The action starts in the year 1775 when King George III went in front of Parliament to discuss the civil war in America and whether they should get involved or not. Many members of the Parliament expressed their opinion and suggest that they should keep themselves separated while some urged the King to act.
The war began on the American soil in April 1775 but the King and the Parliament found about it only a month after it begun because it took a long time for the news to travel from America to England. The man who was leading the rebels was George Washington and while it seemed in the beginning that the British troops were wining, they suffered great loss. Many people criticize King George for the way he chose to deal with the matters in America but he is still popular in England. William Howe is named commander of the British troops in America in 1775 after King George’s speech in which he tells the parliament that George Washington wants to build an independent empire and break America from England. The members of the Parliament propose the Stamp Act of 1766 and they consider it as being more efficient than a war against the Americans whom many still consider as being British.
Many think that England must send its troops to prove that they are still powerful, otherwise they will lose their influence. In the end, despite having mixed feelings about the King’s proposition, the two Houses agree to send more troops to America to fight against the rebels.
In the second chapter, the author analyzes how things were in America and it begins by presenting the main problem the American troops had to deal with, namely a limited supply of gunpowder. Nathanael Green, an intelligent and young American commander, tries to deal with the lack of supplies and with the fat that the American troops were inexperienced and lacked the discipline and training the British ones had. The American troops are told to stand and wait for the British ones to attack so the American army is situated near Boston where they spend their days digging up tranches.
Washington is worried that the American army is resilient to listen to what the commanders tells them to do and that they are becoming lazier as the days go by. Washington introduces corporal punishment to keep the men in line but they are hard to control and soon enough, many start to desert and some even start a mutiny inside the army. The army is made out of men with various ages, ranging from children to old men in search of a steady job.
Washington finds himself in the situation to accept black men in the army as well, even though he and the others have racial prejudice against them. The problems get worst as winter approaches and Washington fears that he doesn’t have enough clothes for his troops. Because of this, Washington focuses his energy on convincing more men to sustain financially the American Army.
As winter approaches, Washington discovers that British spies infiltrated his armies and that the British have problems of their own: they lack proper clothing to get them through the winter, the food supplies are running low and they almost ran out of gun powder. As a result, many British soldiers begin deserting as well.
Illness plagues the American camps and the soldiers have to deal with contagious illnesses. When the situation seems hopeless, a miracle happens towards the end of the year when the American troops capture a British vessel carrying ammunition, gunpowder and other supplies.
Many American soldiers choose to go back home rather than to reenlist in the army at the end of the year but many new soldiers come from distant colonies and so Washington orders a new flag to be made, a symbol for the unity of the American people against the British.
In mid-1775, the British take Boston but they don’t take Dorchester Heights, they place where they could defend Boston. The harsh weather affects in a negative way the British troops but a few high-ranking officials manage to enjoy their time in Boston. Among those men are Richard and William Howe who many speculate that they were chosen to lead only because of their aristocratic ties.
George Washington fears for his army and in a letter to Joseph Reed Washington confesses that he feels he should have never agreed to lead the American army. The beginning of the year 1776 is marked both by defeats and victories. An expedition sent by Washington to Quebec fails but the situation is not so dire because Knox returns to Boston with cannons, ammunition and guns the British left behind.
In February, the Americans plot to lure away a part of the American army situated in Boston and then to attack Boston and retake it. The British maintain their position for a while but in the end William Howe decides to leave Boston with any other Loyalist who wanted to leave the city. When Washington enters the city, he finds it pretty much intact but soon finds that the British robbed the city and the people of their valuable things by giving them worthless certificated in their place.
Howe returns to Halifax with his troops and the British Parliament is outraged when it finds about Howe’s defeat. In America, Washington is rewarded for his victory with a gold medal awarded to him by the National Congress. After the Siege of Boston, Washington decides to move his troops to New York, preparing for a possible attack from the British. Washington knew that protecting New York would be harder than Boston mainly because New York was surrounded by water and the vast majority of those living in New York were loyal to the British Empire.
Washington recruited new soldiers in New York but many were dissatisfied to see that black people were also accepted in the army. The army and George Washington reach New York on April 13 and the commanders begin to inspect the city right away and to build new fortifications against the British.
On April 22, two dead soldiers are discovered in a brothel and the army lashes out, burning the brothel to the ground. A smallpox epidemic affects many soldiers so the army is again in a state of chaos.
General Charles Lee advises Washington to place the canons near the East River and he does just that and he also begins to fortify Long Island. A plot to kill Washington is discovered and the American army kills everyone they suspect of being Loyalists to the British Empire.
The first British ships are spotted in June 29 and the British ships docked near Staten Island on July 2. On the same date, the Continental Congress declared independence from the British Empire. On July 14, the British army sends Washington a letter and he later meets with Captain James Paterson who tells him that the British Empire is willing to forgive everyone who got involved in the war but Washington refuses.
More British ships arrive in America and by the end of the summer of 1776, more than 100 vessels arrived at Staten Island. New recruits come every day to join the army but an equal number of soldiers desert each day because they are afraid or because they need to take care of their own lands.
Nathanael Green becomes ill in the summer of 1776 and Washington finds himself in the position of having to find a new general. The one who takes Green’s place is John Sullivan who unfortunately is not as skilled as Green. The American troops become restless as they wait for the British army to attack and Washington knows that they are not as prepared as they should be for the imminent attack.
On August 21, the British invasion begins and by the end of the day, 20.000 British soldiers arrive in Long Island where they are welcomed by the Loyalists. For five days, the British make no move against the Americans. When they do move, General Clinton orders half of the army to advance towards Brooklyn without telling the other generals about his plan. His plan is successful and Lord Stirling’s troops are surrounded and they are forced to surrender. Washington calls for more troops from Manhattan but a storm that starts in that night prevents any more British vessels from arriving.
George Washington decides to retreat after he is advised by his commanders but he doesn’t tell the army about his real plan. Instead, he lets them believe that they will attack the British army. By dawn, the troops were on ships and ready to leave while being hidden by a thick fog. When the British realized that the Americans left, it was too late to chase after them. George Washington manages to take his troops back to New York while the British army takes over Manhattan.
The Continental Congress is torn between wanting to pull out the army from New York or to let them there and burn the city to the ground so it will be of no use to the British. The Americans try to negotiate but Howe refuses to negotiate when he hears that the Americans will not renounce their claim of independence.
In September 13, the British prepare another battle against the Americans and on the 15th of September the British attack. The Americans flee from the British and Washington is enraged to see his troops scattering. In September 20, a fire breaks in New York and burns down a big part of the city. The British blame the Americans for the incident and despite the Americans denying being involved, an American spy is discovered and he is hanged when he is suspected of being the one who started the fire.
On October 12, Washington tells his troops to retreat north when the British advance too much towards them. The British land at Pell’s Point on October 18 but they are defeated by a small group of American soldiers who retreat after killing a big portion of the British army. Ten days later, the British and the Americans fight again and the Americans lose but not before killing a big portion of the British army.
On November 16, the British take Fort Washington and more than 2.000 American soldiers are captured. Washington orders the troops at Fort Lee to flee and he takes the remaining army to New Jersey.
The American Army lost four major battles in a span of three months and Washington was worried that many will chose not to reenlist when the year will be over. The colonies became more reluctant in sending their troops to America and chose to keep them closer to home.
The British commanders began to quarrel between one another and so they became weaker. Washington was able to meet with Lord Stirling and his troops and they march to New Jersey. Other American generals refuse to join Washington at New Jersey so he is left alone to deal with the British army. Washington has time to flee however and he leaves New Jersey.
Washington is informed that Charles Lee was captured and that the Continental Congress decided to move to Baltimore out of fear for the British. Washington decided to attack the British on Christmas Day when he receives a letter from Joseph Reed and despite being behind schedule on the day of the attack, Washington and his army continues to advance towards the British troops.
The attack is a success despite the soldiers being tired and having guns that didn’t work. After hearing about the defeat, Howe decides to march towards New Jersey with his troops but Washington had two more victories before retreating for the winter.
The account as a whole ends with the narrator noting that the Americans will go on to win the war and become independent and even if many claimed that the French and the Dutch are the reason why the war was won, there are still many who attribute the wining of the war to George Washington.
