton -- John Glover's Marblehead Regiment....

United States on Dec 27, 2021

William J. Bahr: Need freedom? Who you gonna call? The Marbleheaders!

This highly fascinating, well-researched, and well-written book is about the men of Marblehead, Massachusetts, who became indispensable in getting the American Revolution off to a successful start. Marblehead, at the time of the story, was a town whose people worked the Grand Banks fishing for cod, with that product being 1/3 of the Massachusetts economy. Fishing was a dangerous business, and the men on the boats quickly learned they needed to work together to stave off frequent life and death situations. Whatever the men’s color or creed, their worth was quickly assessed by their talent, quick-thinking, resourcefulness, and especially the content of their character. With trust and teamwork their bywords, these men and their leaders spearheaded the American Revolution as an indispensable team for the indispensable man, George Washington.

The author fills his book with little-known stories he gleaned from primary research he made into muster rolls and pension applications made by Revolutionary War veterans in 1820. He starts the book with a sailor seeking to retain his freedom by revolting against his impressment...

United States on May 21, 2021