First published in 1960, this history of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the American Revolution, was evidently hailed as a major success at the time, and I can see why. Fleming did a great job of laying out the contributing factors to the growing points of contention between England and the American colonies, both political and economic, as well as giving thumbnail sketches of the major players on both the English and American sides. The conditions the combatants fought under, the weapons they carried and their motivations for fighting are all clearly described as well, as are the tactics of the officers and the ways in which those tactics either worked or didn't. The battle itself is described in detail, with a flowing narrative style that puts the reader directly into the horrific, bloody action. At times Fleming took some liberties, creating conversations between the participants that are, he explains in his afterward, recreations from the many diaries and journals he consulted. On the American side, most of the soldiers who actually took part fought bravely indeed, but many of those assembled, intimidated by the British artillery, actually stayed well away from the battle. Fleming gives a lot of credit, also, to the courage of the British soldiers, who three times charged the American emplacements in the face of point-blank musket fire. The British after that third charge, managed to get the Colonials out of their emplacements and off the hill (actually Breed's Hill, not Bunker Hill itself, as Fleming explains), but at a cost so high that they the British generals had to abandon their plans to try to break the American siege of Boston, the reason they attacked the stronghold in the first place. The British lost half their army, killed or wounded, on that day, and the question of whether American volunteer soldiers would stand and fight against the British regulars, an army considered at that time the best in the world, was settled emphatically.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of the American Revolution or of military history in general. I don't know how much additional scholarship on the battle has taken place in the intervening 60 years since Now We Are Enemies was published. I know, for example, that Nathaniel Philbrick has written a history: Bunker Hill: a City, a Siege, a Revolution. ( )

Lacking both romantic adventures and glamorous heroines, this fine first novel by an executive editor of Cosmopolitan, and a Literary Guild selection, but not the book of the mnoth club surprisingly. It recreates the first major engagement of the American Revolution, the battle of Breed's or Bunker Hill, fought on a blazing June day in 1775.

It portrays the men fighting the battle on both sides, the British generals, Howe and Gage and Clinton, with their minor officers and servants; the Americans, many of them friends of men who, after this day, were their enemies: Israel Putnam, John Stark with his New Hampshire soldiers, John Warren and many others for those who enjoy historical material. ( )

Details of the Battle of Bunker Hill, including both the political and military situation. Explains how Britain and the colonies stumbled into a war neither one wanted. Illustrates how much trouble follows when authorities want to "make someone an example" instead of doing what is right. ( )

This is the best book I've read on the Battle of Bunker Hill. Fleming is a good storyteller with an eye for factual details. He brings the historical characters to life and makes you feel like your're there. Details like the hanging of British deserters just before the battle, General Gage's servant being hit with a spent round, and many quotes from participant's letters and journals make this narrative interesting from start to finish. ( )