The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire

Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy revisits the familiar explanation that Britain lost America because its commanders and political leaders were incompetent. The account is organized around the personal stories of ten prominent figures, among them George III, Lord North, General Burgoyne and the Earl of Sandwich. Through these lives, the book presents a more complex view of British leadership and the conflict, challenging the idea that the American victory was simply a matter of outdated tactics meeting determined opposition. Its historical scope links military command with the political question of how Britain sought to preserve its empire.