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Warships of the Great War Era: A History in Ship Models
by David HobbsThe National Maritime Museum in Greenwich houses the largest collection of scale ship models in the world, many of which are official, contemporary artefacts made by the craftsmen of the navy or the shipbuilders themselves, and ranging from the mid seventeenth century to the present day. As such they represent a three-dimensional archive of unique importance and authority. Treated as historical evidence, they offer more detail than even the best plans, and demonstrate exactly what the ships looked like in a way that even the finest marine painter could not achieve. This book is one of a series that takes a selection of the best models to tell the story of specific ship types in this case, the various classes of warship that fought in the First World War, from dreadnoughts to coastal motor boats. It reproduces a large number of model photos, all in full colour, and including many close-up and detail views. These are captioned in depth, but many are also annotated to focus attention on interesting or unusual features. Although pictorial in emphasis, the book weaves the pictures into an authoritative text, producing an unusual and attractive form of technical history.
Warships of the Napoleonic Era: Design, Development and Deployment (Blueprint Ser.)
by Robert GardinerA collection of British illustrations of their ships and ships they captured from 1793 to 1815, with informative text, by the author of The Sailing Frigate. Between 1793 and 1815, two decades of unrelenting naval warfare raised the sailing man-of-war to the zenith of its effectiveness as a weapon of war. Every significant sea power was involved in this conflict, and at some point virtually all of them were arrayed against Great Britain. Many enemy warships were captured in battle, making them of interest to British artists, engravers, and printmakers, while the Admiralty ordered accurate draughts to be made of many of these prizes. Consequently, for this era the ships of all navies, not just British, are illustrated by an unprecedented variety of paintings, drawings, models, or plans.Warships of the Napoleonic Era reproduces many of the best (and least familiar) images of the ships, chosen for their accuracy, detail, and sheer visual power in an extra-large format that does full justice to the images themselves. These are backed by an authoritative text that looks at how the ships were used by the different navies, and explains the function and development of the apparently bewildering array of rates and types. This is a book that anyone with an interest in wooden warships will find both enlightening and a pleasure to peruse.
Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939–1945: Volume II: Escorts and Smaller Fighting Ships
by Przemyslaw Budzbon Jan RadziemskiSeventy-five years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of glasnost (‘openness’) the Russian state has again restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value – and originality – of this work is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships. This second part of the three-volume series includes all the remaining fighting vessels not already covered in Volume I. Beginning with the Uragan class – rated as Escort Ships and the first seagoing warships designed by the Soviet Union – the book then moves on to Submarine Hunters, both large and small, Patrol craft, Minelayers and Minesweepers, and unusual types like Floating Artillery Batteries and Anti-Aircraft Defense Ships, concluding with Landing Ships and Craft. Many of these vessels have hitherto been poorly documented but given the nature of the land-centered Soviet war against Germany their contribution should not be underestimated. The details of their service and, not least, the circumstances of their loss, constitute a major addition to Western understanding of the Soviet Navy’s war effort. This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War. Furthermore, as recent Russian actions appear to revive Soviet-era aspirations, this book offers both new insights and valuable background of contemporary relevance.
Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939–1945: Volume III: Naval Auxiliaries
by Przemyslaw Budzbon Jan Radziemski Marek TwardowskiSeventy-five years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of glasnost (‘openness’) the Russian state has again restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value – and originality – of this work is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships. This third and final part of the series includes all the ships in naval service that were not frontline fighting vessels. Despite auxiliary status, these were not insignificant ships – indeed the icebreakers were the largest vessels built by the USSR before the war and carried so much prestige that every leading member of the Soviet regime wanted their name on one. Apart from the obvious fleet support types – oilers, tugs and depot ships – this volume also covers unsung heroes like the salvage fleet, highly significant in the 1930s for generating much-needed foreign currency and later essential to the war effort, allowing so many sunken Soviet warships to be returned to service. Another major feature of this volume is the first clear and comprehensive listing of ex-mercantile transport ships, their periods of service and ultimate fates. Even harbor service craft are included, right down to the humble ‘heaters’ that supplied warmth to icebound warships in the depth of the Russian winters. This volume concludes with a number of important appendices on subjects like weaponry and a massive cross-referenced index that will allow readers to differentiate between ships of the same name and to track every name change. This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War. Furthermore, as recent Russian actions appear to revive Soviet-era aspirations, this book offers both new insights and valuable background of contemporary relevance.
Warspite: Warships Of The Royal Navy
by Iain BallantyneNo warship name in British naval history has more battle honours than HMS Warspite. While this book looks at the lives of all eight vessels to bear the name (between 1596 and the 1990s), it concentrates on the truly epic story of the seventh vessel, a super-dreadnought battleship, conceived as the ultimate answer to German naval power, during the arms race that helped cause WW1. Warspite fought off the entire German fleet at Jutland, survived a mutiny between the wars and then covered herself in glory in action from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean during WW2. She was the flagship of Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham when he mastered the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean, her guns inflicting devastating damage on the enemy at Calabria in 1940 and Matapan in 1941. She narrowly avoided destruction by the Japanese carrier force that had earlier devastated Pearl Harbor. She provided crucial fire support for Allied landings in Sicily, Italy, Normandy and Walcheren. A lucky ship in battle, she survived dive-bombers off Crete and glide bomb hits off Salerno. The Spite had a reputation for being obtuse at unexpected moments, running aground and losing her steering several times; she broke free from her towropes on the way to the breakers and ending up beached at St Michael's Mount where it took a decade to dismantle her. She had fought to the end.But this is not just the story of a warship. Wherever possible the voices of those men who fought aboard her speak directly to the reader about their experiences. Warspite is also the story of a great naval nation which constructed her as the ultimate symbol of its imperial power and then scrapped her when the sun set on that empire.About the AuthorIain Ballantyne is a much published naval author. His other books for Pen & Sword are HMS London, HMS Rodney and Victory as well as Strike From the Sea and Killing the Bismarck. He is editor of WARSHIPS IFR magazine. For more details on Iain Ballantyne and his books, visit: www.iainballantyne.com
Wartime
by Juliet GardinerJuliet Gardiner's critically acclaimed book - the first in a generation to tell the people's story of the Second World War - offers a compelling and comprehensive account of the pervasiveness of war on the Home Front. The book has been commended for its inclusion of many under-described aspects of the Home Front, and alongside familiar stories of food shortages, evacuation and the arrival of the GIs, are stories of Conscientious Objectors, persecuted Italians living in Britain and Lumber Jills working in the New Forest. Drawing on a multitude of sources, many previously unpublished, she tells the story of those six gruelling years in voices from the Orkney Islands to Cornwall, from the Houses of Parliament to the Nottinghamshire mines.
Wartime Basketball: The Emergence of a National Sport during World War II
by Douglas StarkWartime Basketball tells the story of basketball’s survival and development during World War II and how those years profoundly affected the game’s growth after the war. Prior to World War II, basketball—professional and collegiate—was largely a regional game, with different styles played throughout the country. Among its many impacts on home-front life, the war forced pro and amateur leagues to contract and combine rosters to stay competitive. At the same time, the U.S. military created base teams made up of top players who found themselves in uniform. The war created the opportunity for players from different parts of the country to play with and against each other. As a result, a more consistent form of basketball began to take shape. The rising popularity of the professional game led to the formation of the World Professional Basketball Tournament (WPBT) in 1939. The original March Madness, the WPBT was played in Chicago for ten years and allowed professional, amateur, barnstorming, and independent teams to compete in a round-robin tournament. The WPBT included all-black and integrated teams in the first instance where all-black teams could compete for a “world series of basketball” against white teams. Wartime Basketball describes how the WPBT paved the way for the National Basketball League to integrate in December 1942, five years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Weaving stories from the court into wartime and home-front culture like a finely threaded bounce pass, Wartime Basketball sheds light on important developments in the sport’s history that have been largely overlooked.
Wartime Captivity in the 20th Century: Archives, Stories, Memories
by Anne-Marie Pathé Fabien ThéofilakisLong a topic of historical interest, wartime captivity has over the past decade taken on new urgency as an object of study. Transnational by its very nature, captivity's historical significance extends far beyond the front lines, ultimately inextricable from the histories of mobilization, nationalism, colonialism, law, and a host of other related subjects. This wide-ranging volume brings together an international selection of scholars to trace the contours of this evolving research agenda, offering fascinating new perspectives on historical moments that range from the early days of the Great War to the arrival of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Wartime Decatur: 1832-1945 (Images of America)
by Dan GuilloryDecatur has a long history of patriotic service, both on and off the field of battle. Decatur volunteers participated in six major campaigns including the Black Hawk War (1832), the Mexican War (1846-1848), the Civil War (1861-1865), the Spanish-American War (1898), World War I (1917-1918), and World War II (1941-1945). Their record of distinguished service includes the presence of five generals and six Congressional Medal of Honor winners in the Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the first national veterans' organization, was founded in Decatur immediately after the Civil War. In World War II, soldiers from Decatur served in North Africa, Italy, the Philippines, and Germany. Equally impressive, however, is the tradition of the Decatur Canteen, which served food to transient soldiers from the time of the Civil War onward. Local volunteers rolled bandages, collected food, and recycled bales of paper and heaps of scrap metal. Citizens planted victory gardens and bought war bonds and savings stamps. Wartime Decatur: 1832-1945 documents the vigorous wartime culture based on community involvement and a strong sense of patriotism.
Wartime Girls: As the Liverpool Blitz rages, a family struggles to survive
by Anne BakerA tragic accident throws a young woman's life into disarray, as the storm clouds of war begin to loom... Set in Liverpool during the Depression and the Blitz of the Second World War, Anne Baker's dramatic saga, Wartime Girls, brings a close-knit community vividly to life. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Nadine Dorries.It is the day of the Grand National, 1933, when Susie Ingram's fiancé, Danny, is killed in a tragic accident. In a cruel twist of Fate, Susie discovers she is carrying Danny's child and, shunned by his parents, she turns to her mother for support. Louise Ingram, widowed during the First World War, knows how hard it is to bring up a family alone, but with the help of her eldest daughter, Martha, who lives next door, they manage to survive. When little Rosie is born there is no doubt that she is Danny's daughter, but it is destined to take many more years of heartache before the two families are united again... What readers are saying about Wartime Girls: 'Definitely recommend this book. Excellent story - wouldn't hesitate to give five stars' 'Another excellent Anne Baker novel, and fans will not be disappointed. Characters come to life in this family war story'
Wartime Mission in Spain, 1942-1945
by Carlton J. H. HayesThis book, first published in 1945, is a fascinating personal account of the late U.S. Ambassador to Spain Carlton J. H. Hayes' diplomatic mission in Spain during World War II, from May 1942 to January 1945. Whilst briefly touching on Spain's internal affairs, the principal focus is firmly on American policy toward Spain during those three wartime years, and Spain's response thereto. Hayes provides the reader with a candid and factual record of this period, gleaned from firsthand eyewitness accounts and sensitive information he was privy to during his tenure. He draws in detail on excerpts from his personal diary kept for those three years, as well as various conversations, documents and correspondence from and with President Roosevelt and others. A fantastic historical record.
Wartime Racketeers
by Harry Lever Joseph YoungWartime Racketeers, first published in 1945 by newspaper reporters Harry Lever and Joseph Young, is a fascinating look at the multitude of schemes, scams, frauds, and rackets used in World War II to swindle the government, soldiers, and private citizens. The authors, using records from the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, and other sources, have complied a highly readable account of the many ways the racketeers operated, and the methods used to combat them. From simple scams to multimillion-dollar white collar crime rings, Wartime Racketeers provides a unique insight into this little-known aspect of the War, and as the author's state in their Introduction, “There are people in America who hope that the war will never end. The longer it lasts, the more money will line their pockets...”
Wartime Standard Ships
by Nick RobinsIn both World Wars there arose a pressing need for merchant tonnage both to supplement existing ships but, more importantly, to replace ships that had been sunk by enemy action, and the key to the Allied strategy in both wars was a massive programme of merchant shipbuilding. This need gave rise to a series of standard designs with increasing emphasis on prefabrication and a progression towards welded hulls.This new book tells the remarkable story of the design and construction of the many types that not only contributed to their countrys war efforts, but were also responsible for a cultural change in world shipbuilding that would lay the foundations for the post-war industry. The story begins in the First World War with the National type cargo ships which were the first examples of prefabricated construction. The best known of all types of wartime standard ships, of course, were the Liberty ships and their successor, the better equipped Victory ships, both built in the United States. Some 2,700 Liberty ships were built and this incredible achievement undoubtedly saved the Allies from losing the War. In Canada, the Ocean and Park ships made a further major contribution. Germany and Japan also introduced standard merchant shipbuilding programmes during the Second World War and these are covered in detail. The many different types and designs are all reviewed and their roles explained, while the design criteria, innovative building techniques and the human element of their successful operation is covered.Some of the story has been told piecemeal in a range of diverse books and articles, a few with extensive fleet lists. However, the complete history of the twentieth century wartime-built standard merchant ship has not previously been written, so this new volume recording that history within its appropriate technical, political and military background will be hugely welcomed.
Wartime on Sanctuary Lane: The first novel in a brand new WWI saga series (Sanctuary Lane #1)
by Kirsty DougalCall the Midwife meets All Creatures Great and Small in this brand-new saga series set in a WWI East End Animal Clinic. 'I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn’t want the story to end. A joy to read' Vicki Beeby, author of The Ops Room Girls 'Superbly plotted ... a heartwarming and engrossing read' Maisie Thomas, author of Christmas with the Railway Girls'Tremendously written with buckets of heart' ***** Reader Review --- In the carnage of war can one woman's courage be the light in the dark? As the Great War rages across Europe, twenty-one-year-old Ruby Archer decides to ‘do her bit’ at an East End munitions factory. The work is relentless and deafening, but the camaraderie of the other girls carries her through. As London continues to be ravaged by German bombs, Ruby can’t ignore the abandoned animals scavenging the local streets. Mustering all of her courage, she decides to take action and open a weekly animal clinic. But opposition quickly closes in, when there is a war to win surely all efforts must be for the troops. With the help of her friends, can this East End girl show everyone that in wartime every life matters?--- Readers love Wartime on Sanctuary Lane: ‘A wonderful wartime family saga not to be put down’ ***** Reader Review ‘Beautiful... [I] loved it’ ***** Reader Review‘This book was BRILLIANT! I loved the characters - especially Ruby and Leah - both very interesting young women in very different ways’ ***** Reader Review‘I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I'm definitely keen to read more books by Kirsty!’ ***** Reader Review ‘Wow what can I say what a brilliant book… [I] loved it’ ***** Reader Review
Wartime on the Railways
by David WraggPresenting an account of the part played by Britain's railways during the Second World War, this book deals with operational matters and the impact of enemy action on railways. It also looks at financial arrangements, the part played by railway workshops in producing equipment for the military, and the wartime experience of the railways' ships.
Wartime: Britain, 1939-1945
by Juliet GardinerJuliet Gardiner's critically acclaimed book - the first in a generation to tell the people's story of the Second World War - offers a compelling and comprehensive account of the pervasiveness of war on the Home Front. The book has been commended for its inclusion of many under-described aspects of the Home Front, and alongside familiar stories of food shortages, evacuation and the arrival of the GIs, are stories of Conscientious Objectors, persecuted Italians living in Britain and Lumber Jills working in the New Forest. Drawing on a multitude of sources, many previously unpublished, she tells the story of those six gruelling years in voices from the Orkney Islands to Cornwall, from the Houses of Parliament to the Nottinghamshire mines.
Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War
by Paul FussellIn Wartime, Paul Fussell turns to the Second World War, the conflict in which he himself fought, to weave an intensely personal and wide-ranging narrative.
Warum wir sterben (The World At War)
by Alejandro LipschützEine philosophische Abhandlung über das Sterben
Warwick in the Great War (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)
by Graham SutherlandWarwick in the Great War is a detailed account of how the experiences of war impacted on the garrison town from the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, to the long-awaited Armistice in 1918, and its immediate aftermath. The troops went off to war, cheered and supported by their friends and family, all in a high holiday mood, but underneath this jovial faade, their loved ones knew that some of the men would never return. Yet life went on, albeit with progressive and totally new experiences. As the war stagnated, Warwick`s citizens offered practical support for troops both at home and abroad. How did they cope with returning wounded troops, and where did they go? Tribunals decided who should be given exemption from military service: difficult decisions, especially when food economies and the conscription of farm labourers were involved. Rationing was inevitable, but how was it enforced? What happened after the Army Pay Corps moved to Warwick? And then there is the question of the treatment of Prisoners of War, both in Germany and at home.Using contemporary accounts, the author explores a little-known piece of Warwick`s history. Mainly looking at life on the home front, included are some extracts from the letters serving soldiers sent home, allowing these heroic men who lived through these momentous events, to tell their stories in their own words.
Wase Time!: A Teen's Memoir of Gila River Internment Camp
by Kenneth Tashiro"Wase Time!" is an autobiography of my teen age years in Gila River Internment Center, Arizona. I tell my story in the first person and I include much of the humor and conversation that was popular at that time. My story begins with the aftermath of Sunday, December 7, 1941. On Monday, the 8th, I was relieved of my 6th grade job raising the American flag. On March 28, 1942, my family and I moved to Del Rey, California, which was in the "Free Zone." In July, we were told all those of Japanese ancestry would have to leave California. On August 6, we were evacuated to Gila, except for my mom who was 8 months pregnant. Gila was a big center made up of two camps: camp 1 (Canal), and camp 2 (Butte). We lived briefly in Canal, then moved to Butte because of my dad's job. I made friends with my neighbors, and Hank introduced me to many youth who were from the French Camp/Stockton area. I became a member of the Ramblers, a team which played may sports, and we won the championship of the Southwestern Football League in 1943-44. Other happy memories were my mom and sister's arrival from Fresno Assembly Center, movie night, the warehouse gang, the Boy Scouts, and my getting a response to a fan letter that I wrote to Maureen O'Hara. Sad memories include Hank's departure to Tule Lake Relocation Center, my being called a "nigger," and what I did with the letter and photos of Maureen O'Hara. On March 28, 1945, my grandfather and I left Gila to go to Chicago, Illinois, to visit relatives. I was send out of camp for being an unsavory character, according to my mom. On the train ride, I thought of all my experiences in camp. Was being in camp "wase time"?
Washington Confidential
by Jack Lait Lee MortimerScandalous, shocking, cheeky, impudent are words that will be used to describe this account of the hidden side of our glamorous, riotous capital city.For Lait and Mortimer, famous newspapermen, mince no words, pull no punches, tell their story in their own bold way. They have found out the truth and they tell the facts and name the names—which no one dared write or publish before. They deglamorize Washington and reveal it with its spats off and its morning coat unbuttoned. They tear the Velvet Curtain and show the behind-the-scenes intrigue, the sub-rosa night life, the shady side of sex, the sin side, the crime side. The amazing things they report will shock millions, arouse citizens all over the country as their previous book Chicago Confidential did…“P-S-S-S-T!“Here we go again—Confidential.“We turned New York inside out; but we both live there. We turned Chicago upside down; but we were both raised there. We descended on Washington not quite like Stanley invaded Africa, because in our combined 75 years of newspaper work we had been in the capital hundreds of times. It intrigued us because we never could understand it. So we decided brashly to do a Lait-Mortimer operation on it from scratch. Our principal discovery was that nobody understands Washington—the city, not the nation’s nerve-center.[…]“That’s why we were born—to tell you what you couldn’t find out without us—Confidential!”—Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer
Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War
by Andrew J. BacevichThe bestselling author of The Limits of Power critically examines the Washington consensus on national security and why it must change. For the last half century, as administrations have come and gone, the fundamental assumptions about America's military policy have remained unchanged: American security requires the United States (and us alone) to maintain a permanent armed presence around the globe, to prepare our forces for military operations in far-flung regions, and to be ready to intervene anywhere at any time. In the Obama era, just as in the Bush years, these beliefs remain unquestioned gospel. In a vivid, incisive analysis, Andrew J. Bacevich succinctly presents the origins of this consensus, forged at a moment when American power was at its height. He exposes the preconceptions, biases, and habits that underlie our pervasive faith in military might, especially the notion that overwhelming superiority will oblige others to accommodate America's needs and desires; whether for cheap oil, cheap credit, or cheap consumer goods. And he challenges the usefulness of our militarism as it has become both unaffordable and increasingly dangerous. Though our politicians deny it, American global might is faltering. This is the moment, Bacevich argues, to reconsider the principles which shape American policy in the world; to acknowledge that fixing Afghanistan should not take precedence over fixing Detroit. Replacing this Washington consensus is crucial to America's future, and may yet offer the key to the country's salvation.
Washington Wife: Journal of Ellen Maury Slayden from 1897-1919
by Ellen Maury SlaydenThis unique account, written by the wife of a Congressman from Texas and just brought to light, is a tart, lively, and enormously diverting firsthand report about people and events in a fascinating period of American history.In 1897 Ellen Maury Slayden accompanied her newly elected Congressman husband to Washington. James Luther Slayden served as a member of the House of Representatives for the next twenty-two years. His wife, an inveterate diarist, a discerning and socially aware woman, made a record of the social, political, and historical events of her time.Beginning with the drafty, inept receptions of the McKinleys, she has re-created official White House entertaining under four Presidents, as well as lavish embassy parties, salon soirees, and intimate dinners with Congressional friends and many famous people outside political circles. But Ellen Slayden's interests were not limited to the social scene. She was involved in the woman's suffrage movement, and both she and her husband gave much of their lives to the cause of international peace.There also were trips back to Texas every year, sometimes for campaigning, which afford a rich lore of Texas humor. Mrs. Slayden writes movingly about a Confederate reunion, waspishly about Woodrow Wilson's pedagogical approach to the Presidency, and disparagingly about Prohibition. She re-creates political conventions, dramatic sessions of Congress, and the climate of Washington during wars and threats of war.In his introduction, Walter Prescott Webb, the distinguished historian, says:"Washington Wife is among the best contemporaneous records of the period between the Spanish-American War—which announced that the United States was a world power—and World War I, which defined the duties and fixed the cost of holding first place."
Washington and Caesar
by Christian CameronInspired by a little-known historical fact--that American slaves fought alongside the British in the Revolutionary War--this epic novel tells of a Mount Vernon slave who joins a Loyalist black regiment charged with defeating his former master on the battlefield. The year is 1773. A new slave arrives at George Washington's Virginia estate and is given the name Caesar. But the war for independence will soon bring a turn of events neither master nor slave could have predicted. Within months they will be fighting on opposite sides: Washington as commander of the Continental Army, Caesar as a soldier in the legendary Loyalist corps made up of former slaves. In this captivating tour de force brimming with spectacular battle scenes and gripping historical detail, Caesar's perilous rise through the British ranks is deftly interwoven with the story of Washington's war years, leading to the day when they come face-to-face again--this time in uniform. "From the Hardcover edition. "
Washington and Caesar
by Christian CameronInspired by a little-known historical fact--that American slaves fought alongside the British in the Revolutionary War--this epic novel tells of a Mount Vernon slave who joins a Loyalist black regiment charged with defeating his former master on the battlefield.The year is 1773. A new slave arrives at George Washington's Virginia estate and is given the name Caesar. But the war for independence will soon bring a turn of events neither master nor slave could have predicted. Within months they will be fighting on opposite sides: Washington as commander of the Continental Army, Caesar as a soldier in the legendary Loyalist corps made up of former slaves. In this captivating tour de force brimming with spectacular battle scenes and gripping historical detail, Caesar's perilous rise through the British ranks is deftly interwoven with the story of Washington's war years, leading to the day when they come face-to-face again--this time in uniform.From the Hardcover edition.