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Battle of Lexington and Concord
First battle of Revolutionary War. British army wanted to get hold of American ammo stored in Concord, Massachusetts. The American minutemen and the British army clashed in Lexington, with the British winning and marching on to Cocord, where the faced defeat. -
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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Sam goes home to talk about the rebellion and then runs away
After leaving Yale to enlist in the Patriot Army, Sam Meeker goes home to say hello to his family and tell them about the rebellion he's a part of, though his real reason for visiting is to take his father's gun. When his father yells at him about his choice, Sam runs away from the house. -
Sam steals the Brown Bess gun (night)
After Sam runs away, he sneaks back in the night to take Father's gun, which he succeeds in doing, but ends up scaring Tim when his brother spots it. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Americans made a fort on Bunker Hill, but changed their area to Breed's Hill. The British wanted both hills, so they charged forward three times to try and take the two hills. On the third try they succeeded, but the British suffered heavy casualties in the first major battle of the Revolution. -
The Rebel Army attacks Father for his gun, which Sam took
Rebel troops are traveling through Reading to take ammunition and weapons from all of the Tories (Loyalists) in the area. They try to take Father's Brown Bess gun, but don't get it because Sam had stolen it, which they don't believe. The men begin to attack Father because they think he is lying. -
Tim tries to deliver a letter and Betsy Read intercepts
After sneaking out to deliver a letter for Mr. Heron, TIm runs into Betsy Read, who thinks the letter holds information about the Rebels. She attacks him and reads the letter, rendering it useless for delivery, but when Tim looks, it held no information, just a sentence about how if the message made it safely, the messenger could be trusted. -
Declaration of Independence
The delegates of the Continental Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson to write them a document about separating from Britain as a free country. This document, titled the Declaration of Independence, pointed out how every man had their own rights, that the Americans owed the British nothing, and that it was time for them to break free. -
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island followed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Continental Army was protecting New York, but ended up with some of their forces defeated by the Howe brothers. William Howe laid siege against the other army, and George Washington had his troops retreat up to Manhattan, and then farther north, fighting battles which stalled them, so they could recuperate. -
Father and Tim travel to Verplanck's Point, NY
Since Sam is gone, Father needs Tim for his annual trip to Verplanck's Point, New York, where they sell supplies. On the way there, Tim and Father get ambushed by a bunch of cattle thieves, who get scared off by local officers, who bring them to where they were headed safely. -
Father is taken by cow-boys
On their way back from Verplanck's Point, it grows very snowy, and Tim and Father have to travel back through the path where the cow-boys were lurking. Father has Tim ride behind him, and rides ahead and back to make sure he's okay, but when Father doesn't return, Tim grows worried. After outsmarting the cow-boys, which were lurking in that area, Tim heads home without Father. -
Treaty of Alliance
The Treaty of Alliance was the agreement for the French and Americans to work together in the Revolution against Great Britain. Without this help, it is possible the Americans would have never won the war. -
Sam is arrested as a cattle thief
After chasing off the actual thieves, Sam is arrested as the one who tried to take the Meeker family's cows. The two thieves ganged up to blame him. -
Tim fails to spare Sam by talking with Putnam
After Sam's trial determines him as guilty, Tim goes to talk to General Putnam, who agrees to look over Sam's case. However, Putnam decides against dropping the charges and decides to continue with his plan to execute Sam. -
Sam is executed by being shot
After being determined guilty at his trial, Sam is brought out to be shot, and Tim goes to watch. Sam is shot once, which sets him on fire due to the close range, and then is shot again to put him out of his misery.