![]() Most revolve around the elite men of the war. Only a few histories revolve around a regiment or group of people during the Revolution. Most of my books are smaller, untold stories that tell a larger, important story. Why have they been lost to the dustbin of history? You bring to life so many lesser-known figures of the era. In this story, I rebuilt the regiment from primary, original-source documents to uncover their previously largely untold story, which first came to me over a decade ago through my work on my bestselling book Washington’s Immortals. I spend years researching each book, often writing multiple at a time. I walk the bloody ground they fought over, visit the houses they lived in and even their graves. It's a miracle we prevailed over the greatest military power at the time, as well as our fellow Americans, since the war was not only a global conflict, a revolution, but also a civil war.ĭid you select your book's topic, or did it select you?Īll my books have found me. This is a side of the war with which most Americans are unfamiliar. The story is nuanced, bloody, rich in pathos, dramatic, and gritty. Through letters, diaries, and pension applications - the great untapped oral histories of the American Revolution - I've been able to put the reader into the boots and shoes of the participants, often in their own words. Instead of focusing on the more well-known, great figures of the American Revolution, my books focus on untold stories - the ordinary soldier or the forgotten female Loyalist or Patriot who played a pivotal role. Our founding is our most important story as a nation - it forms the bedrock of who we are as Americans. What makes you keep returning to that period in American history? You seem to be drawn to the War of Independence. I recently sat down with O’Donnell to discuss his latest release. Now, in his new book, The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware, O’Donnell mines untapped resources to give a raw-edged glimpse of the soldiers and sailors from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who saved George Washington's army - and America’s quest for independence - from destruction on more than one occasion. ![]() And, in 2018, The Unknowns: The Story of the Unknown Soldier and WWI's Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home once again brought to life a familiar tale with new and important details. ![]() He had me hooked with Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution (2016), about the Maryland Continental Line during the War of Independence. I've been reading military/combat historian Patrick K.
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