Corporal 'Lige's Recruit

Fourteen-year-old Isaac Rice is eager for news when an armed party reaches Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in May 1775. Plans to seize the supplies at Ticonderoga stir the town, and Isaac turns to the soldier he trusts above all others: Corporal Elijah Watkins. The old veteran's confidence is enormous, his account of his own importance still larger. James Otis sets this historical adventure for young readers against the opening of the American Revolution.

The story pairs Isaac's admiration with the corporal's talkative authority, then brings them into the tense preparations for an attack. At Ticonderoga, crowded boats cross the water before dawn, orders call for silence, and Isaac follows Colonel Allen's small force toward the fort. His excitement gives way to fear as fighting seems close. Readers interested in stories of young people amid historic events will find military suspense alongside a portrait of youthful faith in an older guide.