"This rich quarry of historic wealth is now, in completed state, accessible to every American . . . Certainly no work is so well calculated to lure the minds of the young through different stages of the great drama of our independence." -New York Times "This magnificent work . . . should be in the hands of every American. In fact it is indispensable to all." --The United States Democratic Review, June, 1850 After working several years in New York City's growing publishing industry, editor Benson J. Lossing became disappointed that few people in the country knew the history of the American Revolution outside of their own regions. This prompted him to begin a journey across the United States to record the testimonies of the veterans of the revolution, document their letters and diaries, and create the three-volume set, The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution. Originally published in 1851, volume one in this three-volume collection begins Lossing's journey. From the Battles of Saratoga to the nighttime attack on the British Pickets near Hackensack, this book recounts the major battles and skirmishes of the war and the strategic decisions that made each encounter important to the liberty of the nation. Lossing traveled across the original thirteen colonies to research the war for independence firsthand. Featured in this volume are interviews with women who had an impact on the new country and Lossing's personal sketches and drawings of landscapes and influential figures of the war. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Benson J. Lossing was born in 1813 and worked as editor of the Poughkeepsie Telegraph in New York. Soon after, he moved to New York City and entered publishing. In the late 1840s, Lossing began a journey across America, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and recorded his research on the American Revolution and the War of 1812. He is the author of Lossing's Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812. Lossing passed away in his home in 1891....

"This rich quarry of historic wealth is now, in completed state, accessible to every American . . . Certainly no work is so well calculated to lure the minds of the young through different stages of the great drama of our independence." -New York Times In this second book in a three-volume set, author and historian Benson J. Lossing continues his journey across America and his research of the Revolution. This volume begins with the unfurling of the first United States flag and focuses on the war in Boston and the life and legend of Benedict Arnold. Lossing includes sections on Rhode Island and how the war affected the people there, and he describes the events leading up to the meetings of the Second Continental Congress, giving details down to John Hancock's mahogany chair. He discusses the effect of Thomas Paine's Common Sense on the colonies, which were torn between loyalty and liberty. He includes Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence and explains why he was chosen by the Continental Congress to write it. From the first ringing of the Liberty Bell to the assistance of French officer La Fayette, this second volume is as stunning as the first and a must-have for everyone interested in United States history. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Benson J. Lossing was born in 1813 and worked as editor of the Poughkeepsie Telegraph in New York. Lossing was disappointed that few people knew the history of the American Revolution outside of their own regions. This prompted him to begin a journey across the United States, recording the testimonies of the veterans of the Revolution. A skilled wood engraver, he made several sketches of the people he met and the places he visited on this journey. Lossing died in his home in 1891....