| Description |
viii, 345 pages : illustrations, maps (black and white) ; 25 cm |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-320) and index. |
| Summary |
"New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown's forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground. This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."-- Dust jacket. |
| Contents |
Introduction: Was it just the wind? -- A small city still standing -- Destroying towns in a civil war -- The armies approach New York -- The rankled rank and file -- General Washington's bad options -- The loss of New York City -- The great fire -- Firebrands -- Surveying the wreckage -- The commandant's conundrum -- The story of the fire takes shape -- The fates of three captains -- A war of devastation and restraint -- The unresolved war -- Conclusion: Forgetting the fire. |
| Subject |
Great Fire, New York, N.Y., 1776.
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Fires -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 18th century.
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New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.
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United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.
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Fires (OCoLC)fst00925697
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New York (State) -- New York
(OCoLC)fst01204333
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United States (OCoLC)fst01204155
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American Revolution (United States : 1775-1783) (OCoLC)fst01351668 |
| Chronological Term |
1700-1799
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| Genre/Form |
History (OCoLC)fst01411628
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| Added Title |
Lost story of the American Revolution |
| ISBN |
9780300246957 (hardcover ; alk. paper) |
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0300246951 (hardcover ; alk. paper) |
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9780300276688 (paperback) |
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0300276680 (paperback) |
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9780300268478 ePub ebook |
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