The novel opens with a glimpse into the daily life of the Cooper family. As Adam com-ments on the harsh perfectionist opprobrium of his father, I find myself drawn to his side of the issue. Adam confuses his father's constant animadversion with the feeling that his father hates him. These feelings of hate are somewhat annulled by Granny, Adam's grandmother and confi-dant. She tells him that, since she has known Moses Cooper longer than anyone, she knows that he really loves Adam. This is further exerted when Adam overhears a conversation between his par-ents.

All this was happening with the rumblings of war nearby. The British taxes and tariffs were intensifying and by then most New England towns had their own local governments called Committees. These Committees were supported by local community leaders who also organized a town militia.

When word reached Lexington that a British arm

By the time they arrived in Ashley's Pasture they were twenty-one strong, and there were over thirty waiting. In the next hour of remaining there, many more showed up until there were at least a hundred of them.

All the neighbors had gone, and only Levi, Granny, and Mother remained. It was agreed upon that Adam needed a bath, and Mother sent Levi to get some water. After his bath, more neighbors were there with more food. Adam, wanting an excuse to get out of the house, was al-most glad to see Cousin Simmons, among others, struggling to carry a coffin downstairs. Cousin Simmons asked Adam's help, and he was glad to give it.

Finally, they gathered around Solomon and discussed their plan of action. They were to lie in wait next to a stone wall lining the road and as the British passed, rise up and fire over the wall. When the revolutionaries had fired, they were supposed to run away from the road and regroup. At their second grouping, they decided to break into groups of two's and three's, not allowing the British to take advantage of firing into one huge clump of men. Adam paired off with his cousin Joseph Simmons, the town blacksmith and a friend of the Cooper family.

In any case, the British came to Lexington. The town representatives went to parlay with them. Jonas Parker, Moses Cooper, the Reverend, and Simon Casper, a confrontational battle ad-vocate, were there in front of three mounted British officers. All they could do was watch help-lessly as the redcoats, a thousand strong, surrounded their seventy-man militia in silence. The Reverend, being the peaceful man that he was, tried to speak diplomatically to the British officers. They unfeelingly gunned down Adam's father along with most of the defenders in plain sight of everyone. Adam was one of the lucky few that made it out alive.

When Adam awoke, it was to the voices of the Reverend and Cousin Simmons. They were discussing having

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1302
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)