The Civil War is most remembered for the grand battles that have come to define it:Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, among others. However, as bestselling author Patrick K.ODonnell reveals in The Unvanquished, a vital shadow war raged amid and away fromthe major battlefields that was in many ways equally consequential to the conflictsoutcome. At the heart of this groundbreaking narrative is the epic story of Lincolns specialforces, the Jessie Scouts, told in its entirety for the first time. In a contest foughtbetween irregular units, the Scouts hunted John Singleton Mosbys Confederate Rangersfrom the middle of 1863 up to wars end at Appomattox. With both sides employingpioneering tradecraft, they engaged in dozens of raids and spy missions, often perilouslywearing the others uniform, risking penalty of death if captured. Clashing violently onhorseback, the unconventional units attacked critical supply lines, often capturing orkilling high-value targets. North and South deployed special operations that could havechanged the wars direction in 1864, and crucially during the Appomattox Campaign,Jessie Scouts led the Union army to a final victory. They later engaged in a historyalteringproxy war against France in Mexico, earning seven Medals of Honor; manyScouts mysteriously disappeared during that conflict, taking their stories to their graves. An expert on special operations, ODonnell transports readers into the action,immersing them in vivid battle scenes from previously unpublished firsthand accounts.He introduces indelible characters such as Scout Archibald Rowand; Scout leaderRichard Blazer; Mosby, the master of guerrilla warfare; and enslaved spy Thomas Laws.ODonnell also brings to light the Confederate Secret Services covert efforts to deliverthe 1864 election to Peace Democrats through ballot fraud, election interference,and attempts to destabilize a population fatigued by a seemingly forever war. Mostaudaciously, the Secret Service and Mosbys Rangers planned to kidnap AbrahamLincoln in order to maintain the Souths independence. The first full chronicle of the shadow war between North and South, rich in actionand offering original perspective on history, The Unvanquished is a dynamic and essentialaddition to the literature of the Civil War. | |||||||
Nearly all of Patrick K. O'Donnell's books are selections of the Book of the Month, History, or Military History Book Clubs. All of his titles are audiobooks and downloadable on Audible.com or CD. Many of O'Donnell's books have been translated into five foreign languages, including Chinese. | |||||||
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Amazon Bestseller On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British had trapped George Washingtons army against the East River, and the fate of the Revolution rested upon the shoulders of the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Serving side-by-side in one of the countrys first diverse units, they pulled off an American Dunkirk and saved the army by navigating the treacherous waters of the river to Manhattan.In the annals of the American Revolution, no group played a more consequential role than the Marbleheaders. At the right time in the right place, they repeatedly altered the course of events, and their story shines new light on our understanding of the Revolution. As acclaimed historian Patrick K. ODonnell dramatically 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 nascent United States by playing a crucial role 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 todays Secret Service. Then, at the most crucial time in the war, the special operations-like regiment, against all odds, conveyed 2,400 of Washingtons men across the ice-filled Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776, delivering the momentum- shifting surprise attack on Trenton that changed the course of history. White, Black, Hispanic, and Native American, this uniquely diverse group of soldiers set an inclusive standard the US Army would not reach again for more than 170 years. The Marbleheaders story, never fully told before now, makes The Indispensables a vital addition to the literature of the American Revolution. · Praise for The Indespensibles » | |||||||
National Bestseller When the Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in Arlington, General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in WWI, selected eight of America's most decorated, battle-hardened veterans to serve as Body Bearers. He chose them for their bravery and to tell the larger story of America's role in World War I. For the first time, O'Donnell cinematically portrays their heroics on the battlefield one hundred years ago. The Body Bearers appropriately spanned America's service branches and specialties. Their ranks included a cowboy who relived the charge of the light brigade, an American Indian who heroically breached mountains of German barbed wire and captured more than sixty Germans, a salty New Englander who dueled a U-boat for hours in a fierce gunfight, a tough New Yorker who sacrificed his body to save his ship, and an indomitable soldier who, though blinded by gas, nevertheless overcame five machinegun nests. Their stories slip easily into the larger narrative of America's involvement in the conflict, transporting readers into the midst of dramatic battles during 1917-18 that ultimately decided the Great War. Celebrated military historian and bestselling author Patrick K. O'Donnell illuminates the saga behind the creation of the monument and animates the tomb by giving voice to those who served. The Unknowns recreates the moving ceremony during which it was consecrated, where the eight Body Bearers and the sergeant who chose the body to be interred, solemnly united. Brilliantly researched, vividly told, The Unknowns is a timeless tale of heeding the calls of duty, courage, and brotherhood. It humanizes the most important event of the twentieth century, WWI, which still casts a shadow upon all our lives. · Praise for The Unknowns » | |||||||
The Untold Story of An Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution National Bestseller In August 1776 little over a month after the Continental Congress had formally declared independence from Britain the revolution was on the verge of a sudden and disastrous end General George Washington found his troops outmanned and outmaneuvered at the Battle of Brooklyn and it looked like there was no escape. But thanks to a series of desperate rear guard attacks by a single heroic regiment famously known as the Immortal 400, Washington was able to evacuate his men and the nascent Continental Army lived to fight another day. Today only a modest rusted and scarred metal sign near a dilapidated auto garage marks the mass grave where the bodies of the Maryland Heroes lie, 256 men who fell in the Battle of Brooklyn. In Washington's Immortals best-selling military historian Patrick K O Donnell brings to life the forgotten story of this remarkable band of brother. Known as gentlemen of honour, family, and fortune, they fought not just in Brooklyn but in key battles including Trenton, Princeton, Camden Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and Yorktown where their heroism changed the course of the war. Drawing on extensive original sources, from letters to diaries to pension applications, O' Donnell pieces together the stories of these brave men—their friendships, loves, defeats, and triumphs. He explores their arms and tactics, their struggles with hostile loyalists and shortages of clothing and food, their development into an elite unit, and their dogged opponents including British General Lord Cornwallis. And, through the prism of this one group, O'Donnell tells the larger story of the Revolutionary War. Washington's Immortals is gripping and inspiring boots on the ground history sure to appeal to a wide readership. · Praise for Washington's Immortals » |
The Untold Story of the Forging of America's Most Elite Unit Beginning in the summer of 1942, an extraordinary group of men—among them a dentist, a Hollywood movie star, an archaeologist, California surfers, and even former enemies of the Allies—united to form an exceptional unit that would forge the capabilities of the Navy’s Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams. Known as the Maritime Unit, it comprised America’s first swimmer-commandos, an elite breed of warrior-spies who were decades ahead of their time when they created the tactics, technology, and philosophy that inspire today’s Navy SEALs. The pioneering men of the Maritime Unit conducted some of the most daring operations behind enemy lines and even survived one of the Third Reich’s infamous concentration camps. But after the war, their astonishing record of activity and achievement was classified, lost, and largely forgotten ... until now. In First SEALs, Patrick K. O’Donnell unearths their incredible history—one of the greatest untold stories of World War II. | ||||||
The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story—The Epic Stand of the Marines of George Company An epic story of valor and sacrifice by a legendary Marine company in the Korean War brought to gripping, cinematic light by an acclaimed historian. “What would you want if you could have any wish?” asked the photojournalist, looking expectantly at the haggard and bloodied Marine before him. The Marine gaped back incredulously at his interviewer. “Give me tomorrow,” he said, as the photographer snapped one of the most iconic pictures of the Korean War. After nearly four months of continuous and agonizing combat on the battlefields of Korea, such a desperate yet simple request seemed impossible, and for many men of George Company, or “Bloody George” as they were known—one of the Forgotten War’s most decorated yet unrecognized companies—it was a wish that would not come true. |
The Boys of Pointe du Hoc— the Rangers Who Accomplished D-Day's Toughest Mission and Led the Way across Europe An epic World War II story of valor, sacrifice, and the Rangers who led the way to victory in Europe. It is said that the right man in the right place at the right time can make the difference between victory and defeat. This is the dramatic story of sixty-eight soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Ranger Battalion, D Company—Dog Company—who made that difference, time and again. The book spans from D-Day, when German guns atop Pointe du Hoc threatened the Allied landings and the men of Dog Company scaled the ninety-foot cliffs to destroy them, to the thickly forested slopes of Hill 400, in Germany’s Hürtgen Forest, where the Rangers launched a desperate bayonet charge across an open field, captured the crucial hill, and held it against all odds. In each battle, the men of Dog Company made the difference. Dog Company is their unforgettable story—thoroughly researched and vividly told by acclaimed combat historian Patrick K. O’Donnell—a story of extraordinary bravery, courage, and determination. America had many heroes in World War II, but few can say that, but for them, the course of the war may have been very different. The right men, in the right place, at the right time—Dog Company. | ||||||
The Untold Story of the Most Daring Spy Mission of World War II “Military historian O'Donnell (We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah) brings a cinematic style and considerable expertise to this engrossing tale of a behind-enemy-lines mission during the last year of WWII. “Conducted by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the predecessor to the modern CIA), the plan was to cut ‘a carotid artery of the Third Reich,’ the infamous Brenner Pass through the mountains between Austria and Italy, leaving the German army in Southern Italy isolated. “Arguably one of the war's most dangerous operations, it was led two OSS operatives who never met: Stephen Hall, a combat engineer trained in demolitions, who conceived and sold the plan (and himself) to the newly formed OSS; and Howard Chappell, a Fort Benning paratroop trainer recruited by the OSS to train the team of ‘shadow soldiers’ who would infiltrate Nazi Germany under Hall's command. ” —Publisher’s Weekly |
The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Lines in Nazi Germany • “The Real Inglorious Bastards” At the height of World War II, with the Third Reich’s Final Solution in full operation, a small group of Jews who had barely escaped the Nazis did the unthinkable: they went back. Spies now, these Americans took on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. This is their story, a tale of adventure, espionage, love, and revenge. The men are given a treacherous covert mission behind enemy lines and deep inside the heavily fortified area of Austria’s “Alpine Redoubt,” where Hitler planned to make his last stand. Capture would mean almost certain death; success, a swift end to the war. They Dared Return is a great World War II story of derring-do—a cinematic World War II drama, filled with an unforgettable cast of characters and packed with action, suspense, and intrigue. | ||||||
World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat Previous books have promised to describe the combat experience of the World War II GI, but there has never been a book like Patrick O'Donnell's Beyond Valor. Here is the first combat history of the war in Europe in the words of the men themselves, and perhaps the most honest and brutal account of combat possible on the printed page. For more than fifty years the individual stories that make up this narrative -- shockingly frank reflections of sacrifice and courage -- have been bottled up, buried, or circulated privately. Now, nearing the ends of their lives, our WWII soldiers have at last unburdened themselves. Beyond Valor recaptures their hidden history. A pioneering oral historian, Patrick O'Donnell used his award-winning website, The Drop Zone, to solicit oral- and "e-histories" from individual soldiers. Gradually, working from within the community, O'Donnell convinced some of the war's most battle-hardened soldiers to tell their stories. The result is WWII seen through the eyes of the men who saw the most intense of its action. |
Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah The Marines of the 1st Platoon (part of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment) were among the first to fight in Fallujah, and they bore the brunt of this epic battle. When it was over, the platoon had suffered thirty-five casualties, including four dead. This is their story. Award-winning author and historian Patrick O’Donnell stood shoulder-to-shoulder with this modern band of brothers as they marched and fought through the streets of Fallujah, and he stayed with them as the casualties mounted. O’Donnell captures not only the sights, sounds, and smells of the gritty street combat, but also the human drama of young men in a close-knit platoon fighting for their lives—and the lives of their buddies. We Were One chronicles the 1st Platoon’s story, from its formation at Camp Pendleton in California to its near destruction in the smoldering ruins of Fallujah. | ||||||
World War II's Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat In his award-winning book Beyond Valor, Patrick O’Donnell reveals the true nature of the European Theater in World War II, as told by those who survived. Now, with Into the Rising Sun, O’Donnell tells the story of the brutal Pacific War, based on hundreds of interviews spanning a decade. The men who fought their way across the Pacific during World War II had to possess something more than just courage. They faced a cruel, fanatical enemy in the Japanese, an enemy willing to use anything for victory, from kamikaze flights to human-guided torpedoes. Over the course of the war, Marines, paratroopers, and rangers spearheaded D-Day–sized beach assaults, encountered cannibalism, suffered friendly-fire incidents, and endured torture as prisoners of war. Though they are truly heroes, they claim no glory for themselves. As one soldier put it, "When somebody gets decorated, it’s because a lot of other men died." By at last telling their stories, these men present a hard, unvarnished look at the war on the ground, a final gift from aging warriors who have already given so much. Only with these accounts can the true horror of the war in the Pacific be fully known. Together with detailed maps of each battle, Into the Rising Sun offers a complete yet deeply personal account of the war in the Pacific and a ground-level view of some of history’s most brutal combat. |
and Saboteurs The Unknown Story of World War II's OSS Patrick O'Donnell has tracked down and interviewed more than 300 elite and mysterious former OSS (Office of Strategic Services) members and, for the first time, relates their incredible true stories of World War II—stories that may read like the best spy novels but are shockingly true. | ||||||
