The book provides conclusions on what came after the battles and how the event steered others that followed. The final section, which for this subject is quite small, is what the battlefields are like today. Since this area has been extensively populated and reformed in the last 250 years, very little actually remains. It is a superb book on the subject and one that all students of American history should have in their libraries. I can recommend to you without reservation.

Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (May 2008)

David Smith's New York 1776: The Continentals' First Battle details the strategies, tactics and battle experiences of opposing forces during the 1776 campaign.

California Bookwatch (May 2008)

All the actions are described here and shown by excellent maps and birds'-eye-views, and the good selection of contemporary illustrations are ably backed by good colour plates. Highly recommended.

John Prigent, Internet Modeler (April 2008)

A student in American and military studies at the universities of Iowa, Hull and Liverpool, David Smith has written the usual concise but comprehensive entry in Osprey Books' Campaign series, well supported by maps and illustrations by Graham Turner. Commendably, he avoids applying too much 20th century hindsight in his appraisals of the protagonists, putting them rather in the context of their own times. The result is a more understanding picture of Howe -- and an undiminished appreciation of the magnitude of Washington's achievements in the wake of his New York fiasco.

Jon Guttman, Military History (June/July 2009)