I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

While the American soldiers are notorious for lacking proper uniforms, many of them wear tri-cornered hats and tie-front shirts. However, Paul’s distinctive wardrobe piece is an ugly green hat that he believes to be a good luck charm, and as the narrative progresses, the hat becomes a symbol for America itself. The hat’s lucky qualities are explained when Paul tells Nate about his time fighting in the Battle of Bunker Hill and nearly had his head blown off by a cannon ball. His hat fell off his head, and he bent down to pick it up mere moments before a cannon ball whizzed overhead. Had he not been bending over to pick up the hat, Paul would have died. After Paul finishes telling the story, he “peel[s] off his ugly green hat and place[s] it carefully on the ground. ‘My lucky charm,’ he [says]” (49). The hat might be ugly, but it saved his life that day. Similarly, after the Battle of Brooklyn, Nate waits eagerly for Paul to return with the other men from the Connecticut 5th, and as he looks toward the horizon, he spots Paul and reflects that “there [is] no mistaking the man in the hideous green hat” (112). Because the hat’s value is hidden beneath its questionable appearance, it becomes a symbol for the idea that Americans are the underdogs in the war. The hat, just like the Americans, is scruffy, worse for wear, and not nearly as fancy as the British hats. However, it and its wearer survive the destruction and death of the Revolutionary War, prevailing against all odds.