Shots Heard Round the World by John Ferling

Shots Heard Round the World

America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War

John Ferling

Bloomsbury · Print & ebook · April 1, 2025

From acclaimed historian John Ferling, a major, global reappraisal of the Revolutionary War on its 250th Anniversary.

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Who it’s for
A lucid, wide-angle account of the Revolutionary War’s international reach.
Genres
Revolutionary America (1775-1800), U.S. Military History, Revolutionary History
Published
Bloomsbury, April 1, 2025

About this book

From acclaimed historian John Ferling, a major, global reappraisal of the Revolutionary War on its 250th Anniversary. In April 1775, British troops marched to Lexington, where an armed group of Yankees awaited them. Despite an order to disperse, shots rang out. Militiamen were killed. The British continued marching, only to find even greater trouble in Concord and all the way down the road back to Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.

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Shots Heard Round the World is a bold, comprehensive rendering of the world war that erupted out of America's battle for independence. Ferling highlights underestimated pivotal moments to reveal why the British should have put down the rebellion within a couple years of fighting. As European rivals France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic entered the fray, Britain's problems grew, but after seven long years, the war's outcome remained very much in doubt. Ferling assesses military and civilian leaders, the choices they faced, and the political, tactical, and strategic decisions they made as the war raged in North America, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Asia, and on the high seas, affecting peoples and countries miles from American soil. Long after the soldiers laid down their arms, future generations have reckoned with the Revolution and its far-reaching consequences. Shots Heard Round the World is the definitive account of the war and its monumental legacy.

Wide-Angle History

A lucid, wide-angle account of the Revolutionary War’s international reach.

Come here for

  • revolutionary-era sweep across America, Britain, and Europe
  • cultural-literacy history with a broader-than-usual frame

Expect

  • sustained narrative history
  • a keepsake-friendly read

Where it sits

Revolutionary America (1775-1800)99%
Revolutionary History55%
U.S. Military History46%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Georgian Britain (1714-1837)
  • Revolutionary History
  • Revolutionary America (1775-1800)
Authors
John Ferling
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Published
April 1, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Georgian Britain (1714-1837)