Revolutionary War on Wednesday (5 page)
Read Revolutionary War on Wednesday Online
Authors: Mary Pope Osborne
“What are you talking about?” George Washington asked.
Jack yanked the captain's letter from his bag.
By the light of the lamp, he read the words the captain had copied for his children:
“ âThese are the times that try men's souls â¦Â ,' ” Jack read. “ âBut he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.â¦Â The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.' ”
Jack looked at George Washington.
“Even if things look impossible, you should keep going, sir,” he said. “The harder things seem, the greater the triumph, right? That's what you read to your men. You have to keep going for
their
sake.”
“Yes! And you have to keep going for
our
sake,” said Annie. “For the sake of the
future
children of America, sir.”
As the wet snow hissed about them, George Washington stared a long moment at Jack and Annie.
Finally, he put a hand on each of their shoulders.
“I do not know who you are,” he said. “I do not know how you know what you know. But I believe you. For your sake, and for the future children of America, we
will
march on.”
“Yay!” cried Annie.
“Yay,” said Jack softly. He sighed with relief and put away the captain's letter.
“Now get back in the boat,” said George Washington. “You must leave the fighting to us. To me and my men.”
Jack felt very grateful to George Washington and his whole army. They were risking their lives for all of America's children, past and future. He could barely speak.
“Thank you, sir,” said Annie.
“Thank you both for telling me to listen to my own advice,” said George Washington. He called to the rowers waiting in the boat. “Take good care of these two.”
George Washington climbed onto his horse. He looked down at Jack and Annie.
“Merry Christmas,” he said.
Then the commander-in-chief rode away into the stormy darkness.
“All aboard!” one of the rowers called.
Jack and Annie hurried down the steep riverbank. They climbed back into the boat.
The crew pushed away from the shore. The boat started back through the icy, churning waters of the Delaware River.
Jack was freezing in the sleet and snow. But he didn't worry about that now. He was thinking instead about how they had helped George Washington. He was thinking about how they had helped keep history on its course.
Jack felt great.
When they got to the riverbank, Jack and Annie jumped out of the boat.
“Thanks!” Jack yelled to the rowers.
With the wind at their backs, Jack and Annie took off through the blizzard. They ran down the icy bank of the Delaware River.
Thunder rumbled in the snowy sky.
Lightning zigzagged over the woods.
“How will we find the tree house?” cried Annie.
“I don't know!” said Jack. “But don't worry! We'll find it!”
He felt very confident now, after meeting George Washington. After being
thanked
by George Washington!
He and Annie ran on through the rain and the snow and the sleet.
They ran along the riverbankâuntil a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky. Then Jack saw it!
The tree house was directly to their left, high in a tall tree covered with snow.
“Over there!” he shouted.
Jack and Annie ran toward the edge of the woods.
In the dark, Jack looked up, searching for the tree house.
Lightning lit the woods again. Jack saw the rope ladder flapping wildly in the wind.
He grabbed it.
“Annie!” he called.
“Here!” she said.
“Let's go!” he said.
They climbed up the swaying ladder and scrambled into the tree house. They were soaking wet and covered with slush and snow.
Annie grabbed the Pennsylvania book.
“I wish we could go there!” she shouted.
The wind blew even harder.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
Gray early light spilled into the tree house.
Birds sounded in the woods.
The summer wind felt warm and gentle. Jack and Annie were wearing their nice, dry clothes again.
“Oh, man,” said Jack. “It's good to be home.”
“Yeah,” said Annie, sighing, “back in this peaceful place.”
Jack pulled the captain's letter out of his pack. He turned it over. It was addressed to:
Molly and Ben Sanders
Apple Tree Farm
Frog Creek, Pennsylvania
“Molly and Ben lived on a farm near these woods over two hundred years ago,” said Jack.
Annie gently touched the letter.
“Your dad is going to make it home, kids. He misses you,” Annie whispered, as if she could send comforting words back through time.
Jack carefully placed the special writing from the Revolutionary War next to the writing from the Civil War.
“Look,” said Annie. She picked up a note lying in the corner. It said simply:
Come back on Tuesday
.
“Another message from Morgan,” said Annie.
Jack smiled.
He pulled on his pack.
“See you on Tuesday, tree house,” he said.
He started down the rope ladder. Annie followed.
In the early daylight, they ran through the Frog Creek woods. Then they ran down their street.
They climbed onto their porch and rested against the railing. They looked out at the dawn sky.
Jack remembered the
whoosh
of the cold wind on the Delaware. He remembered the
hiss
of the wet snow and the
slosh
of the icy waves.
He remembered George Washington reading to his men.
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph,” Jack whispered.
“Those words are true,” said Annie. “It
was
a hard conflict, and I feel kind of glorious right now. Don't you?”
Jack laughed.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said.
Then he and Annie slipped into their quiet, peaceful house.
THE THIRTEEN COLONIES
Long ago, the United States was made up of thirteen small colonies. Many of the early settlers, or colonists, thought of England as their “mother country.” They were proud to have come from England, and they felt great loyalty to the British king.
Over time, though, many colonists wanted to be independent. They did not want a faraway country to rule over them. These colonists were called
patriots
.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND GEORGE WASHINGTON
In the spring of 1775, fighting broke out between the patriots and the British in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
That summer, a group of American patriots met in Philadelphia and began to organize an army to fight the British. They made George Washington their commander-in-chief.
After the patriots won independence over eight years later, Washington resigned as commander-in-chief. He returned to the life of a gentleman farmer on his plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Six years later, in 1789, George Washington was elected the first president of the United States.
THOMAS PAINE
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, some colonists did not want to break away from England. These people were called
Tories
.
In January 1776, a British writer named Thomas Paine wrote a powerful essay that attacked the idea of obeying a king. Paine called his essay
Common Sense
. It inspired many Tories to join the patriots' cause.
Almost a year later, in December 1776, George Washington's army was losing the war. Many soldiers wanted to give up. This time Thomas Paine wrote a series of essays called
The Crisis
.
George Washington had
The Crisis
read aloud to his troops on the banks of the Delaware River.
Paine's words inspired the troops to continue the fight. They crossed the Delaware River, defeated the enemy, and gave new hope to the whole patriot army.