Eight-year old Johann and his family arrived in Pennsylvania in 1747 on a ship named Restauration. The Thomas family, Mennonite pacifists escaping persecution in Europe, arrived just in time to experience the end of the Friends' control of the Pennsylvania legislature with pacifism as the official state policy toward Native Americans. This historical fiction traces Johann's next ten years through the unfolding French and Indian War.
Many Americans are familiar with the story of Molly Pitcher, or Mary Ludwig Hays, who became famous when she stepped up and operated her husband's cannon after he was injured in the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. Few are aware, however, of the many other Revolutionary War generals and high-ranking officers from Molly's hometown of Carlisle, PA. In fact, General William Irvine and four of the five fighting Butler brothers were with her at Monmouth on that day in June 1778. Spanning the 50 years from the French and Indian War to the early 19th century, this novel also highlights historic events in western Pennsylvania (including Braddock's defeat, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the taking of Fort Duquesne from the French) and Lancaster County, where the lives of several families (such as Slough, Gibson, and Cope) intersected with notable natives of Carlisle, PA.
This book discusses eight successful military men who all grew up in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Chapters: Brigadier General Thomas Welsh, Major General Edward Shannon, Lieutenant General Daniel Strickler, Vice Admiral Charles Mason, Brigadier General Charles Supplee, Rear Admiral Richard Kern, Major General Richard Snyder, and Major General Frank Smoker. No bibliography
