Revolutionary Snipers: Washington's Frontier Commandos Whose Marksmanship Forged a New Way of War and Helped Win the Revolution
Patrick K. O'Donnell
Nov 2026 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Will Damron
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9 hr 42 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Washington’s Immortals and The Indispensables, the dramatic untold story of the snipers whose marksmanship and irregular warfare altered the outcomes of crucial battles and influenced the way the American Revolution was fought
In Revolutionary Snipers, acclaimed military historian Patrick K. O’Donnell vividly brings to life for the first time the exploits of Washington’s finest frontier commandos, whose legendary deadeye shooting offered the Continental Army an evolving and unconventional tactical advantage in the War of Independence. Snipers such as Daniel Morgan, Timothy Murphy, and Samuel Brady were rugged frontiersmen armed with long rifles, a path-breaking American technology that allowed them to attack from a significant distance.
The snipers, the very first members of the Continental Army, quickly struck terror among British troops besieged in Boston in the summer of 1775 by picking off a number of targets. However, their success was checkered by mutiny, an epic journey through the Maine wilderness, and heart-wrenching failure at the gates of Quebec.
O’Donnell follows unforgettable characters in a riveting Band-of-Brothers-style narrative. Despite the setbacks, Washington and his officers perceived a new approach to waging war could emerge from the combined arms of pairing sniper groups with traditional units. The riflemen played vital roles in many pivotal battles—from protecting Washington’s army during its retreat from Manhattan, when some 25 snipers repelled an amphibious landing of hundreds of British soldiers at Throggs Neck, to energizing the momentum-shifting battles at Saratoga and later, in the South, at King’s Mountain and Cowpens.
Unearthing unpublished letters, diaries, and other participant documents, O’Donnell puts listeners dramatically in the moment as riflemen prevented a British charge at Trenton that could have ended the war, employed irregular warfare to counter enemy attempts to re-supply during the critical yet obscure “Forage War” in spring 1777, and contested large swaths of the frontier, at times disguised as Native Americans.
Placing the riflemen front and center throughout the war, Revolutionary Snipers illuminates an unknown aspect of the conflict and is an important addition to our understanding of how the Revolution was won and of an emerging new way of war.
In Revolutionary Snipers, acclaimed military historian Patrick K. O’Donnell vividly brings to life for the first time the exploits of Washington’s finest frontier commandos, whose legendary deadeye shooting offered the Continental Army an evolving and unconventional tactical advantage in the War of Independence. Snipers such as Daniel Morgan, Timothy Murphy, and Samuel Brady were rugged frontiersmen armed with long rifles, a path-breaking American technology that allowed them to attack from a significant distance.
The snipers, the very first members of the Continental Army, quickly struck terror among British troops besieged in Boston in the summer of 1775 by picking off a number of targets. However, their success was checkered by mutiny, an epic journey through the Maine wilderness, and heart-wrenching failure at the gates of Quebec.
O’Donnell follows unforgettable characters in a riveting Band-of-Brothers-style narrative. Despite the setbacks, Washington and his officers perceived a new approach to waging war could emerge from the combined arms of pairing sniper groups with traditional units. The riflemen played vital roles in many pivotal battles—from protecting Washington’s army during its retreat from Manhattan, when some 25 snipers repelled an amphibious landing of hundreds of British soldiers at Throggs Neck, to energizing the momentum-shifting battles at Saratoga and later, in the South, at King’s Mountain and Cowpens.
Unearthing unpublished letters, diaries, and other participant documents, O’Donnell puts listeners dramatically in the moment as riflemen prevented a British charge at Trenton that could have ended the war, employed irregular warfare to counter enemy attempts to re-supply during the critical yet obscure “Forage War” in spring 1777, and contested large swaths of the frontier, at times disguised as Native Americans.
Placing the riflemen front and center throughout the war, Revolutionary Snipers illuminates an unknown aspect of the conflict and is an important addition to our understanding of how the Revolution was won and of an emerging new way of war.
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Washington’s Immortals and The Indispensables, the dramatic untold story of the snipers whose marksmanship and irregular warfare altered the outcomes of crucial battles and influenced the way the American Revolution was fought
In Revolutionary Sni...
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About the author
Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. The author of thirteen books, including The Indispensables, The Unknowns, and Washington’s Immortals, he is the recipient of numerous national awards. O’Donnell served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and is a professional speaker on America’s conflicts, espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’s award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery.
Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. The author of thirteen books, including The Indispensables, The Unknowns, and Washington’s Immortals, he is the recipient of numerous national awards. O’Donnell served as a combat historia...
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