I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

by Lauren Tarshis

  I hope I have captured some of that in this book. And I hope my one small story inspires you to begin your own journey learning about the Revolutionary War.

  I’m happy to be home and with all of you.

  As they would have said in 1776:

  Huzzah!

  I learned so much during my research and couldn’t fit most of it into my story. So here are some of the most important and interesting things I uncovered about the American Revolution and this time period.

  There had never been a country like the United States of America.

  In the 1770s, almost every country in the world was ruled by a king or queen. Those men and women didn’t earn their jobs. They were born into them. You had to have “royal blood” to lead a country. And regular people like us? Unless we were super rich, or somehow connected to the king or queen, we were pretty powerless. If we spoke out against our king or queen, we could get into huge trouble (or get our heads chopped off!).

  But America’s founders — people like John Adams, his cousin Samuel, Ben Franklin, and Dr. Joseph Warren (look him up; he was a good one) — had a very different idea of what a country could be. There would be no kings or queens. The leaders could be regular people (in the beginning that would mean only white men, but more on that later). People would have the right to speak out against their government. Rich men and poor men would be treated the same.

  This might not seem so bold. But in the 1770s there was no country like this anywhere on Earth. Many people said a country “of the people” would never work. Even if we won the war, many predicted that the “American experiment” would fail.

  There have been many rocky times in our history.

  But, more than two hundred and fifty years later, here we are.

  I could write fifty books just about the American Revolution.

  As I told you before, it wasn’t easy for me to figure out what part of the American Revolution to write about. At first it seemed logical to write about the most famous events. Why didn’t I write a whole book about Bunker Hill? Why didn’t I choose a battle that America won, like the Battles of Saratoga or Yorktown? The answer: I could have — and maybe one day I will.

  But I wanted to focus on the year 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. I wanted to write about events that maybe most people hadn’t heard of.

  And here’s the truth. I knew that no single I Survived book could come close to telling the complete story of the American Revolution. In this book, I wanted you to get a sense of why so many Americans wanted to break away from England, and what a bloody struggle it would be.

  George Washington was even more interesting than I knew.

  I became more and more impressed with our first president as I researched this book. He was smart. He was brave. He was a great husband and doting father to his stepchildren.

  But what I admire most: The guy knew how to fail. He made horrible mistakes. And then he would learn from them.

  Like the Battle of Brooklyn.

  What a stinking mess that was! The battle was terribly planned. Washington didn’t have enough troops. He should have known the American army didn’t have a chance. Yes, he pulled off that miraculous retreat. But still, he nearly lost half his army and almost wound up a prisoner of England. The whole war would have ended there.

  That battle was humiliating for George Washington. He wrote sad letters to his friends. He knew he had messed up big-time. And he kept messing up, until nearly the end of 1776.

  But he didn’t quit. He admitted his failures. And even more: He learned from them. As the months passed by he went from being a bad general to becoming a better general until, by the end of the war, he became a great general.

  There are many paintings of George Washington, but this is my favorite. It was painted in 1776, the same year as the Battle of Brooklyn.

  The Revolutionary War was a difficult and frightening time in America.

  When I used to think of the Revolutionary War, I’d think mainly of brave patriots, proud soldiers, and cheering crowds. There were certainly moments of triumph and celebration. But it was also a time of terrible suffering for many Americans.

  The lives of soldiers were harsh, even when they weren’t facing cannonballs and musket fire in battle. Those army camps really did stink, and were filled with diseases like smallpox. Often there wasn’t enough food. In the winter, some soldiers froze to death.

  But the war also brought terror and misery to people up and down the colonies. The British burned many towns, including Fairfield, Connecticut, the town right next to mine. Soldiers brought diseases home from the camps, which killed thousands. Businesses suffered. And of course many people lost family members in the war.

  But there was something more, something that I had never thought about. The Revolutionary War didn’t just pit America against England. It caused Americans to fight against their fellow Americans. Not everyone supported the idea of an independent America, especially not in the early years of the war. Many Americans felt loyalty to King George (they were known as “Loyalists”). After all, for more than a hundred and fifty years, England had protected its colonies and helped them grow. By 1776, America was one of the richest places in the world. More people knew how to read in America than anywhere else.

  But as the war began, Loyalists were condemned — often by their own neighbors. Patriot mobs attacked and tortured Loyalists. Thousands of Loyalists and their families lost their homes and fled to England. Families were torn apart. Lives were shattered.

  The Revolutionary War was a LONG war.

  The Revolutionary War officially began in Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775. The war dragged on for eight years, until September of 1783. In between there were hundreds of battles. There was fighting in almost every American colony, from the snowy woods of upstate New York to the steamy swamps of Georgia.

  Many of the biggest battles are not well known. The Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island) was the largest in terms of the number of soldiers who fought on both sides. The bloodiest was the Battle of Charleston, in South Carolina. In that battle alone, 240 men died or were wounded, and a staggering 7,000 American soldiers were taken prisoner.

  Almost every year brought victory and defeat for both sides. America certainly would have lost the war if it hadn’t been for a big helping hand from France. In 1778, the French began sending money, troops, and weapons to help the Americans.

  Why did the French care about the tiny United States? Mostly because France hated England. France and England were bitter rivals, and the French hoped that losing the thirteen American colonies would make England weaker.

  But even after the French stepped in to help, the war dragged on … and on. In 1781, the Americans won big in Yorktown, Virginia. But it would still take another two years, and countless battles, to end the war.

  And about that line, “all men are created equal …”

  It is one of the most important lines in the Declaration of Independence: that “all men are created equal.”

  But what did those words really mean?

  They meant all white men were created equal. Black men and American Indians were not included. And women? Definitely not.

  Even as Americans were fighting for freedom, hundreds of thousands of people in America were enslaved. Most of them were African Americans, like Eliza and Theo. In New York City, 20 percent of the people who lived there were slaves. I learned that in my home state, Connecticut, many, many people owned slaves. Slavery was legal in most American states until the 1800s. It wasn’t completely outlawed in America until 1865. Thousands of enslaved men fought in the Revolutionary War. Some earned their freedom by fighting. Others did not.

  It was painful to read about the lives of enslaved people during the Revolutionary War — and beyond. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin all owned slaves.

  How should we think about this?

  The truth is, many things in our histo
ry are very hard to understand as we look back. Even otherwise smart and honest and kind people did things we think of as evil today.

  Some people say we shouldn’t talk about these dark subjects. They say that admitting that George Washington owned slaves disrespects his incredible accomplishments.

  I don’t agree.

  Looking honestly at our history is important. We can learn from the mistakes of the people who lived before us. And we can make our country — and ourselves — better and stronger.

  I am certain that His Excellency, George Washington would agree with that.

  I read dozens of books while researching this book, including some you will love. Here are a few you should read. They are all historical fiction.

  The Seeds of America trilogy, by Laurie Halse Anderson

  The Fighting Ground, by Avi

  Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes

  The Keeping Room, by Anna Myers

  Woods Runner, by Gary Paulsen

  1776, by David McCullough, Simon & Schuster: 1st Paperback edition: 2006

  A History of US: From Colonies to Country, 1735–1791, by Joy Hakim, Oxford University Press; 3rd Printing edition: February 3, 2007

  A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier: Some Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings, by Joseph Plumb Martin, Signet Classics: June 1, 2010

  Boy Soldiers of the American Revolution, by Caroline Cox, The University of North Carolina Press: April 18, 2016

  Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, by Nathaniel Philbrick, Penguin Books; Reprint edition: April 29, 2014

  Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners During the Revolutionary War, by Edwin G. Burrows, Basic Books; Reprint edition: November 9, 2010

  Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow, The Penguin Press: April 26, 2004

  New York 1776: The Continentals’ first battle, by David Smith, Osprey Publishing; 3rd Printing edition: March 18, 2008

  Recollections of Life on the Prison Ship Jersey, by Thomas Dring, Westholme Publishing 2nd edition: November 3, 2010

  The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution, by Barnet Schecter, Walker Books, 1st edition: September 2, 2002

  The Battle of Brooklyn 1776, by John J. Gallagher, Da Capo Press: March 2001

  Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution, by A. J. Langguth, Simon & Schuster; Trade Paperback edition: March 15, 1989

  Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow, Penguin Books, Paperback edition: September 27, 2011

  Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution, by Patrick K. O’Donnell, Grove Press, Reprint edition: March 21, 2017

  I owe an enormous thank-you to author and historian Barnet Schecter for sharing his deep knowledge of and passion for New York City Revolutionary War history. He made me feel like I traveled back in time to walk the streets of New York City during the summer of 1776. I am grateful for his time, expertise, and his generosity in reviewing this book and helping me straighten out my facts.

  Another big thank-you to Hugh Roome, who helped kindle my interest in Revolutionary War New York City through his stories of his own family’s fascinating history. Extra thanks for sharing thrilling stories and insights about sailing and maritime history, which helped me envision Papa and Nate’s life at sea.

  Thank you also to Julie Amitie, Bonnie Cutler, Billy DiMichele, Beth Noble, Kerianne Okie, Charisse Meloto, Monica Palenzuela, Cheryl Weisman, Jeffrey West, and everyone else at Scholastic. And as always, I am grateful to my friend and editor Nancy Mercado for her steadfast patience and kindness through the challenging but ultimately joyful experience of bringing books into the world.

  THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII, AD 79

  THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, 1863

  THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE, 1871

  THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE, 1906

  THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, 1912

  THE SHARK ATTACKS OF 1916

  THE HINDENBURG DISASTER, 1937

  THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR, 1941

  THE NAZI INVASION, 1944

  THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT ST. HELENS, 1980

  THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

  HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005

  THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI, 2011

  THE JOPLIN TORNADO, 2011

  THE AUTHOR IN FRONT OF A STATUE THAT HONORS THE PATRIOT FIGHTERS OF CONNECTICUT WHO HELPED DEFEND THEIR TOWNS DURING THE BRITISH INVASIONS OF THE STATE IN 1777

  Lauren Tarshis’s New York Times– bestselling I Survived series tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters. Lauren has brought her signature warmth and exhaustive research to topics such as the September 11 attacks, the destruction of Pompeii, Hurricane Katrina, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, among others. Lauren lives in Westport, Connecticut, and can be found online at www.laurentarshis.com.

  Text copyright © 2017 by Lauren Tarshis

  Illustrations copyright © 2017 Scholastic Inc.

  For your reference, the page numbers that appear in the print version of this book are listed below. They do not match the page numbers in your eBook. Please use the “Search” function on your eReading device to find items of interest.

  Photos ©: p. vi: North Wind Picture Archives; p. 121: The New York Historical Society/Getty Images; p. 127: Charles Willson Peale/Dick S. Ramsay Fund/Brooklyn Museum (34.1178_SL3)

  This book is being published simultaneously in hardcover by Scholastic Press.

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  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  While inspired by real events and historical characters, this is a work of fiction and does not claim to be historically accurate or portray factual events or relationships. Please keep in mind that references to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales may not be factually accurate, but rather fictionalized by the author.

  First printing, September 2017

  Cover art by Steve Stone

  Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll

  © cover right, Redcoats image: Tolbert Photo/Alamy Images

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-91975-3

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