An excellent history resource thats fun to read!, July 22, 2005
By Shadowdancer "Powwow Doctor" (Bowling Green, Kentucky United States)

Ususally these sorts of geographical guides to historical sites are dull, discriptive naratives that are only useful as a reference when travelling. Mr Desmarais's book is quite different. In addition to the site descriptions, pictures and maps, he offers the reader the unique, in depth view of the events that draws you into the story and make you want to know more. Mr Desmarais's writing style is personal, engaging and dynamic. I could not put it down! You'll not regret your investment in "Battlegrounds of Freedom."


Meticulously approaches the war event by event, August 5, 2005
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

Battlegrounds Of Freedom: A Historical Guide To The Battlefields Of The War Of American Independence by Norman Desmarais (an active re-enactor in the Second Rhode Island Regiment Continental Army) meticulously approaches the war event by event, describes the geographic and strategic context of each battle, and offers an extensive selection of black-and-white maps and photographs to aid the reader in retracing the conflict that shaped American history. A wealth of resources for the reader to draw upon, including websites noted for their accuracy and lists of visitor centers, museums, and battleground sites open to the public, Battlegrounds Of Freedom is a vital resource especially for re-enactment groups but also useful to historians and casual readers alike. An in-depth resource constructed with an eye for accuracy, and a passionate love for history itself.


A Readable Guide to Revolutionary War Battlefields, June 20, 2005
By David Fiske (Capital District, NY USA)

I met the publisher of this book at a conference, and he gave me a galley copy of this book, for the purpose of writing a review. I have no other connection with the publisher or author.

Battlegrounds for Freedom offers concise and understandable narratives of the military operations that took place at the sites covered in the book. For each site, driving directions, Web sites, and other information for visitors are included.

This book is not just for armchair historians. The author, himself a Revolution-era re-enactor, has structured the book so as to provide the maximum encouragement for readers to get out there and visit the battlefields (even road maps are included), and to experience at least a little of the soldiers' experiences.

A short chapter explains the lure of re-enacting, and tells how a person interested in trying it can get started. For those who don't have enough free weekends to become re-enactors, a listing of published books and diaries is given at the end of the chapter; reading these would give an idea what life was like for soldiers of this period.

The battle write-ups are concise, but accurate, and most of the military actions are placed in context with other actions, so that the overall strategy and flow of events during the Revolution can be discerned.


Battlegrounds of Freedom, April 25, 2006
By Dee (Florida)

Against the Grain--Norman Desmarais, whose name is no stranger to readers of Against the Grain, has written this guide about battlefields and monuments of the American Revolution. A man of wide-ranging interests, Desmarais draws upon his avocation as an avid Revolutionary War reenactor as inspiration for this book. In fact, he appears front and center in the photo on the book's cover in full period uniform. This is a great book for buffs who wish to visit battlefields of the American Revolution. It is one of several books written since the Bicentennial in 1976.As Desmarais states, a good number of these battlefields are no more that plaques in the midst of urban areas. Yet, there are many battlefields that have been made into historical parks, administered by Federal and state organizations as in the case of Fort Ticonderoga, NY. For someone who might meander from Maine in the north to Georgia in the south with the occasional foray west as far as Illinois and Indiana, the arrangement of this guide is perfect. For the librarian (and other users) seeking the comfort of an alphabetical arrangement, the Table of Contents and the Index become essential tools. Once the state has been established, an alphabetical sequence of battlefields still eludes the user. This time, Desmarais arranges battles chronologically. And further, in NY and S. Carolina, where there is a heavy concentration of Revolutionary battle sites, there are geographic subdivisions that are then chronologically arranged. Keep the T of C handy. Desmarais truly excels with the detailed annotations of the battles and their sites. It is the reenactor's intimate knowledge of these battles showing through. What is even better, the wording of his annotations indicates he has been to a lot of these battle sites. The length varies with the longest coverage appearing to be given to Yorktown in 1781. Each entry begins with an inset box providing information of the battlefield as it exists today. Fairly explicit directions are provided. Following the URL for the Website, such information about interpretive centers, markers, and extant buildings and fortifications is included. What are especially fascinating are the detailed descriptions of the battles themselves. A typical entry includes the generals of both sides, the number of soldiers fighting, and then, the strategy they used within the battles themselves. It is really intriguing reading. The final chapter is Desmarais' word on reenacting. He is very frank about the amount of commitment one must make to be a reenactor. Not only is it a commitment in time, but a commitment in expense. He provides URLs for contacting Revolutionary reenactor organizations. The bibliography of books describing a soldier's life at the time of the War of Independence could be valuable to someone looking to become a reenactor. Finally, detailed maps and photographs complete this volume that should become a manual for those people who have a deep interest in the American Revolution.


Battlegrounds of Freedom: A Historical Guide to the Battlefields of the War of American Independence, April 12, 2006
By Michael D. Cooper "BUSCA, Inc." (Trumansburg, NY USA)

This is an excerpted book review from the Library Media Connection, vol. 24, no. 7. The events of 225 years ago as the colonies fought to gain their independence are meticulously detailed in this volume. Arranged by state, then by city, each entry details the battles that happened in that place. Museums, historical sites, and markers in or near the battle site are noted in a section at the beginning of each entry.The events are described factually, with birth and death dates listed for most people mentioned. Inserted in the middle of the book are 64 pages of maps (one of each state covered, with major cities where battles occurred, marked) and photographs (historic sites, forts, monuments, buildings, and re-enactors). Appendices at the end of the book include an alphabetical list of battles, a chronological list of battles, the list of battle sites grouped by location, a glossary, bibliography, and index. Norman Desmarais, a Revolutionary War re-enactor, librarian, and writer, has provided a wonderful resource for students and adults researching this war. The detail is impressive, yet the writing is interesting. The inclusion of modern-day historic sites, some of which include Web sites to visit, is a nice touch. High school librarians may want to consider this for the reference collection and high school history teachers may consider it for use as research material for coverage of this time period.