The Indispensables

By Patrick K O'Donnell,

Book cover of The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware

Book description

From the bestselling author of Washington’s Immortals and The Unknowns, an important new chronicle of the American Revolution heralding the heroism of the men from Marblehead, Massachusetts

On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced capture or annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Indispensables as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Marblehead, Massachusetts, played a remarkably disproportionate role in the fight for independence, and O’Donnell explains why.

The seaport produced a cadre of extraordinary patriots who figured prominently in the struggles before and during the Revolution. O’Donnell’s deeply researched book provides another perspective on the rugged, self-reliant, daring men and women who laid the groundwork for independence, and then played a critical role in winning the war.

This motley, very diverse cast joined to provide the origin of the American navy, smuggle in vital goods for the rebel cause, roam the sea as privateers, and ultimately become both Washington’s elite personal…

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