{"product_id":"chains-across-the-river-bevis-longstreth-9780578750507","title":"Chains Across the River - A Novel of the American Revolution","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Revolution, a British deserter could become a traitor to the Crown by joining the Continental Army and there become a hero. \u003cem\u003eChains Across the River\u003c\/em\u003e tells the enthralling tale of one such soldier, Captain Thomas Machin, a brilliant engineer of flawed character born, educated and trained in England. He enlisted in the British Foot and was posted to Boston, where he saw action at Breed's Hill before deserting to join the Continentals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eObserving Machin's engineering skill and practical bent, Washington ordered Machin to the Hudson River, there to imagine, design and install obstructions to block the British Armada gathering in New York Harbor. Both sides believed control of the river a strategic necessity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe immensity of Washington's charge was matched by Machin's audacity in imagining obstructions capable of stopping an 850-ton warship under full sail and following tide. He installed a chain at Fort Montgomery and, when the British overran that Fort and cut the chain, he installed another at West Point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFilling out the story of Thomas Machin are the unforgettable women in his life, Elizabeth Van Horne and Caroline Filippante.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy historians devote little attention to Machin is explained by what didn't happen on the Hudson. The British cut the first chain without testing it and never sailed against the second. Washington and Machin understood the chain could deter without being tested. In these pages the known facts about Machin have been woven into an Homeric-like tale of daring, adventure, intrigue and triumph.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bevis Longstreth\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0578750503\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780578750507\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Honeycomb Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/02\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 278\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.88d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001","brand":"Bevis Longstreth","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44048147480831,"sku":"9780578750507","price":29.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_035daa0d-4d7c-40e6-b38d-a8ffa87368af.jpg?v=1684994166","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/chains-across-the-river-bevis-longstreth-9780578750507","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}