The stereotypical impression of the British soldier during the Seven Years' War is one of a low-born, resentful, downtrodden military automaton, not especially well led by his officers, and barely kept in line by a harsh code of capricious justice. One only need recall the portrayal of British soldiery in recent films such as The Patriot (2000) or Last of the Mohicans (1992) to understand how these negative stereotypes have survived to the present era. Stephen Brumwell means to change the commonly held perception that the world of the redcoated British soldier was "nasty, brutish, and short." This perception, according to Brumwell, has been so thoroughly ingrained in historical memory that ultimate British success in North America during the Seven Years' War "continues to be attributed to anything but the prowess of the British Army."
Brumwell's main argument is that the experience of the British soldier in North America was much more complex than has been previously supposed. In fact, this book makes an excellent supporting companion to Fred Anderson's more comprehensive Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America (2000). In nine succinct chapters, Brumwell traces the evolution of redcoats' experience in North America and reveals that they played a very direct and effective role in winning a North American empire for the crown.

Dr. Peter Way ( )