The Liberty Boys - Brossura

Matthews, Marcia K

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1502835576 ISBN 13: 9781502835574

Casa editrice: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Riassunto

Indentured servant Dacey Flynn runs away from her capricious mistress and is rescued by patriot Joseph Habersham. Disguised as a man, she ships aboard the American Liberty and falls in love with sea captain Oliver Bowen. Through daring adventures, she joins the Liberty Boys to free Savannah from British rule. The old guard of Savannah are determined loyalists. James Habersham loves his three sons: quiet James Junior, rebellious Joseph, and foolish young John. A friend of Royal Governor James Wright, he doesn't realize all three of his sons are working for the rebel patriots. Dacey overhears their plans in a meeting at Tondee's Tavern. There she meets Oliver Bowen, the brash Yankee privateer. When Dacey's mistress tracks her down, she takes refuge on Oliver's ship and witnesses the capture of the British powder vessel Phillippa. Proving her skills as a sailor, she joins the crew in male disguise and sails to Boston to deliver the gunpowder to General Washington. Returning south, they stop at Newport where they meet Oliver's wealthy brother Jabez. Oliver announces his intention to marry Dacey, but Jabez doesn't give his blessing. He points out the impropriety of such a match. Back in Savannah, Joseph Habersham hears of his father's death and regrets his necessary deception. With Oliver going into dangerous waters, Dacey returns to serve out her indenture as the seamstress of Isabella Rae, Joseph's fiancee. The Liberty Boys form a Council of Safety and organize a battalion with two Habersham brothers as officers. The oldest brother finances them, but retains the veneer of a loyalist. Joseph places Governor Wright under house arrest, but he escapes to a British warship and finds the troops starving. The Continentals repulse the Royalists in the Battle of the Rice Ships. In May, 1776, Joseph and Isabella celebrate their wedding. A loyalist warns James Habersham that he is suspected of financing the rebels, and he soon escapes with his family to the Carolinas. Since England doesn't recognize the United States, any sea captain can be summarily hanged. Oliver asks Dacey to resume her place aboard as he cruises off Florida. The men gossip about loyalist ranger Thomas Brown and his sidekick Daniel McGirth, who rides a spectral horse called the Grey Goose. On shore to meet with Colonel Elbert, Oliver leaves Dacey with the starboard watch guarding the boat. They are captured and Dacey is abducted by McGirth. Returning aboard with the loss of one man, Oliver and his crew prepare for battle at Frederica. Samuel Elbert has 300 men divided among three galleys, while Oliver Bowen commands the schooner Liberty. Their foe has four warships including a frigate, but Oliver's clever strategy defeats the enemy. Elbert is given all the credit for the victory, as the divided loyalties of Savannah hear a distorted account of the battle. Oliver is demoted and faces ruin. In 1778, the British fleet and army close in on Savannah and the city falls under British occupation. Brown and McGirth are put in charge and under Royal Rule, the city suffers devastating reprisals. Bowen and Habersham sail privateers to harass British shipping. The arrival of the French fleet raises the patriots' hopes, but the worst is yet to come. Hundreds of men die in the siege of Savannah, and the Americans are defeated. Those who can, flee the poverty, famine and desolation of the once beautiful city. Oliver and Dacey sail north to Rhode Island, where he signs over his will to Jabez for a ship. He captures a British merchantman, only to find a cargo of fruit. Defeated at Yorktown, the British march away. The exiles return and rebuild. Eventually Oliver's reputation is restored, and the Georgians celebrate their hard-won freedom in true Savannah style.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Marcia Matthews majored in English and graduated from UNH cum laude. She enjoys gardening, travel and video production. Her poems have appeared in Hawaii Review; Sojourner; and A Wise Woman's Garden; journalism in The Belmont Citizen-Herald; The TAB; Equal Times; and Newburyport Daily News. Her pamphlet Pornography-License to Kill (New England Free Press, 1978) was anthologized in Fight Back (Cleis Press, Minneapolis, 1983). Her novels include: Morgan's Way: Henry Morgan holds 17th Century Jamaica for England. The Liberty Boys: Maid Dacey Flynn joins the Patriots of Savannah and ships aboard with Oliver Bowen. Boss of the Bayou: Jean Lafitte and his pirates help win the War of 1812. Prides Crossing: Mary Brandegee rivals art collectors Gardner and Frick in Edwardian New England. Gegenspion/Counterspy: A German prince helps the Allies as a code-breaker in WW II. Winner Take All: The spirit of an African captive curses the family of the slave-trader who killed her. Generations later, Betty Colt inherits a deserted mansion in Rhode Island. Are her forebears haunting the mansion, or are they the ones being haunted? Currently facilitating a creative writing group at the Woonsocket, RI Library, she honed her speaking skills at Toastmasters International.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1502835576
• ISBN 13: 9781502835574
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 122