If you ever thought a nation's drive to liberty and freedom was supposed to be easy, supposed to be worry free and supposed to be without whining, chirping, nay-saying critics, you thought wrong.

But it's not just evident from today's headlines. David McCullough, in his new book, 1776, does what McCullough does best: takes an important story of historical import and makes it as urgent as ever. In 1776, McCullough provides a unique look at this country's brush with death at the same it was just being born. From Boston to New York, Brooklyn and Long Island to Trenton, George Washington's rag-tag army barely held off the British long enough to give the republic a start.

Along the way, McCullough writes, Washington made tactical errors, was sometimes slow to decisions, and found himself brutally criticized by men who were supposed to be on the same side. He commanded an army of "rabble" - as the British called them - who were weary from loss, hunger, sickness and were called upon to fight for freedom at a pay of $6 per month.

1776 is a page-turner. Especially for those from the New York area, the book provides a rare look at the role the region played in the battle for freedom - a look at New Yorkers of the era that's far from complimentary. And from one losing battle to another, Washington was faced with heavy criticism and second-guessing from some of his highest-ranking and most trusted officers. Still he carried on, worried all the while that the effort of the rebel army was doomed after a humiliating defeat to the redcoats in New York.

When McCullough finds an American leader and spends much time and effort writing about him - as with Harry Truman and John Adams - the result is usually a page-turning look at a human being forced by history into heroics. And with George Washington in 1776, the same could be said. He writes.

Without Washington's leadership and unrelenting perseverence, the revolution almost certainly would have failed. As (General) Nathanael Green foresaw as the war went on, "He will be the deliverer of his own country."

And he was - whining, chirping and defeats aside.