The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire

The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History

By: Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

The loss of America was a stunning and unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders in Britain must have been to blame, but were they? This intriguing audiobook makes a different argument. Weaving together the personal stories of 10 prominent men who directed the British dimension of the war, historian Andrew O'Shaughnessy dispels the incompetence myth and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory.

In interlinked biographical chapters, the author follows the course of the war from the perspectives of King George III, Prime Minister Lord North, military leaders including General Burgoyne, the Earl of Sandwich, and others who, for the most part, led ably and even brilliantly. Victories were frequent, and in fact the British conquered every American city at some stage of the Revolutionary War. Yet roiling political complexities at home, combined with the fervency of the fighting Americans, proved fatal to the British war effort. The audiobook concludes with a penetrating assessment of the years after Yorktown, when the British achieved victories against the French and Spanish, thereby keeping intact what remained of the British Empire.

©2013 Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[An] engaging study . . . based on an extensive reading of the vast literature and of many original sources." (Brendan Simms, The Wall Street Journal)

What a fascinating look at American and British History!

This book is massive, but just keeps providing interesting information from both sides of the Atlantic and other parts of the world.

I learned so much about how the war was won by the rebels and some interesting facts, like who the Charlotte is in Charlottesville.

The narration is superb and I highly recommend this book!

It didn't lose me

What did you love best about The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire?

Excellent story that was well researched, performed, and organized.

What did you like best about this story?

Always interesting or entertaining.

Which character – as performed by Gildart Jackson – was your favorite?

Most of them come off as sympathetic, though Lord North was especially so. When taunted by an opposition member with North's habit of sleeping in the House, “Even now, in the midst of these perils, the noble lord is asleep,” North replied, “I wish to God I were,”.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Moved to know as a longtime American History buff there is still plenty to learn.

Any additional comments?

Probably one of the best audiobooks I have ever read.

If you like ALL the details this is your book

This book goes into extraordinary detail of the lives of the men from the British side after the revolutionary war until their death.

Washington versus Lincoln

This book has a great summary of Washington’s talents. I think he is the best of all presidents. Lincoln ranks as number two. This is an astonishing Birdseye view of all the moving parts for the American revolutionary war. A great achievement by this author.

Pay Attention or You're a Goner

I first became aware of, and interested in, this book after hearing a podcast of Mr O'Shaughnessy speak to the Virginia Historical Society, which was quite good. I hurried to purchase the book which, at 21 hours in length AND featuring George Washington in a starring role, was right down my alley.

I admit that I was riveted, or should I say, could have been riveted, by the story, had it been in a different format. The author chose to write it in acts, for lack of a better description. So we were always back and forth with 4 and and 2 and..., which was very distracting. We were talking about North and then Germaine and then suddenly, we were back at North. I was constantly saying, "wait... what?" I got lost very quickly and unless you pay close attention, so will you.

That nik-pickery aside, who knew? Fascinating. The loss of America was completely unexpected and as an American, I am again amazed at the incredible victory which laid the bounty of America at our feet.

Excellent.

Through the other end of the telescope

A fluid, thorough, and engaging story of the war for independence from the English viewpoint, political and economic as well as military. It presents the war as a challenge of defeating a continental insurgency and thus anticipates many later examples of the same. It deals in an even-handed way with the talented and intelligent English generals and politicians who failed. Wonderfully well done.

A different look at how the British lost the Revolution

This is truly about the British officers and politicians who had the greatest impact on the Revolution. It is not a chronological narrative but rather organized by individual, which makes it less like a good story and more like a textbook. But it was certainly not boring for me. This view of the Revolution helped fill in some gaps in my understanding, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about the Revolution.

A Full Perspective

Played at 1.25. I have read many books about the revolution. This well written book provides a fuller perspective of the period and the war. An excellent rounding out for any student of the American Revolution

Well-written, well-read and I learned a great deal

If you could sum up The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire in three words, what would they be?

For all you know about the American revolution, you probably don't know much about it from the British point of view. Barbara Tuchman addressed it in The March of Folly, but not in this level of detail. It's a long time since I read a book from which I learned so much about a subject I thought I knew well.

What about Gildart Jackson’s performance did you like?

Excellent performance. Dignified tone of voice. And it's silly, but he gets credibility points for having a British accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The most powerful empire in the world just wasn't up to the task"
or "England's Vietnam"

Any additional comments?

I think the conclusion lets George III off a bit easy. The impression I get from the book overall is that, at the onset, the notion that suppressing the rebellion would be easy was widespread. Before too long, many realized the significant problems with the war. Only few refused to face the truth, but one of them was King George. If he had seen sense earlier it would have been much better for the empire. I don't recall the author singling out George in the conclusion.

excellent background a must read

The most complete look at the major players of the American Revolution on the English side. Even handed look at each one of the and the trials and difficulties they faced. praising them them for their good qualities and pointing out the shortcomings of their rolls in the war.
best look at it from across the pond I've read.
a must read for anyone learnings, reading. studying the American Revolution