A Gallant Defense: The Siege of Charleston, 1780

Rating:
Summary: A close and scholarly study of the siege
Review: A Gallant Defense: The Siege Of Charleston, 1780 by Carl P. Borick (Assistant Director of the Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina, and Curator of the "Redcoats, Hessians, and Tories: The British Siege and Occupation of Charleston, 1780-1782 exhibit at the Charleston Museum scheduled for display throughout the summer of 2003) is a close and scholarly study of the siege and surrender of Charleston in 1780, a conflict that has been traditionally underestimated with reference to its impact on the American Revolution and upon subsequent American history itself. Analysis of key figures, the campaign's effect on civilians, military strategy, and much, much more fill the pages of this erudite and painstakingly detailed account. A significant and invaluable contribution to American Revolutionary War Studies, A Gallant Defense is highly recommended reading for both academia and the non-specialist general reader.

Rating:
Summary: A close and scholarly study of the siege
Review: A Gallant Defense: The Siege Of Charleston, 1780 by Carl P. Borick (Assistant Director of the Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina, and Curator of the "Redcoats, Hessians, and Tories: The British Siege and Occupation of Charleston, 1780-1782 exhibit at the Charleston Museum scheduled for display throughout the summer of 2003) is a close and scholarly study of the siege and surrender of Charleston in 1780, a conflict that has been traditionally underestimated with reference to its impact on the American Revolution and upon subsequent American history itself. Analysis of key figures, the campaign's effect on civilians, military strategy, and much, much more fill the pages of this erudite and painstakingly detailed account. A significant and invaluable contribution to American Revolutionary War Studies, A Gallant Defense is highly recommended reading for both academia and the non-specialist general reader.

Rating:
Summary: - Dull Thesis Work -
Review: Given the lack of anything else in print on this subject, Mr. Borick is to be commended for attempting to tell the story, but his writing is so dull and there are so many unfortunate repetitions of earlier stated statistics and trivial events, presumably employed to flesh out the dryness of the text with an illusion of detail, that the reader is left with the impression that the author would have been well served had a competent editor taken the author in hand. This is the driest of thesis work. The author's utter failure to organize the material in a detailed chronological sequence, rather than in the most general terms, is profoundly irksome, given the profusion of journals, diaries, orderly books, pension and state records available to scholars. Especially annoying, given the author's proximity to the study area, is the lack of adequate topologic information. There is nothing here to help a modern visitor ascertain the precise location of any of the sites mentioned, not even the locations of important river crossings or the HQs of the primary commanders. In the end the reader has the impression that Borick employed already published primary sources contained in Uhlendorf's 'Siege of Charles Town,' the Clinton and Lincoln papers, and then relied on secondary sources - there is very little else to be found here. The reader suffers from the lack of a mise-en-scene. We learn nothing about fire-fighting methods, the soil conditions, the source of the bricks that lined the key American redoubt, or the fact that the south end of the town was extremely heavily fortified. How were the Americans supplied. What did troops eat? Where did the officers sleep? Unforgiveable is the lack of an order of battle listing at the participating regimental units and commanders. There is little shift given to civilian perspectives (apart from Gadsden). Borick fails to provide any insights into the milieu of the general staffs and government officials or background biographical info. He pays little or no attention to the plight of the American prisoners after the capture of the city & their sufferings in the prison ships into which they were consigned. The bibliography is spotty. This is a flawed military history little better than other recent potted histories of the Southern theatre of operations, such as Pancake's 'This Destructive War.' It is a pity that this book constitutes the sole recounting of the only successful British siege operation undertaken in America, receives such lackluster treatment. Presumably the author's duties at the Charleston Museum limited his ability to dig deeper. But worse than the limitations of the history as such, is the banality of Mr. Borick's prose - no sense of apprehension or excitement is generated - it surely isn't to be derived from the dull repetition of facts. The largest military operation ever undertaken in the Carolinas save for Sherman's march upcountry in 1865 is worthy of a better recounting. It's a Charles Town tale that has yet to find a talented story-teller -

Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: I have a good working knowledge of the Civil War in Charleston but knew next to nothing about the Rev War and Charleston. This book is an excellent account of the fighting around and for that city.
I particularly enjoyed the personal stories of individuals involved. The author also gives the present day locations of key events, as a frequent visitor to Charleston I found this very valuable.
Suffice to say I strongly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: I have a good working knowledge of the Civil War in Charleston but knew next to nothing about the Rev War and Charleston. This book is an excellent account of the fighting around and for that city.
I particularly enjoyed the personal stories of individuals involved. The author also gives the present day locations of key events, as a frequent visitor to Charleston I found this very valuable.
Suffice to say I strongly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Fiar and intelligent
Review: This book is an excellent recounting of the campaign leading up to and including the siege of Charleston and all the operations that were related to or took place during it.

He also gives excellent details of the important people involved on a need to know basis. His style reminds me of Peter Cozzins, the noted Civil WAR author, back when my interest was that conflict.

His order of battle that breaks down the combatants to a regimental level is outstanding and something most revolutionary war campaign books do not have and should be ashamed to not have them.

If i could make one complaint about this fairly told history it would be that there is just not enough flash in it. Some more humor or something to spruce up the researched details would be appreciated. However, this is nitpicking. The book is excellent and is the best about this turning point of the war.