1776

In the final chapter McCollough remarks that the most miraculous part of the American Revolutionary War was how the patriots managed to do so much with so little. He credits their success not training or resources but to their valor, perseverance, and spirit—not to mention the shrewd leadership of George Washington, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and others.

This argument is successful largely thanks to the contrast McCollough develops between the Continental Army and the British forces, as well as the Hessians. The Americans were an uneducated, untrained, undisciplined, ragtag group of volunteer soldiers. They were not properly outfitted with uniforms or armed with weapons; rather, they fought with their own guns and wore mismatched uniforms, with some men even lacking boots.

Britain, meanwhile, sent soldiers who were properly outfitted and professionally trained. While the colonists would leave to attend matters at home, the British remained dedicated to their duty because it was their career. McCollough presents the Hessians as an even more proficient and methodical fighting force, one whose ruthless competence became the stuff of legend in the colonies. The British also had one resource the Continental Army sorely lacked: experience.