I never taught U.S. 1. So my knowledge of that time period isn't as sharp as it could be. I am okay about that. I don't care for that period of history. 30ish years of hearing we can't have universal healthcare because the founding fathers constitution liberty blah blah soured me on the era. The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars though... that's the good stuff.
I did a research, noob, and it seems like there isn't any American equivalent of Caesar's Gallic Wars and Civil War or Trotsky's Russian Civil War. And that's a shame.
Now as far modern writing it is really hard to tell what is and is not pandering/historical abuse/etc. when looking at what to read. So I mostly looked at what has been published by university presses. I saw one published by Oxford University Press. It was also suggested by others online.
"Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence"
In this gripping chronicle of America's struggle for independence, award-winning historian John Ferling transports readers to the grim realities of that war, capturing an eight-year conflict filled with heroism, suffering, cowardice, betrayal, and fierce dedication. As Ferling demonstrates, it
was a war that America came much closer to losing than is now usually remembered. General George Washington put it best when he said that the American victory was "little short of a standing miracle."
Almost a Miracle offers an illuminating portrait of America's triumph, offering vivid descriptions of all the major engagements, from the first shots fired on Lexington Green to the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, revealing how these battles often hinged on intangibles such as
leadership under fire, heroism, good fortune, blunders, tenacity, and surprise. Ferling paints sharp-eyed portraits of the key figures in the war, including General Washington and other American officers and civilian leaders. Some do not always measure up to their iconic reputations, including
Washington himself. The book also examines the many faceless men who soldiered, often for years on end, braving untold dangers and enduring abounding miseries. The author explains why they served and sacrificed, and sees them as the forgotten heroes who won American independence.
The reviews on Amazon call it balanced. For instance, it goes into Washington's defeats and blunders rather than present him as perfect.