Book Review: "The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, by Robert Middlekauff."

"The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. Robert Middlekauff, (Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1982.)" 

    The Glorious Cause, by Robert Middlekauff is a comprehensive popular history following the American Revolution from a political and military perspective. Middlekauff's primary argument in his book is that the American Revolution is inspired by the “glorious cause,” which he acknowledges throughout the book.  The term “glorious cause,” is used as an amalgam of religious zeal and rhetoric about liberty that was the motivating factor behind the American Revolution.  The cause is a thematic cornerstone that the author refers back to frequently in the book to create a flowing argument.

    The nascent point of his book includes the passage of the various Intolerable Acts by British Parliament and the Royal Ministry. He constructed an exposition about the causes of the war by political perspectives of both the British and colonial leadership. The causes of war are linked to a breakdown of a functional economic relationship between the Empire and her colonies.  The book mentions key historical figures from a top-down perspective are used to make his arguments, such as Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, William Pitt, George Grenville, and Charles Townshend.  Middlekauff made an exemplary effort of comparing the colonial experience with parliamentary politics. 

    Middlekauff maintains that in late pre-Revolutionary American history, the colonists were rife with political and religious factionalism. He argues that the “glorious cause,” of political and religious liberty was a salient factor of galvanizing the revolution which was required for maintaining a cohesive unifying force within the colonies.  The narrative describes assorted demographics that suggest that, for the inception of the Continental Army, there required a political and cultural impetus.  Religious zeal, the writings of John Dickenson, and Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, were all essential examples essential for producing the culture of revolution that was that impetus. 

    Middlekauff then delves into the complex working of the militias and Continental Army as they were rallied by Congress. The author explores the nature of war time mobilization in a culture that valued freedom and liberty with the highest regard.  He contends that an adequate cultural phenomenon was required to unite the states into a functioning army through the capable hands of George Washington and other Revolutionary leaders.  It is a testament to presence of the “glorious cause,” that a weaker and poorly trained army could defeat a colonial superpower like the British Empire. 

    Middlekauff had the arduous task of making the battlefield come alive to the reader. However, his ability to reach this challenge is limited, as his descriptions of battlefield encounters were often windy and confusing.  Middlekauff’s passages about battles like Bunker Hill, the Monmouth Court House, the Battle of Bemis Heights, and other key battles are difficult to follow and require a very keen understanding of battle formations. He describes the arrangements of the troops on the battlefield, where the flanks were attacked, where reinforcements were held, and other combat related details with great difficulty to the reader.  The common reader with little military understanding could quickly become lost. 

    The Glorious Cause did, however, capture the details of what the conditions of the war were.  His imaginative and detailed description of the winter at Valley Forge is memorable, interesting, and at times humorous. Middlekauff proves efficacious in his ability to assert logistical difficulties in war time, as well as illustrating what motivated simple farmers and country folk into becoming a formidable fighting force.  When Middlekauff utilized the term he coined, “the glorious cause,” he managed to prove its connectivity without making superfluous statements that belittled the readers intellect. 

    There are occasions when Middlekauff fails to direct the reader to sufficient sources in his topic sentences. His citations are missing in certain passages, and he sometimes uses phrases like, “historians claimed...” without any mention of the historians in which he was referencing.  His footnotes and bibliography still suggest that Middlekauff was not making outright fallacious or unfounded claims, but it can still be argued that his source notations could still use revision.  Middlekauff also made a brief but notable effort to add information about certain marginalized groups near the end of the book.  Unfortunately, there was only so much information that he was able to include.

    Overall, if a reader was seeking to understand the Revolutionary War from a political and military perspective, The Glorious Cause is a worthwhile secondary source. His lengthy book provides both good insights and copious supply of factual information.  This book should be recommended for students and developing scholars with an emphasis on the first thirteen chapters and the last six chapters.  The information found in the middle of these mentioned areas still leaves a bit to be desired.