By: Chris Bentley and Tanya Landau

The war began with two parts. The Tories and the Rebels. The Tories were loyal to the queen and king, while the rebels were fighting for their freedom. But the war had just begun. Sam is a rebel and his father is a Tory and young Tim is right in the middle of it all. Poor Tim can’t decide what side to be on, it is fighting his dad on one side and his brother on the other.

Tim’s life consisted of work, eating, and sleeping. He had no fun in his life, until now. His brother goes of to war and has to steal his father’s prized gun in order to succeed. Tim is terrified, for he is worried about his brother and he is also worried that his family won’t be able to make it through the war. Tim has to find the courage and strength and has to become his own man.

Tim and his father are going on a trip to Verplancks point. But when they wander out of Redding territory, they run into cowboys. The cowboys want to steal all of the stock and everything else. Tim is scared and is dad is pined down on the ground. They tell him he has to go out into the field. So he runs about 50 yards out into the field away from his dad. The cowboys start asking him questions but father is not responding. The cowboys are not happy they hit him with the butt of the gun and ride of surprisingly not taking anything. Tim ran over to father. Father was bleeding under his eye. But Tim knew that his father was strong, so they gathered the horses and oxen and rode on. They hoped they wouldn’t run into cow boys again.

 On the way home Tim thought everything was going to be ok, he was terribly wrong. When his father goes to check about 2 miles ahead for cowboys, he is not gone for 30 min but 2 hours. Tim is scared but he knows he has to keep going. When he starts of he is very frightful because if cowboys took his father they might be waiting for him next.

When Tim gets home he tells his mom what happened. She is very disappointed and every time she would talk about it she would have a different theory. But one morning when Tim got up he felt different more mature. He said he feels like more of an adult. He still felt bad and worse because he and his mom had to take on all of Tim’s father duties.

After a long time of waiting Tim’s father still doesn’t arrive. But one day when Tim was weeding the garden, young Ned, one of Tim’s friends, comes running down the street yelling “the British are coming! The British are coming!” the British came all right. A big platoon of British soldiers where marching down the street all equipped with 4 cannons, about 20 men on horse back, 2 flag carriers, also carrying guns, and about 100 maybe more soldiers dressed in a red uniforms marching down the street. It was a scary yet marvelous display of the soldiers Tim has ever seen. All over the place children were trying to get closer but there moms stopped them before they got to them. But some of the older kids got to talk to them. The older kids ran over to were there were and started talking to them. Even Tim started to talk with them. Then there mothers came and the soldiers marched away.

Right before the soldiers left Tim saw that one of the men that was captured by them was shot. Lots of people came running to him, he needed a doctor so Tim ran up the road. But before he got there he saw that one of the generals houses was being attacked and inside were soldiers, lots of them. But then it began the massacre. A bunch of troops started attacking it was the British! Tim sat there stunned and scared. But that wasn’t the worst part one of the soldiers heads was cut of. Tim was on the verge of throwing up, and that was the end of that.

All his life Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother, Sam. Sam is smart and brave and always knows the right thing to do. Everyone in town admires him, until now. Sam has enlisted in the new American Revolutionary army. He talks about defeating the British and becoming independent and free. But not everyone in town wants to be a part of this new America. Most people are loyal supporters of the English king – including Tim and Sam’s father. War is raging and Tim knows he’ll have to make a choice. But how can he choose when it means fighting his father on one side and his brother on the other? By: James and Christopher Collier

 Hope you liked the slide show! 