This book published in 1988 was the last book written by Barbara Tuchman. She is one of my favorite authors. One of the things I liked about her is that she was not an academic but she was a very good history writer.
This book is about the American Revolution and Tuchman's approach is at least mildly unusual. The title refers to a salute given to the American ship Andrew Doria at the port of St. Eaustatius, a Dutch island in the West Indies. This took place on November 6, 1776 and was the first recognition by a foreign country of the United States.
From that moment Tuchman goes back to the 17th century and comes forward with a brief history of the Netherlands. She writes about the Dutch struggle for independence and William of Orange who ruled the Netherlands and was selected to be the King of England as William III after the English Glorious Revolution.
The action of St. Eaustatius and the island's use as a center for smuggling goods into America prompted the English to send a fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney to capture the island for England. This is accomplished in short order and the focus shifts to the American Revolution.
Tuchman begins her story of the American Revolution after the American defeat of the British at the Battle of Saratoga. The American victory convinces the French to sign a treaty of alliance with America and begin sending them supplies and money. The French are seeking revenge on the British for their defeat in the Seven Year's War that made Canada a British possession.
The final third of the book tells of the Battle of Yorktown which ended the Revolution. Tuchman first covers the southern campaign of General Cornwallis in South and North Carolina. The American General Nathaniel Greene doesn't win many battles but he keeps his army intact. Cornwallis is frustrated by the lack of loyalist support and moves to Virginia to establish a base at Yorktown on the Chesapeake Bay.
A French fleet comes to America in 1781 to coordinate with American troops to defeat the British. The French make it clear that this expedition will be the last of its kind and Washington understands that this is his hour for victory. Washington wants to attack New York but the French Admiral De Grasse decides that the attack will be made on the Chesapeake. General Washington agrees and a combined French and American force of 20,000 moves against Cornwallis and his army of army of 8,800 at Yorktown.
Yorktown is a battle where everything works out just as planned for the Allies. The British fleet goes from the West Indies up to New York and when they check on the Chesapeake the French fleet is not there yet. Admiral Rodney, the most capable English naval officer had to go to England for surgery and is not available to direct the English fleet. The French fleet gets into the Chesapeake before the British and defeats the British in the Battle of the Capes on September 5, 1781. Cornwallis is now stuck between the French fleet and the Allied troops with no hope for relief.
The Allied forces now begin the siege of Yorktown. Clinton in New York promises but never sends any reinforcements for Cornwallis.
The allies steadily tighten their siege of Yorktown until Cornwallis has no choice but surrender. At 2:00 P.M. on October 17 the ceremony of surrender takes place. Cornwallis pleads ill health and sends General O'Hara forward to make the surrender for the English. Washington in response to Cornwallis' show of disrespect for the Americans directs O'Hara to surrender to his second in command. The defeat at Yorktown has the same effect on the English as the defeat at Dien Bien Phu had on the French in Vietnam. It convinces the English that they cannot defeat the Americans and there is no point in spending more treasure when the result will be the same. After lengthy negotiations the Treaty of Ghent in 1783 ends the war.
This book is not the usual narrative history of the American Revolution. I enjoyed the narrative on the Battle of Yorktown and the relationship between the American Revolution and the ongoing conflict between the European powers. What I found most interesting were the quotations from the letters of the British generals and political leaders. They were more involved in shifting blame for the lack of success than planning how to defeat the Americans. I did not have much interest in the lengthy detour into Dutch history and failed to see the connection with the American Revolution. While the book contained flashes of excellent writing it lacked focus. All I found was a series of facts in search of an idea that was never clearly stated. ( )

2203 The First Salute, by Barbara W. Tuchman (read 8 Apr 1989) This is the author's last book, being a "view of the American Revolution." It tells of the first salute to the U.S. flag by a foreign power--on the Dutch island of St Eustatius in the West Indies on Nov. 16, 1776. The book dwells a lot on sea and Caribbean aspects of the Revolution, and then tells the story of Yorktown in some detail. I've heard before that islands in the West Indies were considered more "important" than the colonies. Tuchman writes well, at times, though this book is not too well organized and jumps around a lot. But I enjoyed it, and it tells history in a very readable way. ( )

her take on the Revolutionary War--chronologically challenging, but lots of unique historical tidbits

This is a pretty good book, Barbara Tuchman did a decent amount of research and did give a new and different look at the American Revolution. It's not a long book and I think it is worth the read. ( )

By exploring the first recorded recognition of the U.S. flag by a foreign power, Tuchman recounts the background of the American Revolution and the importance of gaining foreign acceptance of the fledgling nation. ( )