Susan Provost Beller

I would be the first to admit that the stories of the strategy and tactics used in war do nothing for me. I am obsessed with the stories of the people who were there.

Not just the soldiers who fought interest me, either. I am fascinated by the stories that are usually neglected, the stories of what was happening at home while the soldiers were away fighting, the stories of the women and children left behind.

When I was given the chance to write this book, I was thrilled because it was my first chance to get back to writing about the Revolutionary War since years before when I had written a biography of Abigail Adams. Writing her story had given me glimpses into the lives of other women who had fought their own battles while their husbands and sons were off involved in politics and war.

It also gave me a chance to tell the other side of the story of the American Revolution--the story of the Loyalists, a story that is often lost in accounts of the war written for young readers.

The more I researched, the more I enjoyed finding out about these men and women on the home front who contributed just as much to their sides as the soldiers who fought in the battles. The chance to let them tell their stories in their own words and thus, to live again, is one I was happy to have.

Children's Literature
"While there are few remaining letters and diaries of people who lived in that period, there are enough to give modern students a glimpse of what life was like during those tumultuous days. Here, in a fine history text, readers are provided a solid look at the key events of the Revolutionary War. The combination of a well-developed narrative with quite a number of primary source documents makes this book an excellent tool for study of the social history of the American Revolution." Reviewer:Greg M. Romaneck