The inventor, the ladies' man, the affable diplomat, and the purveyor of pithy homespun wisdom: we all know the charming, resourceful Benjamin Franklin. What is less appreciated is the importance of Franklin's part in the American Revolution. The Franklin presented here, a man immersed in the violence, danger, and suffering of the Revolution, is a tougher person than the Franklin of legend.
Jonathan R. Dull served as the senior associate editor of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin series until 2008. His other books include The Age of the Ship of the Line: The British and French Navies, 1650¿1815 (Nebraska 2009) and The French Navy and the Seven Years¿ War, available in a Bison Books edition.
