Don Higginbotham expertly combines primary and secondary sources providing the reader with a composite historical narrative of the American Revolution “as seen through American ideas.” Higginbotham was Dowd Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until his death in June 2008. Higginbotham contributed several articles on the comparative revolution and many other books and articles on the American Revolution. The subtitle of the book is Military Attitudes, Policies, and Practice 1763 – 1789 However, Higginbotham devotes substantial attention to other themes providing the reader with a condensed version of the political and military aspects of the war. It also addresses the cultural and social aspects of war. In doing so, he illustrates how the war influenced the development of American identity and how Whig philosophy translated into everyday reality for the common man. Finally, he uses the book to compare the Vietnam conflict to the American Revolution. The author never directly discusses the development of an American identity, but you can see that thread as he discusses the militia system and its reinforcement of parochialism and localism during the period (7). Higginbotham continues this theme, arguing that within the Continental Congress a group of “American political leaders” emerged who were nationalists and wished to move beyond simply provincial assemblies (81). Higginbotham maintains this concept, proposing that manifest destiny may have been an issue as early as 1776 in colonial discussions regarding the invasion of Canada (108). The concept of American identity came to fruition in 1776, when opinion regarding independence became increasingly favorable (117). It could be argued, however, that most Americans had little concept of identity even after signing the Declaration. However, by 1781 the Pennsylvania line must have had some concept of American identity. After rebelling due to lack of pay and other necessary goods, one soldier observed that "Clinton could 'bribe a mean toad-eater like Arnold,' but 'it is not in his power to bribe an American soldier'" (404). Without an innate knowledge of what an American soldier was, it seems unlikely that such an observation would have been made. Higginbotham clearly demonstrates how colonial Americans internalized Whig beliefs and turned them into action not only by resisting British authority, but also by resisting their own Continental Army. This created something of a dilemma for the colonial authorities throughout the war, as in resisting the militarism of George III (118), they needed to establish an army that would become what they were fighting against. Higginbotham describes Congress' first attempt to do so with a "contained military code" that would reflect the society from which it originated..