This elite unit of Marylanders, whose vital service in the Continental Army O'Donnell (First SEALs) narrates, was not under direct command of Gen. George Washington for all of the Revolutionary War, as the title indicates. For the latter half of the conflict, the unit was stationed in the Southern theater under the command of Gen. Nathaniel Greene. The "Immortal 400," as the Maryland regiment came to be known, received its nom de guerre from the mission of "forlorn hope" it performed for Washington during the Battle of Brooklyn, when British forces threatened to capture Washington's forces in August 1776. Washington needed time to evacuate the Continental Army, and on his orders, the unit made a series of desperate charges that delayed the British and allowed Washington to escape; however, the regiment lost most of its soldiers. Between 1775 and 1783, this special group fought in every major engagement of the war, in both Northern and Southern theaters. They provided stability among inexperienced soldiers and performed many missions of forlorn hope. VERDICT Using primary sources from both sides of the Atlantic, O'Donnell effectively traces the story of Maryland's immortals, describing the battles authentically along with the precariousness of the American cause. This book will be of interest to both general readers and scholars interested in the military aspect of the American Revolution.—Glen Edward Taul, Campbellsville Univ. Lib., KY