Strange and Obscure Stories of the Revolutionary War - Untold Historical Tales for History Buffs and Educators | Perfect for Classroom Lessons and American History Enthusiasts
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Astonishing Events from the American Revolution That They Don’t Teach in School!We all know about Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and Betsy Ross’s stitching together the Stars and Stripes, but how about a little-known, valid reason for the war itself and why General George was able to survive a plague that wiped out many of his fellow countrymen?History buff Tim Rowland provides an entertaining look at happenings during and surrounding the Revolutionary War that you won’t find in history books. He digs into the war’s major events and reveals the unknown, bizarre, and often wildly amusing things the participants were doing while breaking away from Great Britain.For example, conventional wisdom says that no taxation without representation” was an important reason for the revolution, but not in the way we’ve been told. Colonists paid the wages of common-court judges, who were reluctant to rule against the men who paid their salaries. Therefore, duties on molasses (the key ingredient in rum) were generally unenforced until the British cut the tariff in half. Strange but true, the spark that touched off the revolution was in fact a tax cut.During the French and Indian War and then again in the first year of the revolution, the British were accused of biological warfare, infecting blankets with smallpox and then concealing them in Indian camps. So feared was the disease that soldiers began to illegally inoculate themselves before widespread vaccination was finally ordered for the army. Washington himself was immune, thanks to a Caribbean trip taken as a young man when his brother Lawrence sought a cure for tuberculosis. Lawrence wasn’t cured, but George was infected with smallpox in Barbados. As a young man in a warm climate, he survived. As an older man in a northern winter, however, the story of the father of our country might have had a different ending.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Customer Reviews
Book Review Written August 1, 2019Strange and obscure stories of the Civil War / Tim Rowland.Kindle Edition (224 Pages)Do not read this book if you are looking for a typical history of the American Civil War, with accounts of strategies, battles, troop movements, and similar stuff. Do read this book if you are looking for an original, informative, entertaining history of the American Civil War with accounts of what it was like for the people involved as they struggled, day to day, some for four long years, to cope and do their best while engaged in the terrible calamity of war. This book seeks to tell the story of the Civil War in a way that is easy to understand today—especially if we believe that truth is at times, stranger than fiction and that often it is the story behind the story that ultimately defines the truth. The narrative consists of sixteen eclectic vignettes, some better known than others, that are designed to broaden and expand upon, not what is known about the war, but rather what we think about the war. Within the pages of this book you will discover that it was a war filled with strange occurrences and some very funny moments; with men and women caught in impossibly tight spots; with startling coincidences; with moments both terribly bitter and unexpectedly sweet; and with history altered by the path of a bullet. There are some many great stories here that its hard to determine my favorite, but the story of Major General Dan Sickles almost caused the defeat of the Union Army at Gettysburg is among the best. The following small excerpt provides an excellent example of Rowland's prose and style"To some, Union Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles almost lost the Battle of Gettysburg single-handedly, and as such all but cost the North the Civil War. Any true fan of Dan Sickles, however, is liable to shrug apathetically at this event, it being, all told, only about the fifth or sixth most interesting thing to happen to the man during the course of his eventful life. Number one on the list? Hard to say. Maybe it was when he murdered the son of Francis Scott Key. Might have been the time he introduced a whore to English royalty. Could have been his tryst with the beefy but insatiable ex-queen Isabella II, or the fact that he allowed himself to be bilked out of so much of the money he had stolen. He spent some time at Tammany Hall, but the inmates of that particular asylum appeared to be too honest for him. So he moved on to Congress and immediately drank it under the table." Tim Rowland, "Strange and obscure stories of the Civil War"But do not base your decision to read or not read this wonderful, entertaining book based on Dan Sicles because there are fifteen other great stories to discover. Combining exceptional prose, great research, and a true sensitivity to the human condition this book describes the nature of the American Civil War better than any other book I have read. It delivers an interesting, straight forward account that is enjoyable, often laugh out loud fun to read and easy to comprehend. The narrative is engaging and augmented throughout by contemporary accounts that are informative and interesting.This is a great "Five Star' read that I throughly enjoyed. I recommend it whole heartedly to any reader interested gaining a definitive knowledge regarding the nature of the Civil War."
