I had a major problem here, and I do not know if I succeeded in overcoming it. At the end of the first book, Boston is liberated, and Tad has returned home. As far as the people in Boston are concerned, the war is over.
Tad joined the army because he needed to escape from the British. He was still a boy, although he was by now either 13 or close to it. The Stelles, the people who took him in when he was an orphaned infant, believed the boy had done his share of duty and then some. Yet, when the army makes its long march down to New York, Tad goes with the army.
It is clear that he is under no real clear, legal obligation to stay in the army. Tad has changed from when he first joined the army. He had considered Boston to be the center of the universe. During his service in the army, he met men from other parts of Massachusetts and other colonies. His world had grown much larger. He had heard talk about far of places like New York and the place called Ohio which lay to the west of Pennsylvania. He had developed a strong desire to see these places. Also, during his time in the army, he had developed strong friendships. There was Jed, the boy from Marblehead. There was Ben, a member of General Washington’s staff. There was the old wagon driver. These people were like family to him.
There is a touch of autobiography here. I was 12 when the Germans surrendered at the end of the war in Europe. I am sure that I was happy. I am sure that I believed that the war against Japan would end soon and my father and uncle would come home from the Pacific. But at the same time, I felt bad because the end meant that I would miss the great show. When I was 13, I received my first rifle. It was a 22 caliber, lever action rifle. Four years later, I was given a different rifle. It was called a Garand, or more commonly known as an M1.
I can understand why Tad wanted to march with the army. The question remains, does my work, at this point, seem plausible?
At the end of Book One, and while in the process of transitioning to the next book, I was able to cover two points that I thought important, even though they were marginal to the main story line. I was able to bring Packie back into the story, and I added more detail about the apprentice matter.
Packie was the British drummer who helped Tad escape from Boson. During the long siege of Boston, a cannon ball hit Packie in the ankle and took off his foot. After the wound healed, Packie was fitted with a peg-leg. Tad asked Packie why he did not leave Boston with the British, and he replied that if he had done so, he would have been shipped back to England and separated from the army. Then it would be a matter of which street corner he should use to beg for money.
The Stelles, being kindly people, and aware that they owed a great debt to Packie for helping Tad, took him in and were teaching him how to operate a printing press. I hope when someone reads that part, they will give some thought to the situation today regarding returning veterans who lack some body parts.
Miller's Books 