Irishman Speaks - Conor Cunneen
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| Accredited Speaker Toastmasters Reviews 1776 |
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David McCullough A Page Turner My first reaction after reading David McCullough’s very enjoyable 1776 is ‘How did the Americans win / British lose this war? This is an immensely readable book. It is not often a history book is so compelling as to be a page turner, but that is what McCullough has achieved. This is particularly laudatory when you know the ultimate end of the story. The author’s motivation was to provide a snapshot of the war. Be warned, this is what this book is, in that it opens late in 1775 and finishes very abruptly at end of 1776. McCullough crafts wonderful portraits of George III and George Washington. England’s king has often been portrayed as a buffoon and ultimately insane. The George III portrayed here is a thoughtful, intelligent man who shows none of the idiosyncratic nature that he is best remembered for. George Washington is shown to be fallible and that is putting it politely. Were he to be judged purely on the events of 1776, he would never have become a national icon. A tall imposing and athletic figure – he would often stay on horseback for six hours while fox hunting – Washington came out of ‘retirement’ to lead the Continental Army. Despite his imposing physique and the confidence he initially engendered in those around him, Washington expressed grave doubts that he was the right person to lead the army. Much of what occurred in 1776 might confirm his initial doubts. He and his officers made numerous mistakes, even blunders during the campaign. Indeed, some of the correspondence between Washington’s subordinates indicates a dramatic loss of confidence in their leader towards the latter part of the year. He most certainly does not come across as the inspirational figure often painted. It is also interesting to note that Washington did not have a particularly high regard for the ordinary soldier under his command and as a Virginian showed a profound contempt for the New Englanders. To be fair, it was an extraordinary rag tag army in the initial stages with young farmhands, laborers and others signing up, motivated by a national zeal which in many cases fell away very quickly. Desertions were not uncommon while thousands of troops failed to re-enlist when their term was complete. “On Sunday morning, December 1, with British and Hessian columns advancing on Brunswick, 2,000 of Washington’s troops, New Jersey and Maryland militia, their enlistments up, walked away from the war.” Another eye opener for me is the distinct lack of enthusiasm by much of the population for the war. McCullough fails to identify the level of support for the war, but in cities like New York and Boston, the level of loyalist (to the King) support appears to be much greater than that for independence. At least in the year 1776, this was not a universally popular uprising. Probably the most important player in the book is the weather. Had the wind been more favorably for a British excursion up the East River on August 29th, Washington and the bulk of the Continental Army would have been surrounded. Similarly, Washington’s retreat to New York across the river, was substantially aided by a heavy fog. There are a number of inspirational events recounted in the book. Probably the most impressive is the movement of almost 120,000 pounds of guns almost three hundred miles from Fort Ticonderoga. Accomplished by one of Washington’s most trusted and inspirational men, Henry Knox, the weapons were hauled up and down mountains, through snow, mud and almost impassable terrain to Boston. 1776 is not without flaws. The only maps shown are original etchings from the period. Nice, you might say, but the problem is that they (all three of them) are difficult to read and do not contain many of the locations, townships etc. that McCullough references in his narrative. I found some of the punctuation (or lack of it), required rereading of a number of passages. Some use of words is also questionable. McCullough writes that at the battle of Trenton, “Men were being hit all around” the English General Rall. Yet, in total only 21 Hessians (British mercenaries) were killed in the battle. I know it is a history of 1776, but the reader would benefit from even a brief overview as to the initial causes and motivation for the war. On the other hand, I can’t wait for 1777 et al. just to help me understand how these guys did win the war. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Chicago based Irish motivational and business speaker Conor Cunneen is one of less than 70 people in the history of Toastmasters to achieve the coveted Toastmasters Accredited Speaker designation. The Accredited Speaker Toastmasters has been awarded to fewer than 15 percent of all applicants since the program began in 1981. Conor achieved his Toastmasters Accredited Speaker designation in Las Vegas this year.
Toastmasters Accredited Speaker Conor Cunneen can be contacted at 630 718 1643.
Conor puts his Toastmasters Accredited Speaker designation to good use as an in demand Humorous, Motivational business speaker.Here you can see some clips where Conor has audiences Laughing and Learning on: Learn the real Secret to his Irish brogue .
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