Revolution downeast: The war for American independence in Maine - Hardcover

Leamon, James S

9780870238239: Revolution downeast: The war for American independence in Maine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 087023823X ISBN 13: 9780870238239

Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press, 1993

In the late 18th century, the area that would become the state of Maine was still part of Massachusetts - a colony of a colony within the sprawling British Empire. This account of the Revolution "downeast" is the story of a people initially too preoccupied with day-to-day survival to pay much attention to the rising temper of imperial controversy. When war did erupt, many Maine colonists hoped that their geographical isolation and the presence of native tribes - many of which were long-standing British foes - would protect them from royal forces in nearby Nova Scotia. But this was not to be. Soon enemy privateers plundered the region's coastal settlements and shipping, and in 1779 the British established a base at the mouth of the Penobscot River. Heartened by the British presence, local loyalists sprang into action and transformed a revolution into a bitter civil war. For Maine, as for many other areas of the rebelling colonies, the struggle with England proved to be a divisive ordeal that heightened pre-war social, economic, and political differences. James S. Leamon discusses Maine's revolutionary experience in the context of other regions of conflict - Georgia, Long Island, Maryland's Delmarva Peninsula, and the Carolina back country - where disrupted economies, British incursions, guerrilla warfare, and shifting loyalties defined the Revolution.

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About the Author:

James S. Leamon is professor of history emeritus at Bates College and author of Revolution Downeast: The War for American Independence in Maine (University of Massachusetts Press).

Review:

"A valuable addition to the state's historic record, Revolution Downeast sheds welcome light on Maine's role in the birth of a nation."―Down East Magazine

"Although Leamon has a sobering tale to tell, he narrates it so lucidly, concisely, and vividly that Revolution Downeast is a compelling read. Leamon brings an impressive clarity to his narration of the war's diverse and often chaotic events, interweaving the social, political, cultural and the military into a compelling picture."―New England Quarterly

"A useful, well-cited exploration of Maine as an entity tied to Massachusetts. . . . This well-written work flows through the Stamp Act crises, the onset of revolution, military activity, British occupation, and the efforts toward statehood without being cumbersome. Of particular interest is the constant reference to trading with the enemy permitted by both sides and the importance of the naval-oriented timber trade."―Choice

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