Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It

by Larrie D. Ferreiro

Pulitzer Prize Finalist in History

Winner of the Journal of the American Revolution 2016 Book of the Year Award

At the time the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord the American colonists had little chance, if any, of militarily defeating the British. The nascent American nation had no navy, little in the way of artillery, and a militia bereft even of gunpowder. In his detailed accounts Larrie Ferreiro shows that without the extensive military and financial support of the French and Spanish, the American cause would never have succeeded.

Ferreiro adds to the historical records the names of French and Spanish diplomats, merchants, soldiers, and sailors whose contribution is at last given recognition. Instead of viewing the American Revolution in isolation, Brothers at Arms reveals the birth of the American nation as the centerpiece of an international coalition fighting against a common enemy.

Interview with the Author

New Books Network
Larrie Ferreiro, “Brothers at Arms: Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It” (Knopf, 2016)
12/2/16         62 min

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Conversations at the Washington Library
49. Transatlantic Gunrunning Playwrights
6/29/18      36 min

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History Does You
France and Spain in the Revolutionary War featuring Dr. Larrie Ferreiro
5/3/20       35 min

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Pritzker Military Museum & Library Podcasts 
Larrie Ferreiro, Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It
3/13/20           58 min

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