Includes bibliographical references (pages 577-740) and index.

Words and boundaries -- Prologue: An invisible enemy -- Part one: The king's grievances. Awing and protecting the Indians (1763) -- The first American Revolution (1763) -- Confederacy of smugglers (1763-1764) -- Hungry caterpillars (1765) -- A hobnail or a horseshoe (1765-1766) -- Who should rule at home? (1766) -- From Bengal to Boston (1767-1768) -- Red flag over Boston (1768-1769) -- The music of the wheels (1769) -- Town born, turn out! (1770-1772) -- Cry for liberty (1772-1773) -- In the common cause (1774) -- The hindmost horse (1774-1775) -- Part two: Push on. Introduction -- Declare freedom (Early 1775) -- Pyramids of fire (Spring-Summer 1775) -- Instigated insurrections? (1775) -- Freedom hath been hunted (Early 1776) -- The mouse in the maze (Early 1776) -- Liberty further extended (Summer 1776) -- You never will have enough (Summer 1776) -- The game is pretty nearly up (Fall 1776) -- The price of revolution (Early 1777) -- Above all, horses (Summer 1777) -- Take no quarter (Fall 1777) -- The valley (Winter 1777-1778) -- Southern strategies (1778-1779) -- Dark days (1779-1780) -- Secret agency (1780) -- Had I crossed the river (1781) -- Nothing but a treaty (1781) -- Surrenders (1781-1782) -- To amend and perfect (1782-1783) -- Like old worn out horses (1782-1783) -- Part three: Roads opened, roads closed. Introduction -- A revolution in favor of government (1783-1788) -- An unseen enemy (1788-1793) -- Back to Braddock's field (1794-1795) -- Epilogue.