1777: The Year of Destiny
In this, his first novel, former lawyer Cuddy offers a fictionalized account of the year 1777 during the War for American Independence. At the heart of his story is the famous Saratoga campaign, which took place in New York in September and October 1777. For many military historians, Saratoga was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. American victory, they argue, served as proof to the French—England’s longtime enemy—that the rebellious American colonists might be able to win their independence. With that knowledge, the French were persuaded to back the American military.
The action starts in January 1777. We are introduced to a plethora of historical characters, from Britain’s King George III and his first minster, Lord North, to “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne, whose forces suffered defeat at Saratoga. Americans include Major Generals Philip Schuyler, Arthur St. Clair, and the important “hero of Saratoga,” Horatio Gates. There is John Patterson, “perhaps the most professional General in the continental army,” Daniel Morgan, Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, and of course George Washington. To this mix, Cuddy adds two main fictional characters: Brian O’Brien, the Northern Department’s military teamster, and his son Tom, who “could not have weighed more than one hundred pounds soaking wet.”
1777 has successful elements. Cuddy, for instance, effectively documents historical events from varied locations and from the perspectives of both the Revolutionaries and the British. The author also draws upon personal knowledge of New York’s geography and terrain. But the dialogue is rather stiff and comes off, at times, as contrived by an author intent on conveying factual information. The narrative, too, while instructive, is somewhat flat. Some readers will desire more developed characters and a rendering of a past with more gradations.
