Book Review - In the Hurricane's Eye

 In the Hurricane's Eye, The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown is the final book in Nathaniel Philbrick's coverage of the American War of Independence (the previous books are Bunker Hill and Valiant Ambition).

The book starts out talking about the three major hurricanes that happened in October 1780. These hurricanes ravaged the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The worst storm had winds estimated at 200 miles per hour, killed over 22,000 people, and damaged or sank British, French, and Spanish warships. These storms give the book its title. Philbrick goes on to talk about the current situation for both sides of the war and the importance of ships for movement and resupply, setting the stage for the rest of the book.

The next event covered is Benedict Arnold's (now serving in the British Army) attack into Virginia along Chesapeake Bay. George Washington sends the Marquis de Lafayette with a small army to oppose Arnold. Washington also talks the French into committing their fleet to try to trap Arnold. The Royal Navy catches wind of the French fleet's movements and races to intercept them, leading to the Battle of Cape Henry. While the French are unable to move into Chesapeake Bay, they do major damage to the British fleet and Philbrick suggests the French missed a chance to change the war here.

The book then moves to the British Army's campaign in  South Carolina and North Carolina. It covers the battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse as General Cornwallis moves the British army north into Virginia. With the British settling in around Yorktown, the American and French saw an opportunity to trap Cornwallis.

At this point in the war, Washington was still hoping to retake New York from the British. However, the French generals and the strength of the British position around New York City finally convinced Washington that taking on Cornwallis was the best course of action. So, the combined armies headed for Virginia. But they still needed the French fleet to prevent resupply or evacuation of Cornwallis' army. While the allied armies raced toward Yorktown, the British and French fleets were racing to get into position at Chesapeake Bay.

The French fleet, under Admiral De Grasse, was being tracked by the British fleet, led by Samuel Hood. But the British were uncertain of De Grasse's final destination - was it Chesapeake Bay or New York? The British fleet was slightly faster than the French fleet and beat them the the bay. But when they didn't see any French ships, they decided to head for New York.Once the British fleet arrived in New York, it joined up with the ships there and turned back to Chesapeake Bay, where the French were waiting. Setting up the Battle of the Chesapeake (also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes). The book describes the battle and aftermath, with the British falling back to New York and leaving the French in control of the bay.

With the British sealed up in Chesapeake Bay, the book moves to the siege of Yorktown. The overall action is described, along with the final decision to surrender. This essentially ended the fighting in North America.

The remainder of the book follows up on the final resolution of the revolution, the troubles in the American army and Washington's efforts to keep the American army in line. The book ends with a chapter that gives a short description of what happened to each of the main characters in the story. 

Overall, In the Hurricane's Eye is a good general history of the last years of the American Revolution. It does a good job of describing the situation, the personalities involved, and the events. The book is easy to read and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the American Revolution, although you might want to start out with Philbrick's Bunker Hill and Valiant Ambition.

For gamers, the book provides you with information on the major battles, especially the sea battles, for putting together some interesting scenarios and alternative battles. But you will probably need to go to other sources for more details on the troops and ships available at the time.