Book Report 4

MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD
By James Lincoln & Christopher Collier


It was April of 1775, when the revolutionary war begin. The Meeker family owned a Store and Tavern in the town of Redding Connecticut. There was father, mother and two son’s Sam and Tim. Sam was in college at Yale and Tim was home helping them run the family business. The family hadn’t seen Sam since Christmas. They were surprised to see him come home in a uniform. He said that they the Minutemen had beaten the British or what they also called the Lobster Backs in Massachusetts. Captain Benedict Arnold was the captain of Sam’s group then. Sam came home to steal his fathers brown vest gun so he could go back and fight. He knew that father wouldn’t approve of him being in the war or taking the only gun they had.


Over the next few years the war grew closer to Reddington. It was really hard time as the war put a stress on buying goods and materials for there store. Officers of the rebels showed up to the houses in Reddington demanding all there weapons. Father said he didn’t have any as his son stole there only gun to go fight in the war. The rebels didn’t believe him, they scunned his nose.

In November 1777 Tim and his father had to travel to New York to buy supplies for the store and it was a hard travel. On the way they found people to escort them so they wouldn’t get caught by the enemy. They weren’t so lucky coming back to find a escort so father would ride ahead of Tim. Tim had the wagon and the cows they had bought. With father ahead of him, father could worn Tim of any trouble. Tim hadn’t seen his father for a few hours. Tim Knew something was wrong. Tim was very nervous looking for anything out of the way and trying to see his fathers horse prints. When he did spot the mess in the snow Tim looked around for his father but no sign. Tim went as fast as he could to home to see if father was there. Mother and Tim learned that father was taken prison in New York. Tim tried to find Sam to tell him about father. If Sam came home he would usually stay at the Reeds house with Betsy. Mother and Tim learned that father died in prison of a disease.

December 3, 1778, Sam came home with General Putman’s Troop, they were building huts to live in not to far away. Sam would sneak to see mother and Tim. When Sam was home one time he told mother and Tim to cut the six remaining cows up and hide the beef before some soldier stole them. Tim didn’t understand, because they were on there side why would they steal from them. Sam tried to explain to Tim that when you are tired, hungry and dirty people will do anything to survive. One night that Sam was suppose to be on duty he snuck off to come home. He was talking to Mother and Tim and they heard a loud noise outside. Sam and Tim went running outside to see two people stealing two cows. Sam told Tim to get the loose cows back in the barn and he went after the thief’s. Tim went running to his brother after he got the cows back in and saw the two thieves cuffing Sam. Sam what’s going on. They are going to say they caught me stealing the cows. Colonel Parson put Sam in prison for cattle thief. This would mean he would get shot to death. Mother and Tim tried to convince them it wasn’t Sam but they would not listen because Sam was suppose to be on duty. Tim told mother that he was going to go break Sam out of jail. Mother said she could not bear to loose another son so please don’t go. Tim said sorry but I have lost father, I must try to save Sam. That didn’t work, they had already moved the prisoners for the next day to be executed. Tim watch the next day as Sam was shoot. Mother didn’t go she couldn’t bring herself to.


When the war ended Mother and Tim sold the tavern and moved to Pennsylvania. Tim got married and had children. They built a tavern there, mother never really got over Sam’s death. She refused to serve any continental offices that come into the tavern. Tim talked to his children about father and Sam. How the war had changed many lives and hoped that it would never happen again.







By Zack Frost