The Indispensables

The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware

Patrick K. O'Donnell

• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780802156891
• eBook ISBN: 9780802156914
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Early American History
• Index: History

The acclaimed combat historian and author of The Unknowns details the history of the Marbleheaders and their critical role in the Revolutionary War.
On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British had trapped George Washington's army against the East River, and the fate of the Revolution rested upon the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. One of the country's first diverse units, they pulled off an "American Dunkirk" and saved the army by navigating the treacherous river to Manhattan.
At the right time in the right place, the Marbleheaders, a group of white, black, Hispanic, and Native American soldiers, repeatedly altered the course of events, and their story shines new light on our understanding of the American Revolution. As historian Patrick K. O'Donnell recounts, beginning nearly a decade before the war started, Marbleheaders such as Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne spearheaded the break with Britain and helped shape the United States through governing, building alliances, seizing British ships, forging critical supply lines, and establishing the origins of the US Navy.
The Marblehead Regiment, led by John Glover, became truly indispensable. Marbleheaders battled at Lexington and on Bunker Hill and formed the elite Guard that protected George Washington, foreshadowing today's Secret Service. Then the special operations–like regiment, against all odds, conveyed 2,400 of Washington's men across the ice-filled Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776, delivering the surprise attack on Trenton that changed the course of history . . .
The Marbleheaders' story, never fully told before now, makes The Indispensables a vital addition to the literature of the American Revolution.
Praise for  The Indispensables
"Perfectly paced and powerfully wrought, this is the story of common men who gave everything for an ideal—America. The product of meticulous research,  The Indispensables is the perfect reminder of who we are, when we need it most." —Adam Makos, author of the  New York Times bestseller  A Higher Call
"O'Donnell's gift for storytelling brings the once famous regiment back to life, as he takes readers from the highest war councils to the grime and grit of battle." —Dr. James Lacey, author of  The Washington War
"Comprehensive . . . Revolutionary War buffs will delight in the copious details and vivid battle scenes." — Publishers Weekly
"A vivid account of an impressive Revolutionary War unit and a can't-miss choice for fans of O'Donnell's previous books." — Kirkus Review

Table of contents

• Cover
• Also by Patrick K. O’Donnell
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Prologue
• Chapter 1: Seeds of Rebellion
• Chapter 2: Marblehead’s Leading Families
• Chapter 3: Massacre and Tea
• Chapter 4: A Virus and the Revenge of the Loyalists
• Chapter 5: Boston Port Act
• Chapter 6: Gunpowder
• Chapter 7: Arms Race and a Fledgling Government
• Chapter 8: The Marblehead Regiment
• Chapter 9: The Forgotten First Shots: The Raid on Fort William and Mary
• Chapter 10: Salem Nearly Ignites the Revolutionary War
• Chapter 11: Prelude to War: Rendezvous at Black Horse Tavern
• Chapter 12: First Blood at Lexington: Disarming the Americans
• Chapter 13: Concord
• Chapter 14: The Bloody Gauntlet
• Chapter 15: Siege, the Army of New England, and Mr. Gerry
• Chapter 16: The Loyalists
• Chapter 17: Tyranny, Victims, and the American Narrative
• Chapter 18: Bunker Hill
• Chapter 19: General George Washington Arrives in Cambridge
• Chapter 20: Washington’s Covert Navy
• Chapter 21: Broughton’s Odyssey
• Chapter 22: “This Instance of Divine Favour”: Captain John Manley and the Capture of the Nancy
• Chapter 23: Snowball Fight and a Diverse Regiment
• Chapter 24: Beverly
• Chapter 25: Washington’s Life Guard and Lifting the Siege of Boston
• Chapter 26: Dark Days and Hope
• Chapter 27: Killing Washington and the Invasion
• Chapter 28: “We Wish to Give Them Another Drubbing”: Fire Ships and Invasion
• Chapter 29: The Decision
• Chapter 30: American Dunkirk
• Chapter 31: Kips Bay
• Chapter 32: The Forgotten Battles That Saved Washington’s Army
• Chapter 33: White Plains
• Chapter 34: The Darkest Days
• Chapter 35: Counterattack
• Chapter 36: The Crossing
• Chapter 37: Trenton: The Tide Turns
• Chapter 38: The Epic Stand at Assunpink Creek
• Chapter 39: Princeton
• Chapter 40: Home and Back
• Color Plates
• Dramatis Personae
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• Praise for The Indispensables