People say we are living in unprecedented times. We’re not. Beneath a Revolution often buried in the amber of old oil paintings and stone statues - lies an unvarnished founding story. Americans fought a virus, each other, and the greatest military power on Earth.



Patrick K. O’Donnell, the acclaimed military historian and bestselling author of “Washington’s Immortals and The Unknowns,” has unearthed the chronicle of a diverse group of Americans whose unity changed the course of history and saved the Continental Army multiple times from certain destruction.



He brings to life their complete untold story for the first time in THE INDISPENSABLES: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware (Atlantic Monthly Press; May 18, 2021) which captures the heroic actions of this remarkable group of men and women.



In the annals of the American Revolution, no group played a more consequential role than the soldier-mariners of Marblehead, Massachusetts. At the right time in the right place, they repeatedly altered the course of events, and their story shines new light on our understanding of the Revolution.