Patrick K. O'Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. He is the author of ten books, including Beyond Valor, Dog Company, and First SEALs. He served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and speaks often on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks' award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, Fox News, and Discovery.
Praise for Washington's Immortals: Winner of the Modern Patriot
Award from the Sons of the Revolution
Winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution National
Excellence in American History Book Award
Named one of the "100 Best American Revolution Books of All Time"
by the Journal of the American Revolution
Finalist for the 2017 Library of Virginia People's Choice Award for
Nonfiction
An Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far (History) "What makes
Washington's Immortals different from most Revolutionary War
accounts is its seamless blend of tactical acumen and human drama .
. . O'Donnell admirably blends a story of ardent farmers, merchants
and mariners with a combat story of sharp, bloody engagements . . .
[He] makes fluid use of letters, diaries, pension affidavits and
early histories to bring home the carnage of war as the foot
soldier saw it . . . Washington's Immortals is an example of combat
writing at its best."--Wall Street Journal "A powerful narrative .
. . a must-read for those with deep or casual interest in the
American Revolution."--Journal of the American Revolution
"Well-written, and superbly researched . . . [A] compelling story
of the Maryland Regiment . . . Intimate and often inspiring . . .
O'Donnell is at the top of his game . . . A must-read for
Revolutionary War and Maryland history buffs alike."--Baltimore
Post-Examiner "Gritty . . . a 'boots on the ground' account, with
great storytelling verve . . . For readers who enjoy
well-researched military history, this is the book for
you."--Washington Independent Review of Books "[Washington's
Immortals is] nothing short of remarkable . . . O'Donnell has put
together, with beautiful transitions, the compelling story of the
Revolutionary War through the eyes of the regular soldier . . . You
don't have to be a military history devotee to appreciate the book
. . . It put[s] the whole Revolutionary War into sequential
perspective."--Daily Press "Compelling . . . Washington's Immortals
is well-researched and . . . lively."--Fayetteville Observer "A
boots-on-the-ground account that . . . personalize[s] brave men
whose names have fallen into the crevices of history . . . A strong
point of Mr. O'Donnell's book is his adept skill in describing
military tactical maneuvers."--Washington Times "O'Donnell writes
about war from the soldiers' weary, battle-scarred perspective . .
. At the same time, he describes and analyzes the strategic and
tactical elements of battle with an even-handed regard to the
wisdom and errors on each side . . . Through his vivid prose, we
smell the sulfur in the gunsmoke and hear the fierce and often
final cries of the combatants . . . Reveal[s] an important and
little-known part of the sprawling history of the
Revolution."--American Spirit "An incredible book . . . I encourage
all of you to get out and purchase this . . . I love the book . . .
if you like military history, this is a great book."--Rick
Crandall, Breakfast Club, KEZW 1430 AM "O'Donnell does a fantastic
job telling the story of these men and their role in the war . . .
A rich and compelling narrative . . . Definitely recommended . . .
You don't need to be a scholar of the Revolution to enjoy the
book."--Historia Militaris "O'Donnell deploys a fusillade of fact
and fresh research in a Revolutionary War history rich in irony and
event . . . Readers will admire O'Donnell's exhaustive research,
skilled organization of the material, and the high readability of
the writing . . . With a firm grasp of tactics, strategy, and the
sociopolitical landscape, O'Donnell captures the horror and
absurdities of the war better than most."--Kirkus Reviews "Using
primary sources from both sides of the Atlantic, O'Donnell
effectively traces the story of Maryland's immortals, describing
their battles authentically along with the precariousness of the
American cause. This book will be of interest to both general
readers and scholars interested in the military aspects of the
American Revolution."--Library Journal "O'Donnell . . . [spent]
five years researching the Marylanders' exploits, visiting every
battlefield where they fought from New York to South Carolina and
combing through archives in the U.S. and Britain. What he learned
prompted him to dub those patriots America's original band of
brothers, men who continued the fight despite overwhelming odds and
constant lack of food, clothing and equipment."--Associated Press
"An epic story of heroism and devotion that begins with the
formation of the unit in Baltimore during the winter of
1774"--Breitbart "Washington's Immortals tells the extraordinary
story of the most important band of brothers, forgotten men who
changed the course of American history. This is O'Donnell at his
very best--a deeply moving, superbly researched page turner."--Alex
Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Bedford Boys and
The Longest Winter "Patrick O'Donnell has pioneered the pursuit of
dogged research and the collection of revealing oral histories to
produce moving accounts of key moments in American history. Now
he's set his sights on the Revolutionary War. Washington's
Immortals is a fascinating story about an important and largely
overlooked Maryland unit in that war. It will definitely keep you
turning pages."--Douglas C. Waller, New York Times bestselling
author of Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors
Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan and Wild Bill Donovan
"Washington's Immortals is an amazing tale of pluck and devotion
among one of the U.S. Army's first elite outfits, the Maryland
Line. O'Donnell expertly brings the valiant citizen-soldiers to
life with vivid prose and meticulous primary-source research.
Highly recommended."--Joseph Balkoski, author of The Last Roll
Call, and director of the Maryland Museum of Military History
"Patrick O'Donnell is blessed with a rare gift for storytelling and
a keen empathy for the realities of soldiers in combat. He walks in
the footsteps of his subjects like few other historians are
able--or willing--to do. In this impressively researched, well
written book, he brings the world of the American Revolution to
life with an immediacy that almost defies belief. By focusing on
one group of stalwart soldiers who sacrificed so much for the sake
of their ideals, O'Donnell sheds important new light on the
motivation and actions of America's most effective revolutionaries.
Washington's Immortals is a must read for anyone even remotely
interested in the American combat soldier, regardless of the
era."--John C. McManus, Curators' Professor of US Military History,
Missouri University of Science and Technology; author of The Dead
and Those About to Die, D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, and
Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience "Patrick K.
O'Donnell's newest work is not so much a forgotten page of our
history as it is a truly untold story--a story that takes us into
the lives of a unit caught up in a world-changing struggle to throw
off the shackles of colonialism. The reader will learn things here
about the American Revolution that were never taught in high-school
history classes. O'Donnell's admirably researched and gripping
narrative is a tribute to these forgotten patriot-warriors, and a
must-read for students of American military history."--Will Irwin,
Senior Fellow, Joint Special Operations University, author of The
Jedburghs and Abundance of Valor "Patrick O'Donnelll has written
what portends to be the definitive history of the famous
Revolutionary War era 'Maryland Line.' Long considered by
historians as George Washington's Continental Army shock troops,
O'Donnell tells a thoroughly entertaining and highly readable
story. From Brooklyn Heights to Yorktown, O'Donnell clearly shows
why this particular band of brothers earned the title of
Washington's Immortals."--Charles P. Neimeyer, Ph.D., Director and
Chief of Marine Corps History, Marine Corps University, Quantico,
Virginia "Through a long war that was frequently on the verge of
disaster, soldiers from Maryland repeatedly played a pivotal role
in the Continental army's narrow escapes and surprise victories.
Washington's Immortals is a soldiers-eye view of the Marylanders
who fought in the Revolution's most desperate clashes. O'Donnell
weaves together first-hand accounts, many from archival sources
never before published, to reveal the struggles and triumphs of
this remarkable regiment and the men who were part of it."--Don N.
Hagist, author of British Soldiers, American War "Patrick O'Donnell
has written one of the most extraordinary books on the American
Revolution that I have read. Every page brings unexpected personal
stories and other historical treasures to vivid life. It's
unique!"--Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty!: The American
Revolution "Patrick O'Donnell brings us into the Revolution through
the experiences of the officers and men of a crack Maryland unit
that was in it from beginning to end. This is splendid
history--intimate, immediate, sweeping, inspiring. You should, and
you will, honor these men."--Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding
Father: Rediscovering George Washington and Alexander Hamilton,
American "General George Washington honored the soldiers of the 1st
Maryland Regiment of the Continental Army for their service and
sacrifice by calling them the 'men of the old line.' In continuing
tribute to them, Maryland still proclaims its nickname as 'The Old
Line State.' In Washington's Immortals, noted military historian
Patrick O'Donnell has written a gripping account of the men and
units that made up the Maryland Line during our War for
Independence who first earned that glorious nickname, and which the
soldiers of the Maryland Army National Guard's 175th Infantry
continued to do so at places with names like Gettysburg, Normandy,
and Iraq."--Glenn F. Williams, author of Dunmore's War: The Last
Conflict of America's Colonial Era "Perhaps no war in American
history has been more difficult to see through soldiers' eyes than
the Revolutionary War. Patrick O'Donnell brings their experiences
to life for twenty-first century readers in a way that no other
historian has managed to do, accomplishing for the Revolutionary
War what Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers did for World War II.
The 1st Maryland Regiment participated in some of the most
important battles of the war, gradually progressing from ordinary
to elite status. Its story is the story of how the people of the
United States became free."--Edward G. Lengel, Editor-in-Chief of
The Papers of George Washington and author of Inventing George
Washington
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