Introduction
Michael Pearson is the author of Those Damned Rebels: The American Revolution as seen through British Eyes. The book seeks to provide a perspective of the British on the American Revolution. The historical argument that the book focuses on is that the British won the battle but the Americans won the war. This may illustrate that the American Revolution established the birth of America and signified the start of the end of the domination of the British Empire. Some of the events that occurred are interpreted in different ways, which helps show the variance. For example, the defeat of the British at Bunker Hill was viewed as a minor setback at the beginning, which changed during the near end of the conflict (Pearson, 1972). The book succeeds in showing the interpretations of the revolution from the point of view of the British
Discussion
The purpose of writing the book was to present the events of the American Revolution from a new perspective. This is because most of the accounts of the conflict have been discussed mainly from the American point of view. The author makes the argument that the actions of the British Empire caused it to lose the war but win the battles. The writer uses different war situations involving the rebels and the British soldiers to explain the main points of the book. The audience of the book is the public who have an interest in reading about the history of America. The book attempts to address people who have an interest in understanding the American Revolution from the perspective of the British eye.
The book answers the question of how the British perceived the war during several stages. The author notes that British generals did not think that the war could be a significant issue for the empire (Pearson, 1972). However, as the plot progresses the generals realize that they are losing the war. The book also provides insight into how the war progressed over the years and the mistake the British made. However, the writer does not provide an answer to the question of what the American side did to ensure victory. The book gives insight through the eyes of British people, which can be misleading. The writer only uses the points of view of civilian and military authorities.
The book can be considered a good example of historical writing even though small aspects of the wars are incorrect. The author explains the American Revolution based on first-hand information about the civilian and military personnel involved in the war. The manuscript can be used to provide the historical context of the different battles that occurred between the British soldiers and the rebels. The writer seeks to answer the question of how the British viewed the American Revolution. This is essential as most of the information available on the conflict is based on the perspective of Americans.
Conclusion
The author enhances people’s understanding of the American Revolution by providing new viewpoints, which expand the knowledge on the topic. Pearson details that poor communication, distant command and control, and failure to deal with personality clashes were some of the reasons that resulted in the British losing (Pearson, 1972). The document provides interpretations of different events in the conflict, which helps readers develop more insight.
Reference
Pearson, M. (1972). Those damned rebels: The American Revolution as seen through British eyes. Putnam’s Sons.