In the Hurricane’s Eye

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Nathaniel Philbrick is a masterly storyteller. Here he seeks to elevate the naval battles between the French and British to a central place in the history of the American Revolution. He succeeds, marvelously.”–The New York Times Book Review

The thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War from the New York Times bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower.

In the concluding volume of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick tells the thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War. In the fall of 1780, after five frustrating years of war, George Washington had come to realize that the only way to defeat the British Empire was with the help of the French navy. But coordinating his army’s movements with those of a fleet of warships based thousands of miles away was next to impossible. And then, on September 5, 1781, the impossible happened. Recognized today as one of the most important naval engagements in the history of the world, the Battle of the Chesapeake—fought without a single American ship—made the subsequent victory of the Americans at Yorktown a virtual inevitability. A riveting and wide-ranging story, full of dramatic, unexpected turns, In the Hurricane’s Eye reveals that the fate of the American Revolution depended, in the end, on Washington and the sea.”[Philbrick], an accomplished popular historian…excels when writing about sailors and the ocean. He vividly renders the interplay of skill and chaos in naval combat by massive fleets, as well as the fury of hurricanes…In the Hurricane’s Eye delivers on the author’s promise to ‘put the sea where it properly belongs: at the center of the story.'”—Wall Street Journal

“Nathaniel Philbrick is a masterly storyteller. Here he seeks to elevate the naval battles between the French and British to a central place in the history of the American Revolution. He succeeds, marvelously. He can relate in a word or two what others might take a chapter to expound…As a writer, I’m envious of Philbrick’s talents, but as a reader, I’m grateful.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A tension-filled and riveting account of the alliance that assured American independence…Philbrick is a master of narrative, and he does not disappoint as he provides a meticulous and often hair-raising account of a naval war between France and England.”—The Washington Post

“Nathaniel Philbrick’s masterful new look at the American Revolutionary War’s end days isn’t quite revisionist history, but it comes close. With both hands, he grabs the reader’s head and turns it towards the sea…. It’s a startling take on a familiar history that one might expect from this author.”—NPR.org

“Told with all the zest and eloquence [Philbrick’s] millions of readers have come to expect. Philbrick is right to observe that this epic afternoon of cannon fire on the coastal sea-lanes is largely overlooked in popular accounts of the Revolution; In the Hurricane’s Eye is exactly the kind of rousing narrative account it deserves.”—Christian Science Monitor

“A stirring but clear-eyed read.”—The Guardian

“Packed with revealing information and high drama, In the Hurricane’s Eye is a must-read for any aficionado of the American Revolution.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

“The final installment of Philbrick’s bestselling trilogy about the American Revolution covers the suspenseful final year of the war…Philbrick brings this turning point of American history to life with his obvious passion, expertise and superb storytelling skills.”—NBC News

“Eminently satisfying and thoroughly engrossing…Philbrick has written another masterwork of narrative history with flowing prose and exciting descriptions of the events leading up to the climactic Battle of Yorktown in 1781.”—The Providence Journal

“Philbrick is a consummate storyteller. He adds a human element to the granite statues of our national narrative, without toppling those statues. He shows the famous, the infamous, and the unknown foot soldiers in the light of their own personalities.”—Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror

“A gripping narrative about the year that won the Revolutionary War.” —The New York Post

“Clear, vivid, and often revealing, In the Hurricane’s Eye returns the maritime elements of American victory in the Revolution to center stage. [Philbrick’s] ability to find instructive quotations from the primary sources and the small details that introduce verisimilitude has been well-established in his writing on American history, and this new book does not disappoint.”—War on the Rocks

“Magnificent… Philbrick’s writing is just superb, and while he manages to incorporate many marvelous and little know stories and vignettes, the book reads almost like a Tom Clancy thriller, with political intrigue, international machinations, and suspense keeping the pages turning even if the reader is already basically familiar with the story…This book will delight, educate, and entertain while it brings to light the genius, chance, and sacrifice that finally brought about America’s independence.”—NY Journal of Books

“A fast and often dramatically written account…Philbrick marshals his extensive research smoothly.”—The Dallas Morning News

“A well-researched and well-written book that offers a thrilling account of sea battles in the age of sail, as well as land battles and a portrait of the amazing historical characters who led and fought the battles of the American Revolution.”—The Washington Times

“A thoroughly enjoyable account of the moment that allowed the United States to morph from rebellious territory into an independent nation. It is another Philbrick masterpiece that will engage and entertain readers for generations…Philbrick’s exhaustive research into the events leading to Yorktown cast new light on Washington’s value as a strategic military planner and his understanding of naval warfare.”—HistoryNet

“Provides significant lessons as we seek to understand the complex international world we face today…Yorktown is another reminder that big doors can swing on seemingly small hinges.”—Bloomberg Opinion

“A vivid, richly detailed account of the final battles that educates and entertains while it also makes very clear the colonists’ risks and sacrifices that led to America’s independence…Nathaniel Philbrick’s writing is impeccable. The book incorporates many little-known vignettes about the war and reads like a thriller.”—Missourian.com

“A great read. In true Philbrick style, it features a flowing narrative with engaging details and interesting anecdotes about America’s struggle to gain its independence while providing insight into Washington’s brilliance as one of the leading military commanders of his era.”—The Patriot Ledger

“A gripping account of the campaigns of 1781.”—Chapter16.org

“Engrossing…a compelling, detailed look at the jigsaw puzzle of events that led to the end of the war.”—Brown University Alumni Magazine

“A tense, richly detailed narrative of the American Revolution…Philbrick reprises the protagonists of his last history of the War of Independence in a meticulously researched recounting of the events leading up to the colonists’ victory at the Battle of Yorktown…Philbrick, a sailor himself, recounts the strategic maneuvering involved in the many naval encounters: ships’ positions, wind direction and strength, and the “disorienting cloud of fire and smoke” that often imperiled the fleet.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Readers of Revolutionary War history will be enrapt by the blow-by-blow detail of this lively narrative, which is supported by countless letters and journal entries from key participants.”—Library Journal

“Another insightful and accessible account…This thought-provoking history will deepen readers’ understanding of how the U.S. achieved its independence.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Philbrick manages to impart the immediacy of breaking news to his descriptions of marches, skirmishes and battles…He places the reader in the midst of the fray.”—Bookpage

“All readers interested in the Revolutionary War, and especially fans of naval history, will find Philbrick’s fresh account rewarding, right through the epilogue.”—Booklist

Praise for Valiant Ambition:

“Clear and insightful, it consolidates his reputation as one of America’s foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction.” —The Wall Street Journal

“May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age–a volume that turns one of America’s best-known narratives on its head.”—The Boston Globe

“A suspenseful, richly detailed, and deeply researched book”—The New York Review of Books

“History at its most compelling: political machinations, military jostling and outright treachery. And Philbrick’s vivid writing brings the whistling cannon balls and half-frozen soldiers to life (and death) in vivid detail.”—The Seattle Times

“The near-tragic nature of the drama hinges not on any military secrets Arnold gave to the British but on an open secret: the weakness of the patriot cause….Arnold’s betrayal still makes for great drama, proving once again that the supposed villains of a story are usually the most interesting.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Philbrick wants his readers to experience the terror, the suffering and the adrenaline rush of battle, and he wants us to grit our teeth at our early politicians who, by their pettiness and shortsightedness, shape military events as profoundly as generals and admirals do. Finally, he reveals the emotional and physical cost of war on colonial society. He succeeds on all fronts.”—The Washington Post

Praise for Bunker Hill:

“A masterpiece of narrative and perspective.”—The Boston Globe

“A tour de force.”—Chicago Tribune

“Popular history at its best–a taut narrative with a novelist’s touch, grounded in careful research.”—Miami Herald

“A story that resonates with leadership lessons for all times.”—Walter Isaacson, The Washington PostNathaniel Philbrick is the author of In the Heart of the Sea, winner of the National Book Award; Mayflower, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Valiant Ambition, winner of the George Washington Prize; Bunker Hill, winner of the New England Book Award; Sea of Glory; The Last Stand; Why Read Moby Dick?;  Away Off Shore; and Second Wind.Preface

The Land and the Sea
 
For five years, two armies had clashed along the edge of a vast continent.  One side, the Rebels, had the advantage of the land.  Even when they lost a battle, which happened more often than not, they could retire into the countryside and wait for the next chance to attack.

The other side, the Empire, had the advantage of the sea.  With its fleet of powerful warships (just one of which mounted more cannons than the entire Rebel army possessed), it could attack the Rebels’ seaside cities at will.

But no matter how many coastal towns the Empire might take, it did not have enough soldiers to occupy all of the Rebels’ territory.  And without a significant navy of its own, the Rebels could never inflict the blow that would win them their independence.  The war had devolved into a stalemate, with the Empire hoping the Rebels’ rickety government would soon collapse, and with the Rebels hoping for the miraculous intervention of a powerful ally.

Two years before, one of the Empire’s perennial enemies, the Rival Nation, had joined the war on the Rebels’ behalf.  Almost immediately the Rival had sent out its own fleet of warships.  But then the sea had intervened. 

When France entered the American Revolutionary War in the spring of 1778, George Washington had dared to hope his new ally would put victory within reach.  Finally, the British navy’s hold on the Atlantic seaboard was about to be broken.  If the French succeeded in establishing what Washington called “naval superiority,” the enemy’s army would be left open to attack from not only the land but also the sea.  But after two and a half years of trying, the French had been unable to contain the British navy.
 
First, an inexplicably protracted Atlantic crossing had prevented French Admiral d’Estaing from trapping the enemy’s fleet in Philadelphia.  Shortly after that, d’Estaing had turned his attention to British-occupied New York only to call off the attack for fear his ships would run aground at the bar across the harbor mouth.  A few weeks after that, a storm off the coast of southern New England had prevented d’Estaing from engaging the British in the naval battle that promised to be a glorious victory for France.  Since then, a botched amphibious assault at Savannah, Georgia, had marked the only other significant action on the part of the French navy, a portion of which now lay frustratingly dormant at Newport at the southern end of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.  By the fall of 1780, amid the aftershocks of devastating defeats at Charleston and Camden in South Carolina and Benedict Arnold’s treasonous attempt to surrender the fortress at West Point to the enemy, Washington had come to wonder whether the ships of his salvation would ever appear.

For the last two years he’d been locked in an unproductive standoff with Sir Henry Clinton in and around British-occupied New York.  What fighting had occurred had been, for the most part, in the South, where British general Cornwallis sought to build upon his recent victories by pushing into North Carolina.  Between the northern and southern theaters of the war lay the inland sea of the Chesapeake, which had enjoyed a period of relative quiet since the early days of the conflict.
 
All that changed in December of 1780, when Clinton sent his newest brigadier general, the traitor Benedict Arnold, to Virginia.  Having already dispatched the Rhode Islander Nathanael Greene to do battle with Cornwallis in the Carolinas, Washington sent the young French nobleman whom he regarded as a surrogate son, the Marquis de Lafayette, in pursuit of Arnold.
 
Thus began the movement of troops that resulted nine months later in Cornwallis’s entrapment at the shore-side hamlet of Yorktown when a large fleet of French warships arrived from the Caribbean.  As Washington had long since learned, coordinating his army’s movements with those of a fleet of sail-powered men-of-war based two thousand miles away was virtually impossible.  But in the late summer of 1781, the impossible happened.
 
And then, just a few days later, a fleet of British warships appeared. 

The Battle of the Chesapeake has been called the most important naval engagement in the history of the world.  Fought outside the entrance of the bay between French admiral Comte de Grasse’s twenty-four ships of the line and a comparable fleet commanded by British Admiral Thomas Graves, the battle inflicted severe enough damage on the Empire’s ships that Graves returned to New York for repairs.  By preventing the rescue of 7,000 British and German soldiers under the command of General Cornwallis, de Grasse’s victory on September 5, 1781, made Washington’s subsequent triumph at Yorktown a virtual fait accompli.  Peace would not be officially declared for another two years, but that does not change the fact that a naval battle fought between the French and the British was largely responsible for the independence of the United States.

Despite its undeniable significance, the Battle of the Chesapeake plays only a minor part in most popular accounts of the war, largely because no Americans participated in it.  If the sea figures at all in the story of the Revolutionary War, the focus tends to be on the heroics of John Paul Jones off England’s Flamborough Head, even though that two-ship engagement had little impact on the overall direction of the conflict.  Instead of the sea, the traditional narrative of Yorktown focuses on the allied army’s long overland journey south, with a special emphasis on the collaborative relationship between Washington and his French counterpart the Comte de Rochambeau once they arrived in Virginia.  In this view, the encounter between the French and British fleets was a mere prelude to the main event.  In the account that follows, I hope to put the sea where it properly belongs:  at the center of the story.
 
As Washington understood with a perspicacity that none of his military peers could match, only the intervention of the French navy could achieve the victory the times required.  Six months before the Battle of the Chesapeake, during the winter of 1781, he had urged the French to send a large fleet of warships to the Chesapeake in an attempt to trap Benedict Arnold in Portsmouth, Virginia.  What was, in effect, a dress rehearsal for the Yorktown campaign is essential to understanding the evolving, complex, and sometimes acrimonious relationship between Washington and Rochambeau.  As we will see, the two leaders were not the selfless military partners of American legend; each had his own jealously guarded agenda, and it was only after Washington reluctantly—and angrily—acquiesced to French demands that they began to work in concert. 

Ultimately, the course of the Revolutionary War came down to America’s proximity to the sea—a place of storms and headwinds that no one could control.  Instead of an inevitable march to victory, Yorktown was the result of a hurried rush of seemingly random events—from a hurricane in the Caribbean, to a bloody battle amid the woods near North Carolina’s Guilford Courthouse, to the loan of 500,000 pesos from the Spanish citizens of Havana, Cuba—all of which had to occur before Cornwallis arrived at Yorktown and de Grasse sailed into the Chesapeake.  That the pieces finally fell into place in September and October 1781 never ceased to amaze Washington.  “I am sure,” he wrote the following spring, “that there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs than those of the United States.”
 
The victory at Yorktown was improbable at best, but it was also the result of a strategy Washington had been pursuing since the beginning of the French alliance. This is the story of how Washington’s unrelenting quest for naval superiority made possible the triumph at Yorktown.  It is also the story of how, in a supreme act of poetic justice, the final engagement of the war brought him back to the home he had not seen in six years.  For it was here, on a river in Virginia, that he first began to learn about the wonder, power, and ultimate indifference of the sea.US

Additional information

Dimensions	0.8300 × 5.4800 × 8.4100 in
Series	The American Revolution Series
Imprint	Penguin Books
ISBN-13	09780143111450
ISBN-10	0143111450
Author	Nathaniel Philbrick
Audience	General / adult
BISAC	BIO008000, HIS027150
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