Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer
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Book Summary Author: David Hackett Fischer Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1995-04-19 ISBN: 0195098315 Number of pages: 464 Publisher: Oxford University Press |
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Book Reviews of the Paul Revere's Ride
Customer Review: Interesting, and good, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
David Hackett Fischer explores the events immediately preceding, occurring during, and immediately following Paul Revere's Ride. He argues in his introduction that historians and academicians in general have largely ignored the extraordinary role Revere played in the development of the revolutionary movement. His book, then, seeks to bring Revere to light. In so doing, Fischer holds a magnifying glass to Massachusetts in the year 1775, and describes in astonishing detail the Whig-ish beginnings of the United States of America.
His book is a mixture of biography and military history. It has two primary foci; one, make great the name of Paul Revere; and two, delve into the militaristic proceedings of both the colonists and Britain's "Regulars." Wherever possible he tries to intertwine the two; when an event is occurring that does not involve Revere-the skirmish at Lexington, for example, he goes to great lengths to explain what Revere was doing at the time (during the skirmish, he was removing a heavy chest from a tavern). Whenever Revere is involved in the event, Fischer takes great pains to portray his role as critical.
Insofar as military history is concerned, one learns exactly why the Regulars march on Lexington and Concord failed. From mistaken assumptions about the colonists to unreceived communication from General Thomas Gage, Fischer includes it all. He provides detailed maps to show the movements of the two camps, and further illuminates the human side of the conflict with plenty of photographs, portraits, and captions. With the very small exception included in his epilogue, in which he gives brief life summaries of the main characters following the conflict, he never discusses that conflict's ramifications outside the militaristic exacerbation of the revolution.
Fischer's book is interesting for the most part, but as to its historical accuracy, this reader has some concerns. The detail of Revere's and others' movements and thoughts is so fine, one must wonder if Fischer allowed himself some historical license for the sake of readability. It does, in fact, read like Herman Wouk or Gore Vidal. One also wonders about the near deification of Paul Revere. The tone is like an overly enthusiastic response to an overly unenthusiastic academic circle. For two centuries, historians have ignored Revere; Fischer's answer is to elevate Revere to the level of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Certainly, his book is extremely well researched, perhaps enough to create a highly readable work without sacrificing any integrity whatsoever. Perhaps enough also to justify his exuberance for the man that was Paul Revere. All the same, the extents of both leave doubts in the mind of this reader.