Alfred Bishop Mason

This 1911 work by Alfred Bishop Mason is the first in a young-adult series of historical fiction, which in its entirety describes key moments in America's history, from the nation's founding to the Civil War. Tom Strong, its protagonist, is only fourteen when the story opens, but - as is pointed out - that makes him fourteen years older than the nation that bred him. Beginning in August 1776, the narrative consists of brief but insightful descriptions of the major events of the American Revolution, climaxing with the surrender of General Cornwallis after the Battle of Yorktown, in October 1781. As a narrative device, Mason manages to place his young protagonist at nearly every important moment in history, and to rescue him from an improbable number of seeming death-traps. Despite these contrivances, Tom is a likeable character, who ultimately survives chiefly due to the combination of the heroism of others and his own dumb luck; though he certainly displays plenty of courage and ingenuity too. Though aimed at a young readership, this is excellent historical writing: it is very evident that Mason knows his stuff, and while, mindful of his audience, he does not treat his subject matter in either depth or detail, he is able to make clear what happened and why, who the major players were, and what were the consequences of each critical nexus in the conflict---and how often the outcome balanced on a knife-edge. He also offers a pointed reminder (a reminder much needed, apparently) of the vital role played in these events by the French. Though unabashedly patriotic, the balance of Mason's writing is impressive: he is worshipful of George Washington, but critical of the Congress; he points out the mistakes and personal shortcomings of certain American leaders, while being more than fair to Cornwallis; and though he has nothing but bitter contempt for Benedict Arnold and Charles Lee, he expresses sympathy for Major John André (even in light of the execution of Nathan Hale, which throws a shadow over the entire narrative). Overall this is an engaging and informative work of historical fiction, and recommended to anyone looking to shore up their general knowledge of this period.

It was a new country... It had been born and baptised only the month before. Sometimes it was called "The Colonies." Sometimes across the angry ocean angry men in England called its folk "the American rebels." But the English flag had come down in 1775, as the Dutch flag came down in 1664. Instead there fluttered from the flag-staff a strange bit of bunting, which showed a rattlesnake coiled in a circle, with the motto "Don't Tread On Me." This new standard had been shown in the trenches about Boston the year before. Now it hissed its motto to the winds that blew over Battery Park. And when our story begins, it was flying over the rude breastworks of the American army, breastworks of logs and rails and earth and hay, beyond the tiny village of Brooklyn. Washington was there, facing with grim but hopeless defiance a great British army, which had landed from the British fleet that lay in the Bay, and which proposed to crush the rebellion by routing and capturing that hastily-gathered, poorly-clothed, worse-fed, half-armed mob...… (mer)