A  People’s Army by Fred Anderson is an examination of New England soldiers during the Seven Years war. What sets this book apart is that the story of the war takes a backseat to the lives and communities of those who fought in it. Instead of a strict military history, the author provides a rich social history that exposes not only how the war was fought, but why and by who.

The narrative of the war itself, while far from a straight repetition of known facts, is punctuated with the experiences of the young, and sometimes not so young men that fought. The author is able to make use of a plethora of primary sources. Many New England soldiers kept journals of their military experiences. From these, Anderson is able to weave their personal stories around the solid hard data that he uncovers in the historical record.  At one point Anderson goes so far as show how a number of individuals viewed one particular battle, from the mosaic of their remembrances, a full and human picture of the events can be formed.

In his study of the society, Anderson sets the stage with discussions of how the local economies worked in the absence of hard currency, and how the different working classes stood in comparison to each other. For many young men, serving in the militia was expected to be the path to financial freedom that without the war, may not have ever come to them. In this reflective look at the society these soldiers came from we see how every aspect of their life played out on the battlefield. From the decision of who would fight in the war to the religious beliefs that guided their actions, every detail followed the men into battle. Ever present was the belief that they were fighting for a better life. Far from a veritable mélange of charts and tables that have come to permeate social histories, the author manages to transpose a face onto the numbers and that face is the face of New England.

What sets this book apart is how the author details the differences between the regular British Army and the colonial military establishment. In this conflict you see how the roots of the mutual dislike and distrust that permeated relations between the colonies and the home country taking solid root, played out in the rivalry between the two different military organizations.  This is where the author shines, comparing and contrasting the difference between the volunteer military establishment of New England and the professional British army and in effect calling out the societal differences between the two groups and delving into the degradation of their relations. It was these poor relations that set the stage for the coming Revolution. Even with what we know is coming down the road the author manages to press home that the colonists were proud British subjects who saw themselves as equal and deserving members of the Empire.

The book itself has garnered acclamation, including the 1982 Jamestown Prize in Early American History and the 1986 Distinguished Book Award from the Society of Colonial Wars. The author received his B.A. from Colorado State University in 1971 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1981. He has written a total of five books on the subject.