Three Spies for General Washington by Clavin Fisher

Adolescent readers experience the adventure and awe of a segment of the American Revolution through the eyes and actions of three young comrades-in-arms with diverse views and personalities. The setting is New Jersey, from the fall of Fort Lee in 1776 through the American victories at Trenton and Princeton, and into the winter at Washington’s encampments in the Morristown area.

David Holcomb, orphaned after the death of his father at the hands of the British at Concord Bridge, is an ardent patriot. He is determined to help free America from British rule. John Tantaquidgeon, of Mohawk Indian ancestry, and a for-mer military drummer, sees the Revolutionary War as a great adventure. Several times his unique skills save the boys from life threatening situations. Peter Kennett, a former British fifer, was captured by the Americans a Fort Ticonderoga and paroled in the custody of David’s uncle. He had difficulty in adjusting to the American Army and the concepts of democracy. At times, his soldiering experiences prove invaluable. Drafted as spies for General Washington, their principal targets are the Tories who infested New Jersey throughout the war. Their harrowing adventures are spiced nicely by a developing romance between David and the daughter of an American master-spy.

Author Fisher is an historian who has written hundreds of magazine articles, a half-dozen short stories and two young adult novels. The history is precise, and the tales are full of outdoor adventures. He is a resident of Simsbury, Connecticut.