NOBLE VOLUNTEERS: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution

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Describes the training, experiences, and outcomes of British soldiers who fought during the American Revolution. Drawing on thousands of military records and other primary sources in British, American, and Canadian archives, and the writings of dozens of officers and soldiers, Noble Volunteers shows how a peacetime army responded to the onset of war, how professional soldiers adapted quickly and effectively to become tactically dominant, and what became of the thousands of career soldiers once the war was over.

Dispels long-held myths, revealing the remarkable diversity of British soldiers who represented a variety of ages, nationalities, and socio-economic backgrounds, and how many had joined the army as a peacetime career, only to find themselves fighting a war on another continent in often brutal conditions.

Against the backdrop of the war, the focus remains on the small picture, illuminating the moments in an individual soldier's life -- those hours spent nursing a fever while standing sentry in the bitter cold, or writing a letter to a wife back home. What emerges from these vignettes is the understanding that while these were 'common' soldiers, each soldier was completely unique.