Hurricane of Independence: The Untold Story of the Deadly Storm at the Deciding Moment of the American Revolution

Front Cover
Sourcebooks, Inc., Jul 1, 2009 - History - 320 pages

The sleeper history hit of 2008, released in paperback to coincide with the heart of hurricane season

On September 2, 1775, the eighth deadliest Atlantic hurricane of all time landed on American shores. Over the next days, it would race up the East Coast, striking all of the important colonial capitols and killing more than four thousand people. In an era when hurricanes were viewed as omens from God, what this storm signified to the colonists about the justness of their cause would yield unexpected results.

Drawing on ordinary individuals and well-known founders like Washington and Franklin, Tony Williams paints a stunning picture of life at the dawn of the American Revolution, and of the weighty choice people faced at that deciding moment.

Hurricane of Independence brings to life an incredible time when the forces of nature and the forces of history joined together to produce courageous stories of sacrifice, strength, and survival.

 

Contents

Tempest Brewing
1
Impending Doom on the Outer Banks
7
First Strike The Hurricane of Independence Roars Ashore
19
Norfolk An Attack on Both Sides
29
Tobacco and Gunpowder
51
Landon Carter Diarist and PlanterPhilosopher of the Northern Neck
61
The Streets of Annapolis
73
Lightning and Enlightenment
87
General Washington Battles the British and the Weather
189
Fishing for Cod During the Summer in Newfoundland
207
The Hurricane
223
The Providential American Victory
239
Endnotes
242
Bibliography
271
Abbreviations
282
Index
283

The Colonies Unite in Philadelphia against British Tyranny
103
The Radical the President and the General in Philadelphia
119
Striking the Second Continental Congress
131
The Heroic Collegian Hamilton in New York
137
Whither the Hurricane of Independence?
161
War Erupts
171
Author Interview with Tony Williams
293
About the Author
297
An Excerpt from The Pox and the Covenant
298
Back Cover
303
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2009)

Tony Williams taught history and literature for ten years and has a master's in American History from Ohio State University. He is currently a full-time author who lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, with his wife and children.

Bibliographic information