Bookshop In this brilliantly conceived and vividly written biography, historian Flavell (
When London Was Capital of America) takes a fresh look at the family of Richard Admiral Lord Howe and Gen. William Howe, the brothers who commanded British forces in North America at the start of the Revolutionary War. Analyzing letters and diaries left behind by the women of the family, Flavell upends the popular conception of the aristocratic Howes as âinscrutableâ and sheds light on the drawing-room politics of Georgian England. She details how Richard and Williamâs mother and aunt drew on connections to the royal court to help advance their military careers, and notes that their eldest sister, Caroline, assisted in Richardâs efforts to negotiate a peaceful compromise with Benjamin Franklin as tensions between England and the colonies mounted in 1774. After war broke out, the failure of British forces to rout the rebels led to allegations that the Howes were guilty