I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-13

Chapters 14-18

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 11-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 11 Summary

Nate soon grows accustomed to his new life with the “Connecticut 5th, Paul’s army company” (61). Captain Marsh, the leader, is hesitant to have an 11-year-old in the company, but Nate soon proves himself to be very helpful, and the other men in the army welcome him. The oldest soldier, Samuel, is the best shot in the group, and the youngest, James, is one of the few who came from a wealthy family. Finally, Martin is a formerly enslaved man who takes care of Nate. He was freed a few months ago “so he could fight in the war” (63). Martin’s former enslaver still has control over Martin’s wife and daughter, so Martin is saving up to buy their freedom as well.

Martin is one of hundreds of Black soldiers fighting in the Revolutionary War. As Nate learns more about the Declaration of Independence, he begins to wonder about deeper issues, asking himself, “Why [doesn’t] that [document] include people like Martin’s wife, like those men digging trenches for George Washington, like Eliza and Theo?” (64). Try as he might, Nate cannot understand why a document stating that all people are created equal actively limits who is given equality.

In drills, the soldiers practice marching and shooting. Nate is not allowed to have a musket, but Samuel still takes the time to instruct him in how to use one. Afterward, everyone gathers around the fire and swaps war stories, comparing battle scars and filling the air with excitement. They toast their leaders, especially George Washington, who frequently rides by on his horse through the camp. On those nights, Nate finds it easier to fall asleep after a long day’s work. On other nights, with the sound of drumming in the distance, sleep feels impossible.

Chapter 12 Summary

The Americans train and wait, but there is no movement from the British troops. Rumors of new weapons and British allies fill the camp, including “a new cannonball called a shell [that explodes] when it hit[s] the ground” (71) and “eight thousand German soldiers […] known as Hessians” (71). The Americans know that while the British seem to be biding their time at the moment, they will be more heavily armed than ever before when they do decide to attack. Combat is not the only threat for the soldiers in the Connecticut 5th. The cramped and overcrowded camps are a breeding ground for “smallpox, the most dreaded disease of all” (75). James, the youngest soldier, falls ill, his body covered in hundreds of blisters. He dies later that night, and Captain Marsh holds a funeral service for him. Nate is all too familiar with smallpox, as this disease killed his mother many years ago.

The soldiers also face violent storms that sweep over the camp. Howling wind, pouring rain, and deadly lightning prove to be fatal for some of the soldiers. Close to the river, “ten men [are] struck dead by a single bolt. Three other soldiers [are] hit as they [are] running along the street” (77). The latest storm is loud and keeps Nate up all night. He cannot help but see the weather as a warning that more trouble is on the way. Sure enough, word comes the next morning that the British have landed in Brooklyn.

Chapter 13 Summary

On the morning of August 25, 1776, Nate and the rest of the Connecticut 5th are sent to Fort Greene, Brooklyn. There are six forts spread out across Brooklyn Heights, which is very close to New York. The British are expected to place their cannons in Brooklyn Heights, and “[f]rom there, they could blast New York City to bits” (80). The men are determined to stop this from happening. After the men have set up camp in Fort Greene, Captain Marsh shows them a map of the area. He explains that the British are somewhere on the other side of Gowanus Heights. To reach Fort Greene, they will have to cross “a long ridge of hills” (80) where 3,000 American soldiers are already stationed with cannons in trenches. Samuel smiles, saying, “It will be like Bunker Hill,” (82) and Captain Marsh confirms this.

The night of August 26, the troops gather around campfires. With all the commotion, Nate notices that it “almost seem[s] that the men [are] looking forward to a big party, not a bloody battle” (82). Gathering around the fire, they sing a song that Nate has never heard before: Yankee Doodle. He asks about it, and the men tell him that the British originally used it as an insult to the Americans. However, once the Americans proved that a group of men from the country could fight, they reclaimed it as a battle song. Suddenly, they are interrupted by the sound of a trumpet. General Washington rides into camp on his horse, instantly commanding everyone’s respect and attention. He tells the men that the time has almost come and compels them to remember the freedom for which they are fighting. Nate goes to sleep feeling motivated and courageous after hearing the general speak. Then, the next morning, the alarm cannons are fired. The British are starting to make their way to Gowanus Heights.

Chapters 11-13 Analysis

These chapters emphasize The Impact of War on Individuals and Communities, especially as Tarshis describes the everyday trials of Revolutionary soldiers, from the threats of an ever-growing British militia to deadly illnesses and natural disasters. The plight of the Black soldiers who fought for America is also candidly addressed through the character of Martin, a recently freed enslaved man who is now in the Connecticut 5th. Amidst these many hardships, the friendships that Nate forms with Martin and the other men sustains their hope and morale, and these bonds ultimately transform them into a strong, determined fighting force.

In addition to the pragmatic descriptions of shells (cannonballs that explode when they hit the ground), this chapter also introduces a new type of soldier: the Hessian mercenaries. Historically, Hessians are German soldiers hired by King George to fight alongside the British. During this time frame, they have become “famous around the world for their dark green-and-red uniforms, their pointed silver hats, their thick black mustaches-and their thirst for blood” (71). Some of the stories surrounding Hessians mention that the soldiers trained even as young children and used bayonets larger even than the British ones. While this section of the novel is designed to insert key information needed to fully understand the imminent battle, Tarshis also uses the opportunity to emphasize Nate’s seagoing inclinations; although the boy is unsure how many of these stories about Hessians and advanced weaponry are true, he feels that some of the talk is just as realistic as the myths describing the monsters of the sea.

In these chapters, the author contextualizes the non-combat dangers of the Revolutionary War, particularly the invisible threat of smallpox, which killed “[a]lmost half the people who got the disease” (76). The circumstances of the protagonist also illustrate key practicalities, for because Nate had the illness as a child, when his mother died, he is now immune to the disease and is able to hold the hand of his new friend, James, as the young soldier dies from smallpox. Aside from the threat of illness, soldiers had to be wary of the outdoor elements, such as the deadly lightning strikes that claim several lives during the storm. Thus, even beyond the dangers of the battlefield, the combatants faced virulent diseases and unpredictable natural elements that proved to be just as deadly as the actual battles.

One of Nate’s new friends in the Connecticut 5th, Martin, illustrates the many injustices and hardships that Black soldiers endured even as they played a vital role in the success of the American Revolutionary War. While Martin was freed to become a soldier, he and others like him were originally sent “to dig trenches and build walls” (64). These men are fighting in a war that will not grant them the same freedoms that it promises to the white soldiers, and this reminder makes Nate sick to his stomach; he knows that Martin is risking his life to provide others with benefits that will continue to elude him, no matter which side wins the war. Thus, even in the midst of a story designed for younger readers, Tarshis does not shirk her responsibility to create a realistic portrait of the many injustices of enslavement that ran rampant during this time frame, highlighting the hypocrisy lurking within the Declaration of Independence.

Throughout the novel, Tarshis pays as much attention to the geography as she does to the culture and political realities of the time frame. To this end, Brooklyn is thoroughly described in these chapters to provide vital context explaining the importance of the Battle of Brooklyn. At the time the story takes place, Brooklyn is made up of mostly uninhibited land. “[A]t least ten times the size of New York City” (80), Brooklyn is the ideal location for the British to place cannons facing Manhattan. By explaining that all six forts in Brooklyn Heights must be protected by the Americans, Tarshis emphasizes the strategic importance of this particular conflict to the larger war effort. To further illuminate the importance of the relevant geography, she even goes so far as to include a map in Chapter 13 to ensure that the key details are in place before the narrative relates the events of the Battle of Brooklyn.