“Ah, yes,” said Washington. “Rush Revere, is it? I could never forget your beautiful horse.” Washington pulled out another handful of hay from a nearby bucket and fed it to Liberty.
“That’s right,” I said, smiling, delighted to know he remembered us. “And these are two more of my students, Cameron and Freedom.”
“A pleasure,” George Washington said. At first he seemed to be a man of few words, yet as Cam showed an interest he started to say more. “Come and sit with me,” said Washington as he led us to a nearby bench. He sat down and pulled a map from his coat pocket.”
When Cam and Freedom were sitting beside him on either side, he asked, “Do you like maps?”
Cam and Freedom nodded enthusiastically.
“So do I,” said Washington. He unfolded the map until it covered his lap. The creased parchment was a map of New England. There were notes and names and markings all around the edges written in ink. Washington looked at both kids and said, “I often think late at night about this war. In the morning I write those thoughts down.”
This man was the commander in chief of the Continental Army. Can you name him? It is George Washington, a true patriot who led the First Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he became the first president of the United States of America.
“Like what kinds of things do you think about?” Cam asked.
Washington smiled. “All sorts of things, Cameron. I think about how to best prepare our army. I know that we do not have as many soldiers as the King does. I know that our soldiers are not as prepared or as organized. I know we don’t have the same funding and we lack the weapons and gunpowder. But I believe there are solutions for those problems. I just have to think long and hard about what they are.”
Eagerly, Cam said, “I know what you mean about thinking long and hard. I was preparing for this dodgeball game and . . .”
Washington interrupted, “Dodgeball? I have not heard of this.”
Cam replied, “Oh, it’s this new game that kids are playing now.”
“Yeah,” Freedom said. “It’s really, really, new.”
Cam smiled and said, “I planned and thought about how to beat this really strong team and it kept me up for a lot of nights. I couldn’t sleep at all! But we finally figured it out.”
George Washington nodded slowly and intently asked, “And did you beat this strong opponent?”
“Yeah, we did. The planning worked,” replied Cam as Freedom nodded vigorously. Cam added, “It really pays to think things through. I’m sure you’ll receive the answers you need to your toughest problems.”
Washington softly laughed and said, “Thank you, Cameron. Your faith gives me confidence.”
This is another portrait of George Washington, this time in formal non-military clothing.
“It’s a real honor to meet you, Mr. President,” Cam said, suddenly realizing that George Washington doesn’t become President of the United States until years later. Freedom quickly looked at me to see if I noticed Cam’s blunder.
Perplexed, Washington asked, “Did you say ‘Mr. President’? Well, I suppose I am the president of the Army. But the official title that Congress has given me is Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.”
Of course, at this time in history George Washington didn’t know he would one day be the President of the United States of America. He was a man of great humility, and now he was in charge of the entire Continental Army, more than thirteen thousand men, the new American army.
“I really like the title Commander in Chief, it still sounds really important,” Freedom offered.
“Thank you, Freedom,” Washington said. “But a name and title like President or Commander or General is not nearly as important as doing what needs to be done to accomplish this country’s greatest mission. I want to do the best I can to fight for freedom. These young Patriot soldiers have sacrificed so much in the fight so far. I look to God to give me the strength to lead well and honorably.”
“So how do you think you can win?” asked Cam. “How will you defeat a bigger, more powerful opponent?” Cam was like an investigative journalist who was really digging in and asking the juicy questions.
“It will be a long and hard struggle,” Washington replied. “The odds are most certainly against us and we are truly overpowered. I must somehow make our soldiers believe that no matter what obstacles are in our way, we can win with determination and the passion to do so. The moment we give up is the moment we lose. I must find a way for my men to find their deepest strength and remember what they are fighting for—freedom! God willing, we will endure and triumph,” Washington said. “I just hope to be a small part of this glorious cause.”
Cam was focused on Washington’s every word. He was absorbing everything and kept asking questions.
“Where did you find the men to join the army?” Cam asked. “The King’s troops are so scary, it is amazing that so many are joining.”
George Washington replied, “You are such a bright young man. That is a wonderful question and one of the things I am most focused on. They are all fighting for their freedom and their families’ freedom. They come from all different backgrounds, some descended from the first colonists, many from New England, and new immigrants from Europe. Some are former slaves of African descent. We have sailors, farmers, and teachers. All are volunteers. They come from small towns and cities and many are from the same family. It is an incredible group of men.”
All of a sudden I noticed that Liberty was missing. What was he up to now? I wondered. Knowing Liberty, it could be anything under the sun.
Timidly, Freedom spoke up and asked Washington, “Are you scared?”
Washington looked directly at Freedom and said, “All I fear is that I won’t do enough to serve my country.”
“What about this winter?” asked Freedom, shivering as she thought about it. “I hate cold weather. I can’t imagine having to live and fight in it all the time.”
“Yes, come winter, we will be freezing,” said Washington. “But the men have a fire in their stomachs, and that will carry them through.”
“So, what’s the next step, sir?” asked Cam with bright and curious eyes.
“I have already begun gathering more men and preparing them for war. We will head to a gathering place near Boston. Near a place called Cambridge.” He pointed to a place on the map still in his lap. “Right here. I expect to rally thirteen thousand, six hundred American soldiers. We will show those Redcoats that we will not back down.”
“I can’t wait!” Cam said.
Finally, Liberty walked out of the stables with a mischievous look on his face. His cheeks were puffed out like he just ate hundreds of gumballs. He must have found the stable kitchen or a bucket of hay!
“There’s something special about your horse,” General Washington said with a smile.
“Why, thank you, he is certainly one of a kind!” I said.
“Speaking of horses,” said Washington, “I must be on my way from here soon. Before I go, may I request a favor?”
“Anything, sir,” Cam said before I had a chance to answer.
I wondered and worried a little what Cam had just committed us to do.
George Washington stood up and folded a piece of parchment paper to look like a letter going into an envelope. “I wrote down some thoughts that I hope will inspire the young men to keep fighting on. I know their days are long and it must become very hard for them to keep going. These words are only words but I hope they help in some small way.”
“Could you take this letter to the men at Bunker Hill? Give it to the first general or captain you find.”
I paused for a minute, not knowing what to say to George Washington. Would I be changing the events of history if I agreed? I couldn’t say no to a man I admired so much. If I did, what kind of Patriot would he think I was? He must have inspired many people in one way or another so really it wouldn’t be changing history.
Liberty saw the look on my face and started to snort. The sound brought me out of my temporary haze and I responded to Washington, “I would be honored, sir.”
“You are fine Patriots of the highest order. Thank you, Revere,” General Washington said, firmly shaking my hand. “Now I must be on my way. Time is a cherished possession.”
As George Washington walked to his horse he noticed Freedom braiding a piece of the light mane. It was an intricate braid made with the skill of a master weaver.
“I’m impressed. It is beautiful,” said Washington.
“Thanks,” said Freedom, blushing.
“Whenever I look at this braid I will remember it was a gift from Freedom—your name is a word that will forever give me hope.” He lifted himself onto his saddle and said, “Godspeed, Rush Revere. And, Cameron, keep doing what you’re doing. America needs leaders like you. I look forward to our next visit.” He spurred his horse and waved. We all waved back and Cam, especially, watched George Washington ride all the way down the road until he disappeared.
Freedom ran over to me and asked with a worried look, “What is Bunker Hill? Are we going to a battle?”
“Well, yes, the Battle of Bunker Hill is one of the most important battles of the American Revolution. In fact, it is really the first major battle of the revolution. I really didn’t plan on us going until General Washington asked us to do a favor for him. Would you rather we go home to modern day first?”
“No way, I’m not going home. This is way too important,” Cam strongly said.
“I don’t really want to be in a battle. It’s really scary, you guys,” said Freedom.
Liberty chimed in: “I’m thinking in exchange for going, I should get two extra flavors, uh, I mean favors. First, another massage from Helga, and second, two all-you-can-eat buffets.”
“That’s actually three favors,” I pointed out.
“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” said Freedom, looking disappointed. “It’s just that I’m a little scared after all the stories I heard from Tommy about the Battle of Lexington.”
“Don’t worry, Freedom, I will protect you,” said Liberty. “If there is any danger, you can jump on my back and we are outta there!” Liberty said in heroic fashion.
“Thanks, Liberty. That does make me feel a little better.”
“Liberty is exactly right,” I reassured her. “I, too, will make sure that you stay safe,” I promised.
“Cam, did you hear that? I do believe I got an ‘exactly right.’ Please deposit that in my compliment bank,” Liberty said with a wide grin as we all laughed. Even Freedom giggled a little.
“All right,” said Freedom. “I’m in. But I really am staying close to Liberty!”
Chapter 8
So, Mr. Revere, right now who’s winning?” asked Cam. We were standing outside the stables, and the wind was picking up.
“What do you mean?” I asked, curious to know what he was thinking.
“Well, the American team lost the Battle of Lexington Green, right?” Cam asked.
“Not to mention we almost lost Tommy,” Liberty mumbled. I gave him the look.
Cam continued: “And a few hours after Lexington the American team won at the Battle of Concord, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” I replied. The wind was blowing heavily now and little bits of hay were flying all around.
“So is it one–one?” Freedom asked. I now understood: they were comparing the early Revolutionary War battles to game tallies in sports.
“Yes, you could say that. It’s also fair to say that by winning the Battle of Concord the American team had a little more confidence and motivation to keep fighting for freedom,” I replied, thrilled with their analysis.
“Ooh, that’s kinda like our team playing Billy the Bully. I mean after the first game we thought we were totally toast but with a new game plan we had more confidence,” Cam added.
“Hummm hummmm.” Liberty cleared his throat and said, “I’ll jump in here. We are heading to the tiebreaker at the Battle of Bunker Hill and I know who wins.” Then he whispered, “But I can’t say anything because Captain Grouchy-Pants hates when I ruin the endings.”
I forced a smile and said, “Thank you, Liberty, for restraining yourself. Now then, let’s time-jump so Cam and Freedom can find out who wins . . . for themselves.”
My plan was to time-jump three days forward to a hilltop in Charlestown. Since we were still in 1775, I assured Liberty that jumping only a few days ahead instead of a few centuries would be a piece of cake for him.
“Got it, no problemo, you can count on me, mum’s the word,” said Liberty with a wink.
“Here we go,” I said, hoping Liberty would stay focused. “Let’s get going on our adventure!”
As we raced toward the time portal Liberty said, “Rush, rush, rushing to history.” Freedom and Cam were riding on Liberty and I was trailing close behind.
I yelled, “Charlestown, Massachusetts, June 17, 1775, Breed’s Hill!”
“Breed’s Hill?” Freedom asked in a confused tone through the sound of the wind. “I think General Washington told us Bunker Hill.”
We landed on a grassy hill overlooking Charlestown. The sun was just starting to come up and there was a morning chill in the air. From the hill we could see across the Charles River to Boston. There was water on every side in front, below us, and land to our backs. Huge British warships were anchored in the water between Charlestown and Boston. From the hill, they looked like small dots, but I knew they were huge navy warships the size of football fields.
“Where’s the cake?” Liberty asked as he searched left and right.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.
Liberty clarified: “You said jumping to Charlestown from Philadelphia should be a piece of cake for me. I sure hope it’s a carrot cake.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him there wasn’t any cake.
Freedom kindly replied, “Liberty, it’s just an expression. When something’s a piece of cake it means it’s easy. Just like carrying me on your back is a breeze or a snap or a cakewalk.”
Liberty criticized: “Who in their right mind would walk on a cake? Oh, sure, it might be easy but that’s just rude, messy, and crazy talk!”
“Mr. Revere, are you sure we are in the right place?” Freedom asked. “Didn’t General Washington say Bunker Hill?”
“Well done, time-traveler genius,” I said. “That is absolutely right. It is called the Battle of Bunker Hill but it was actually fought on Breed’s Hill. An interesting historical nugget!” Cam and Freedom did not look particularly impressed with the nugget. Their expressions seemed to say, That makes no sense at all.
Waving them in toward me, I said, “Huddle over here, guys. Let me bring you up to speed. Yes, you, too, Liberty. Leaders of the Patriot forces in Boston learned that the British army was planning to take over the hills surrounding the city.”
“Get out of here—were they playing finders-keepers?” Liberty chimed in.
“You could call it that. The British knew if they could take over these hills, plus the waterways down below us, and the land, there would be no stopping them! They would take over the city of Boston and all surrounding areas of Massachusetts and the American team would lose. But . . .”
Liberty interrupted. “Hold on one sec. I promise, fear not, I won’t give anything away but I have just a little something to add that I picked up playing trivia.”
Knowing I didn’t really have a choice, I reluctantly agreed. “Go ahead.”
“When the Americans heard from their spies that the British wanted to get the hills first,” Liberty said proudly, “they said no way, no how! We are going to take over the hill first, finders-keepers style.”
“Yes, exactly right!” I said, relieved Liberty was staying on track.
We had a second of silence as we looked around. Through the quiet we began to hear a rhythmic sound, thud, clack, swoosh, thud, clack, swoosh.
“What’s that noise?” Freedom asked.
Liberty replied with enthusiasm, “Okay, okay, so are we done with finders-keepers? Wait, wait, now we’re playing one of those word games where we guess the noise, right? Okay, let me concentrate. I’ll guess first. Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?”
Ignoring Liberty’s conversation with himself, Freedom listened carefully to the noise. “It sounds like metal against rock,” she said.
Liberty mused, “Okay, so mineral. Let’s see. Is it smaller than a bread box?”
Cam chimed in: “Yeah, I hear it, too. It sounds like digging. Lots of people digging.”
“Hmm,” pondered Liberty. “You say digging? Maybe mining. In that case, my guess is gold? Or maybe silver?”
I said, “I’m pretty sure the sound you are hearing is men digging a fort known as a redoubt.”
“What? Did you just make that up?” said Liberty, narrowing his eyes.
Ignoring Liberty, I led the team closer to the fort. We got there as the final wall was being built. The American Patriots must have been working all night to build this fort before the British could find out in the morning.
“Man, I wish Tommy could see this. He’s totally into fort building. I mean maybe not the hard-labor part, he kinda bails from hard work, but the fort building part he’d love,” Cam said. Around us more than a hundred men were digging, carrying dirt, and doing other jobs. They looked exhausted, dirty, and sweaty, and were trying to catch their breath.
“See all those big ships down there in the water? Well, the British leaders probably just woke up to find the Patriots had quickly built a fort up here on Breed’s Hill. They were shocked! My guess is they want to take the hill and are planning their strategy right now,” I said.
“Mr. Revere, do you think a cannonball from one of those ships in the harbor could reach this fort way up here?” asked Freedom nervously.
Rush Revere and the American Revolution Page 12
