The sound of cannons firing blasts through the air, ears ring as volleys launch from the long musket barrels, line by line. Hiding behind a lone tree stands a man, eyes closed and tears flowing down his cheeks. A battle cry sounds and he opens his eyes. Through the smoke he sees the shadows of the enemy begin to flow forth; he knows his end has come. Memories start to flash before his eyes.

Jack found himself in a familiar bed, at home, like it had all been a dream. He jumped up and ran outside. He heard the voice of his wife calling to him like honey, he turned to look at her, but the scene suddenly changed. Now at the mouth of a trail, he saw his good friend, Brahm, with his possessions on his back, motioning him to move closer. “C’mon Jack, we’ve got to hurry to join the revolution.” As Jack started forward, a rush of scenes passed: his wife and kids crying as he left, the cold look from his friends family.

The next thing he knew, he had arrived at the recruitment stations. They whisked the recruits through the training process, making sure they could shoot straight. Jack abruptly arrived at a place he recognized, the battle of Millstone. The battle had already neared its end, the British had begun their retreat. A stray bullet had flown past Brahm, impacting Jacks left arm, pain blossomed from the bullet wound. Everything went black.

Color returned as Jack woke in a sick bed, his arm still aching. Time seemed to speed up, as days flashed by and Jack healed. Months in the matter of minutes passed. Letters were read and sent, he lamented his decision to join the war, and promised his wife he would soon return. Jack determined that he would desert if he had to. Alas, his chance had never come, and he was back on the front lines. The fire fight had lasted for hours when an explosion went off, just feet away. His vision went red, then black.

Jacks eyes opened, to a world without color. His face was caked with blood, he felt shrapnel grating against his bones. Shakily he stood up. Looking around, he found himself in a smoke filled field. “Am I back?” he wondered. His question was answered when he saw the body of Brahm, the man who had earned the respect of a brother, torn and broken at his feet. He fell down in anguish and screamed in rage, remembering why he kept pushing, why he never deserted like the cowards who only cared for survival, why he would kill every redcoat he could, only death would end his bloodthirsty rampage.

Now, behind the tree, Jack seems to jolt, a new determination gleams in his eyes. Time slows, he leaves the protection of the tree, screaming, running towards the ingrates who took the life of his best friend. Musket balls whiz by, as he runs into the jaws of death.

Bibliography

History.com Editors. “Battle of Millstone, New Jersey.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,

13 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-millstone-new-jersey. 18 April 2019

Durham, J. Lloyd. “Outfitting an American Revolutionary Soldier.” NCpedia, Tar Heel Junior

Historian, www.ncpedia.org/history/usrevolution/soldiers. 18 April 2019

McCullough, David G. 1776. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2005

Shi, David and George Tindall America: The Essential Learning Edition. W. W. Norton &

Company, Inc., 2015