War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution

War Without Mercy

$32.00
$32.00
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War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution
  • War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution
  • War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution
War Without Mercy

War Without Mercy

$32.00
$32.00
$32.00 each

"Robust and focused" - The Wall Street Journal
"History at its insightful and mesmerizing best" - Nathaniel Philbrick

Drawing on vivid contemporary accounts, this is a fascinating exploration of how and why the Revolutionary War descended into a brutal existential struggle.

This engrossing history conclusively shows that those caught up in it believed they had nothing to lose by fighting without regard for the rules of so-called "civilized warfare." The call to arms "Liberty or Death" was far more than just rhetoric. At its grimmest level, it was a conflict in which military restraint was more the exception than the rule, a struggle in which combatants believed their very existence was in question. This led to an acceptance of violence against persons and property as preferable to a defeat equated with political, cultural, and even physical extinction. It was war with an acceptance of ferocity and brutality - anything to avoid defeat.

A number of historians have previously concluded that the founding struggle reached a level of ferocity few Americans now associate with the movement for independence. However, these studies have described what happened, without looking in detail at why the conflict took such a violent a turn. Written by two esteemed historians, War Without Mercy does exactly that. Based on years of research and enlivened by primary sources, this is a fresh look at a period of history we thought we knew.

Details

ISBN
9781472872678
Binding
Hardcover
Authors
Mark Edward Lender, James Kirby Martin
Publisher
Osprey Publishing (UK)
Published Date
October 7, 2025
Language
English
Pages
288
Physical Info
1.3 in H x 9.4 in L x 6.1 in W (1.1 lb)

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