Faculty Book Review--December 2002
Jeff Shaara's
Rise to Rebellion
By
Anthony Fischetti
It’s the question that never seems to come up. Not even at Independence Day barbecues. What if we lost? What if the American Revolution failed? Not an outrageous inquiry, considering that at the time it was a motley affiliation of contentious, ill-prepared, not-always-so-united colonial farmers, artisans, and activists who scored arguably one of the greatest upsets of all time by defeating the most powerful empire and military power in the world at the time. Jeff Shaara brings this realization to light in his riveting American Revolution novel, Rise to Rebellion, where “d.o.w.g.” (“dead old white guys”) history comes to life by giving voice to the men we now associate with the faces appearing on our currency and the names of our universities and cities—the so-called “Founding Fathers”.
Shaara, whose previous works have included the United States Civil War novels Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure (and whose father, Michael, authored the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic The Killer Angels, the Battle of Gettysburg novel that is said to have inspired the Ken Burns PBS series while also making a name for the improbable Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, the Bowdoin College classics professor who saved the day for the Union army by holding the Little Round Top against superior Confederate numbers) recreates the sense of indecision, doubt, and ultimately fiery resolve that engulfed John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Sam Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington as they proceeded to meld a “nation”.
The conversations are what you’d expect, a blend of historical realism, flowery hyperbole (the conversation of the day was overwrought and dramatic by today’s standards), and imagination that paint a portrait of men who knew all too well that what they were doing amounted to the capital crime of treason against King George III (who comes off just as you’d imagine—haughty, ill-informed, and supremely overconfident in his one quest: to preserve the British Empire.). The old phrase “we had best hang together or we will surely hang separately” comes to mind and resonates as the rabble-rouser Sam Adams and the thoughtful John Adams endeavor to unite the best and the brightest (many influential and powerful Tories refused to cooperate in what they regarded as a suicidal fool’s errand, and remained loyal to the Crown) to join in the fight for and dream of independence.
The novel begins with Boston attorney John Adams’ successful defense in the 1770 trial of the British Colonel Thomas Preston against murder charges for what became known as the “Boston Massacre”. Adams is principled, idealistic, astute, and careful in word and deed; once he makes the decision that independence is the only way to go against the relentless tide of British oppression, indignities and the concomitant loss of colonial liberties, the novel kicks into high gear. John’s words form the framework and give life to the debate, as the successful young lawyer gradually begins to realize that revolution is not only justified, but is honorable given the circumstances.
Sam Adams, John’s older second cousin, is portrayed as a revolutionary in the purest sense of the word, a man bound and determined to spreading the word of British colonial exploitation, an extremist who in present-day pro-war parlance would be called a “hawk”. Founder of the “terrorist” group, the Sons of Liberty, Sam orchestrates the “Boston Tea Party” in protest of the Tea Act, and thereby earns a place in American lore and legend.
Benjamin Franklin is the most celebrated American in the world at the time—he is, as you’d expect, totally ahead of his era in thought, deed, and lifestyle. Some of his “eccentricities” (he believes in keeping his windows open for fresh air—back then people thought that disease was borne on the breeze, hence the term “ill-wind”; takes walks after meals to aid digestion; and gives sage advice on the wisdom of thrift, hard work, and economy) are now regarded as common, undisputable truths.
Some of the other characters that fill the revolutionary landscape are equally well drawn and compelling. General Thomas Gage is the colonial governor in charge of Massachusetts, and is given the unrealistic and essentially impossible job by the King to quell the revolution without drawing the English government into a full-scale, expensive war. His is a sympathetic historical figure—a career soldier thrust into a diplomatic position destined to fail.
The young Thomas Jefferson toils over what will become known as the Declaration of Independence; we get to sit in on his first and second drafts as the words are written and re-written into the prose that would embody what would eventually become the clarion cry and signature pronouncement of an unheard of experiment in democracy and popular (albeit white, male, and predominantly well-to-do) government. Abigail Adams proves the archaic adage that behind every good man stands a good woman; she is an equal partner in husband John’s transformation and growing stature. George Washington emerges to reluctantly accept the command of the colonial army at the Second Continental Congress. He’s classy, genteel, thoroughly aristocratic, yet soft-spoken, and totally unsure of what he is being asked to do: organize a loose affiliation (many of the people in the southern colonies initially thought of, and had to be convinced otherwise, that the entire revolutionary mess was New England’s to clean up) rag-tag militia, political blowhards out to make a name for themselves (John Hancock and other ambitious climbers and businessmen lobbied for the position as supreme commander—none, however, possessed the leadership skills, charisma, or military experience necessary for the post. All, though, were drawn to the title and distinction the position held.), and assorted common, decidedly unsoldier-like men into an army that would face the vaunted Redcoats of the British army.
The novel culminates with the battles of Lexington and later Bunker Hill with exciting, tense, and action-packed military writing, as a blundering, frightened, and just plain lucky colonial army defeats the "Lobsterbacks" and sends the war on its spiraling, inexorable, and ultimately victorious course. The reader gets to feel what being an underdog truly means, as men accustomed to hunting rabbit and deer load their muskets and turn to face the lockstep, disciplined, and intimidating vision of the British regular army on the march.
This novel is the first of two in a series that ends with the 1781 British defeat at Yorktown in Virginia. The second, The Glorious Cause, has just been published and focuses on the conduct of the war itself. Rise to Rebellion represents the genesis of that war, and is the story of the heroes who came to represent the dream of self-representation, freedom, and the politics of popular rule. It is a most enjoyable read—entertaining, thought-provoking, and patriotic in the truest sense: reading it makes you proud to be an American.