BestBooks is a record of all of the books that I have read since November 2004, with brief descriptions and reviews.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
1776 by David McCullough
I love McCullough. John Adams and Truman are two of my all-time favorite books. I was so excited when I heard 1776 was about to be released. But it was very dry. There was nothing interesting here, no great little side stories, no sparkling writing. It reminded me of nothing so much as an American history textbook. I gave up after 50 pages. Not recommended.
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The Cuban Intervention
The million that was supplied Saint-Simon to pay his troops by the "Ladies of Havana"...may, with truth, be regarded as the "bottom dollars" upon which the edifice of American independence was erected.*
In 1777-78 George Washington and his troops were in dire need. The Revolutionary forces were in desperate shape and near mutiny because there was not enough money for supplies.
In 1780 Admiral de Grasse was on his way from France to America with a powerful French fleet. He stopped in Haiti in the West Indies for reprovisioning. There he got word from Rochambeau, Commander of the French Forces in America, about the tragic economic situation of the American revolutionaries. De Grasse sent Saint Simon to nearby Cuba with an appeal. In Cuba Francisco Miranda heard about the situation and organized a fund- raising drive.
One particular group, the "Ladies of Havana" responded with great enthusiasm. Over 1,200,000 pounds of silver (25 million dollars in today's equivalent) were collected within a few hours. This generous offering was made to the American and French military not as a loan, but as a willing gift.
Admiral de Grasse proceeded northward to unite his navy with the Revolutionary forces. The silver was divided between Washington and Rochambeau, and the army was able to move ahead toward their destined victory against the superior force at Yorktown in 1781.
And NOW the American people and officials have forgotten or never knew what the Cuban ladies said when they asked for the money in Havana. The Cuban ladies said that the purpose of the gift was "So the American mothers' sons are not born as slaves.
Now the American sons are free. And the Cubans need help. The Cuban exiles are now asking the American nation to NOT support Castro's regime. The Cubans are not asking for a free favor. It's a privilege which they have earned through their efforts and sacrifices. Let's not support Castro. Let's maintain the embargo.
___________________
*When the French Were Here by Stephen Bonsal, Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc. 1945, pp. 119-120.
by Lillian Martinez
Julie,
I pushed through 1776 partly because of my interest in the Battle of Brooklyn, and I wanted to see what McCullough had to say about it.
But, if you want to read an extraordinarily good treatment of the same period, you should read David Hackett Fisher's Washington's Crossing. A terrific book.
Mark B.
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