I glanced through the window and noticed Liberty and Freedom arriving with Cam and Little Liberty trailing close behind. It seemed like a good time to say our goodbyes and be off.
“Thank you, General Washington,” I said, putting out my hand to shake his. “This has been most informative. I look forward to our next visit.”
“I hope Colonel Knox gets the cannons!” Tommy said with a smile as we walked toward the door.
“So do I,” George Washington said. “If Knox manages to get those guns from Fort Ticonderoga we have a fighting chance to win this war.”
Once again we said our goodbyes and walked out to the porch and over to where the rest of Rush Revere’s Crew had gathered.
Tommy raced up to Little Liberty and petted his bushy head. “I’m glad they found you,” said Tommy. “Where was he?”
“In someone’s garden making himself a snack,” said Liberty. “Seriously, this kid needs a babysitter twenty-four/seven.” Liberty leaned close to my ear and whispered, “We’re leaving the pony here, right? Please tell me we’re leaving him here.”
I temporarily ignored Liberty and said, “We need to find a secluded place to time-jump. It looks like there’s a small pasture beyond those trees. Tommy, you should tell the rest of our Crew what happened inside.”
“Oh, yeah! They were having this top-secret meeting about getting guns from Fort Ticonderoga to fight the British.”
Cam perked up and jokingly asked, “Top secret? Was superspy James Bond there? Oh, wait, isn’t James Bond British?”
“It wasn’t Double-O Seven. But he was big enough to be Triple-O Seven. Seriously, this dude was big.”
I clarified: “His name is Henry Knox.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Henry Knox was taking on this grumpy older guy who was getting mad for trying to get the weapons. But George Washington was totally on Knox’s side,” Tommy said.
Cam and Freedom stayed on Liberty and Tommy rode Little Liberty. As we walked, Tommy filled in the details of the Ticonderoga conversation. When he finished, he asked, “So, what are we going to do with Little Liberty?”
“I say let’s feed him a Pop Tart and send him on his way!” blurted Liberty. “Seriously! You can’t hear him talking but I can. He’s inside my head. He doesn’t stop asking questions. I feel like I’ve been trapped inside a horsey day care with hundreds of foals asking me hundreds of questions. It’s driving me bonkers!”
“What kinds of questions is he asking?” Freedom asked.
“Oh, things like ‘What do you do if you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant? If a cow laughed would milk come out of its nose? After eating, do amphibians have to wait an hour before getting out of the water?’ ”
Tommy and Cam started laughing. Even Freedom was smiling.
I interrupted and said, “Okay, we get it. Look, just tell Little Liberty to trot back to the stable that you got him from. Tell him you’ll come back later and bring him a bunch of carrots.”
As Liberty paused to telepathically communicate the message, Tommy dismounted and patted his fuzzy friend one last time. Then Little Liberty swished his tail and darted off down the road toward Lexington.
“Bye-bye, Little Liberty!” yelled Tommy.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Liberty sighed.
“Now, let’s get home,” I said.
“All aboard the Manchester Middle School Express,” said Liberty. “Rush, rush, rushing from history.”
Liberty leapt through the portal and Tommy and I followed close behind.
* * *
The following morning was July Fourth. I had planned to postpone our class until after the holiday but Cam, Tommy, and Freedom all said they wanted to attend as long as we had it in the morning. It was nine o’clock when Freedom and Tommy walked into the history classroom.
“Where’s Liberty?” asked Freedom.
“I sent him to check up on Little Liberty. I wanted to be sure he made it back to Lexington.”
I noticed Cam was late, which was odd for him.
“Have you talked to Cam?” I asked.
“Not this morning,” Freedom replied.
“Me, neither,” said Tommy. “I’ll text him.”
“Thank you, Tommy. You know it’s too bad our American team during the Revolutionary War didn’t have the ability to text. I mean, we can send a message in a matter of seconds. But the colonies and Patriots in 1775 didn’t have cell phones. Do you know what they used to send a message?”
“Snail mail,” said Tommy.
“Yeah, they had to use paper to write letters and notes,” said Freedom.
“And we know they used messengers like Paul Revere,” said Tommy.
Common Sense is the pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that inspired people in the thirteen colonies to declare and fight for independence from Great Britain in the Summer of 1776.
This is Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense. He met Benjamin Franklin in London, England, in 1772.
“Very good,” I nodded.
“And I remember they printed newspapers,” said Tommy. “Benjamin Franklin owned a printing press.”
“True,” I said. “There were many printers in the colonies. In fact, there was a very important pamphlet written by the patriot Thomas Paine called Common Sense. It was like a newspaper and was written in very plain language for the everyday person in America. It was the first published work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.”
“So, everyday language like—‘What’s up, bro? Let’s get some freedom y’all’?” Tommy joked.
“Kind of,” I said. “At that time, language could be really complicated and the issues were really difficult. Paine made really complex things easy to understand. That was Thomas Paine’s genius—the way he made everyone understand exactly what they were fighting for.” I went on, “In fact, George Washington was so inspired by Paine’s words that he read the Common Sense pamphlet to his troops in one of their worst moments, when they thought they were going to lose the war. General Washington wanted them to know that in the most difficult times their characters are tested the most. Listen to these words and tell me if you know what they mean.”
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in the crisis, shrink from the service of their country.
I was afraid the words were a little over their heads so I was surprised when Freedom raised her hand and said, “I think I know what it means. War is really hard, not like the fun of the summer.”
“Absolutely right, Freedom. Great answer!” I said, thrilled, and launched into a full explanation. “In addition to that, it means that soldiers stuck in the hardest times of war must dig deep into their souls to keep fighting for their country even when they think they are ready to give up. Thomas Paine wrote in 1775 and 1776 during a very difficult time for the American Patriots. People were so inspired by his writing and arguments that they bought hundreds of thousands of copies in all thirteen colonies. That’s an amazing number of copies to sell during that time in history!” I exclaimed.
“I bet people read it because it was short,” said Tommy, joking.
“Yeah, Tommy likes short books like The Cat in the Hat,” teased Freedom.
We all laughed. “Ha, ha,” said Tommy. “In all seriousness, this Thomas Paine guy sounds like he really got the word out. It sounds like something Samuel Adams would’ve done, right? He was really good at getting people fired up against the British, too.”
“You are exactly right, Tommy. Both Thomas Paine and Samuel Adams were early American Patriots and both had a similar mission to rally the people of the thirteen colonies so that they would fight back against the British.”
The door opened and Cam walked in. He said, “Sorry I’m late. It’s a long a story.” Someone else followed him into the class.
“Hello, Ed,” I said. “Welcome to our summertime history class.” I was not expecting another student and wondered why Cam had brought him.<
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Before Cam took a seat he walked by me and whispered, “Ed was having a rough day. I think Billy had been picking on him. So I invited him to class. I hope that’s okay.”
“No problem. We’ll make it work,” I replied softly.
Ed was carrying an instrument case, maybe a flute or clarinet, and seemed genuinely excited to see his friends from the dodgeball team. “Hi, Mr. Revere. I didn’t know there was a summer school course for American history. It was the best news I’ve heard all summer. Cam said I could come if I wanted to.”
“Any friend of Cam’s is a friend of mine,” I said, smiling. “You’re always welcome,” I added. Unless we have to time-travel, I thought. Hmm, we might have to postpone our field trip.
“Where’s Liberty?” asked Cam.
“Who’s Liberty?” Ed questioned.
“Oh, um, he’s a horse, but he’s special,” said Cam, looking over at Ed. “You could say he’s our class mascot.”
Ed looked a little surprised. “You mean a real horse? Inside the classroom?”
“Yep,” said Cam.
“Uh-oh,” said Ed. “I’m allergic to horses.”
“Good to know,” I said. “Freedom, you might want to send a note to Liberty about that if you know what I mean.” I winked, hoping she understood that I needed her to speak to Liberty’s mind before he returned to the classroom.
“Oh, okay, no problem, Mr. Revere,” replied Freedom.
“Your horse can read notes?” Ed asked skeptically.
“Uh, yes, sort of,” I said, not sure how much I wanted to reveal to Ed. “Anyway, Liberty is running an errand for me so he’ll be a little late.”
“You send your horse on errands?” asked Ed, confused.
“He’s a specially trained horse, like a Seeing Eye dog,” said Cam, like it was perfectly normal.
I tried to change the subject. “I think with the arrival of our friend Ed we’re going to play a game and split you into teams today. Since Ed hasn’t been with us for our previous lessons and field trips I think that’s only fair.”
“Uh-oh, this class goes on field trips?” asked Ed. “I’m allergic to buses.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“I should probably give you this,” said Ed. “It’s a list of all the things I’m allergic to.” Ed handed me a small notebook. “It’s categorized alphabetically.” He smiled.
“Again, good to know,” I repeated, thumbing through the pages. “Now then, let’s have Freedom and Tommy against Cam and Ed. We’ll see how that works. We can always change things up later.”
“What game are we playing again, Mr. Revere?” Tommy asked.
“It’s a quiz game. I’m going to ask you some questions about American history. Each team will take turns. If your team doesn’t know the answer to a question, the other team gets a chance to answer it and steal your points. Got it?”
The students all nodded.
“Good, then let’s jump in,” I said. “We’ll start with Cam and Ed. Question number one. Who was the leader of the first American army—the Continental Army—and how did he get the job?”
Freedom jumped in: “I hope our question is as easy as that one.”
Cam smiled and said, “We’ll take it! Our answer is George Washington and he was made commander in chief of the army at the Second Continental Congress.”
“One point to Cam and Ed, that is exactly right. Okay, next question goes to Tommy and Freedom,” I said.
“What was the name of the man in the Continental Army who had the ingenious plan to travel to Fort Ticonderoga to retrieve artillery for General Washington? Was it a) Henry Fox, b) Henry Clocks, c) Henry Knox, or d) Henry Litterbox?”
Tommy’s hand shot up into the air. “It was c) Henry Knox. How could I forget him? I wish we had more time to talk to him. He seemed cool.”
“Spot-on, you got it, point to Tommy and Freedom’s team,” I said, thrilled that these answers came so easily to them. “After Knox got the approval from General Washington in November, Knox and a group of others set out for Lake Champlain, and they got to Fort Ticonderoga on December fifth. It took fifty-one days to travel three hundred miles back to Boston. It is incredible that they made it!”
“Those questions were pretty easy, Mr. Revere,” Cam said.
“Okay, this one is a toughie. Are you ready? Cam and Ed, how many cannons did Henry Knox bring back from Fort Ticonderoga to General Washington in Boston? Was it a) almost twenty pieces, b) almost thirty pieces, c) almost forty pieces, or d) almost sixty pieces?”
Cam and Ed started whispering to each other. Finally, Cam raised his hand and said, “Well, Ed wasn’t there, of course, and I can’t remember the exact number, but we know George Washington needed a lot of guns to get the British out of Boston. Ed wants me to say almost sixty pieces.”
“Is that your final answer?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Ed.
“Correct again,” I said. “The exact number of weapons that Henry Knox brought back was fifty-nine. Keep in mind that was fifty-nine pieces of huge, heavy iron and brass cannons and mortars. Can you imagine trying to pull basically fifty-nine cars through the snow for miles? It is absolutely amazing what they did.”
“Come to think of it, how did Henry Knox pull all of those heavy weapons across the snow?” asked Tommy. “I mean he didn’t really look like he was an Olympic athlete. He was more like a really cool Olympic couch potato.” He smiled at his commentary.
“For the record, some of us large couch potatoes are really smart and we use our brains to solve the impossible,” said Ed, sounding a little offended.
“I’m sorry, Ed. But I think you’re really cool, too.” Tommy said sheepishly.
“That’s okay, Tommy, we’re good.” Ed tried to fist-bump Tommy but missed.
“That is an excellent question, Tommy,” I said. “The Knox brothers actually used flatboats to float the weapons and artillery as far as they could down Lake George and the Hudson River. See, right here.” I pointed to a large map on the board at the front of the class and ran my finger down the waterway to show the movement. “Once they got here, they used oxen and horses and sleds to pull the really heavy weapons, kind of like hauling a large boat out of the water at a lake. As you can imagine, it took a long time to travel the entire length of Massachusetts!”
Cam jumped in: “Yeah, no kidding! I don’t think our crew could have brought one weapon back, never mind fifty-nine!”
Tommy flexed his arm muscles and said, “I’m not so sure. Have you seen these cannons?” We all laughed.
“If those are cannons, then America is in big trouble,” teased Freedom.
“Ha, ha,” said Tommy. “But seriously, what did General Washington do when the Knox brothers got back with the weapons? I mean he was probably super-relieved. I mean you guys weren’t there but these other military dudes totally laughed at how dumb Knox’s idea was. They probably weren’t laughing very much when Henry Knox made it back and saved the day!”
I explained that Tommy was entirely right. “General Washington was so impressed by Knox’s huge accomplishment and was very relieved. If the Americans hadn’t secured those weapons it is very likely they would have had no chance whatsoever and would have lost the war. Thankfully, the impossible mission was a success. This was a turning point for the American team. The Americans were able to surround the British army in Boston, by occupying a place called Dorchester Heights.”
“Did you say Dork-chester?” asked Tommy, obviously trying to get a laugh.
“No,” I said. “Dorchester Heights. It’s located here,” I added, pointing to the south side of Boston. “It’s the highest area just south of Boston that has a view of both Boston Harbor and the city of Boston. The American team, or first Continental Army, used the big cannons and guns that Knox brought back.”
Smiling, Freedom raised her hand and asked, “So just to be sure, you’re referring to the big cannons, not Tommy’s little cannons?”
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�Ohhhhhhh, ouch!” said Cam. “Freedom is dishing it out today.”
Tommy smiled wide, “Okay, I see how it is. Just remember, someday you might need these cannons.” Tommy flexed again, clearly teasing Freedom back.
She nodded and said, “Oh, really? I heard how those cannons really saved you in Lexington.”
“Seriously?” Tommy cringed while laughing. “I am going to be haunted by the Battle of Lexington for the rest of my life.”
Everyone was laughing now. I wished Liberty was here because he would be rolling on the floor.
I raised my hand to calm everyone down and said, “As I was saying, these big cannons from Ticonderoga could reach the water from the high location and scare the pants off the British army. In fact the British were so nervous and afraid when they saw the big cannons pointing down at them that they finally decided to retreat and leave Boston. George Washington and the Continental Army had done it. The American underdogs had won a vital early victory.”
“That’s way cool,” Cam said, soaking up the American strategy. Ever since the dodgeball game you could see his wheels turning whenever strategy was discussed.
“Okay, here’s a question for Tommy and Freedom: what did Thomas Paine write?”
“Common Sense!” they both said.
“Correct, again!” I said.
“Wow! You guys answered that fast,” said Cam.
“We just learned it while you and Ed were coming to class,” said Freedom.
Ed did some quick math and said, “We are tied, Mr. Revere. Both teams have answered two questions each.”
Hmm, it was time to wrap things up. “Okay, since we are all tied up, this question will be Jeopardy!-style. The first person to buzz in with the right answer gets the winning point for their team,” I said.
“When did the Americans first declare independence from Great Britain?”
Tommy slammed his hand down on the imaginary buzzer on his desk and shouted, “July Fourth, 1776!”
“Exactly right! Tommy and Freedom’s team wins! You are the official winners,” I cheered. Tommy got out from his seat and did a small victory lap around the room. Surprisingly, Cam and Ed were very good sports and gave him a high five when he rounded their chairs.
Rush Revere and the American Revolution Page 15
