The wild and suspenseful story of one of the most crucial and least known campaigns of the Revolutionary War "Vividly written... In novelistic prose, Kelly conveys the starkness of close-quarter naval warfare." —The Wall Street Journal "Few know of the valor and courage of Benedict Arnold... With such a dramatic main character, the story of the Battle of Valcour is finally seen as one of the most exciting and important of the American Revolution." —Tom Clavin author of Dodge City During the summer of 1776, a British incursion from Canada loomed. In response, citizen soldiers of the newly independent nation mounted a heroic defense. Patriots constructed a small fleet of gunboats on Lake Champlain in northern New York and confronted the Royal Navy in a desperate three-day battle near Valcour Island. Their effort surprised the arrogant British and forced the enemy to call off their invasion. Jack Kelly's Valcour is a story of people. The northern campaign of 1776 was led by the underrated general Philip Schuyler (Hamilton's father-in-law), the ambitious former British officer Horatio Gates, and the notorious Benedict Arnold. An experienced sea captain, Arnold devised a brilliant strategy that confounded his slow-witted opponents. America’s independence hung in the balance during 1776. Patriots endured one defeat after another. But two events turned the tide: Washington’s bold attack on Trenton and the equally audacious fight at Valcour Island. Together, they stunned the enemy and helped preserve the cause of liberty.

Sixteen year old Willem Stoner and his father, together with other New York teamsters, are hired by Colonel Henry Knox to haul almost sixty cannons, some weighing more than a ton, on wagons and sleds 300 miles from Ft. Ticonderoga, New York to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the brutally cold winter of 1775-1776. The artillery is desperately needed by General Washington and the Continental Army, preparing to attack the British in Boston. At the beginning of the arduous trek, Will is befriended by Ensign Nathaniel Holmes of the Marblehead Mariners. Their friendship deepens as the "Noble Train of Artillery," struggles through snow drifts and storms, across the partially frozen Hudson River and over the Berkshire Mountains during a blizzard and on into Cambridge. Using ropes, chains and freshly cut trees as levers, Will and his companions hungry and poorly clothed against the harsh winter, battle to maneuver the massive cannons up steep inclines and to slow the wagons and sleds from running away on the precipitous icy downward slopes and crushing the drivers and their teams of horses and oxen. After the treacherous descent from the Berkshires, the caravan slogs through axle deep mud as the frozen roads thaw at the end of their fifty-day journey. Arriving in Cambridge, Will stays in the barracks with the Mariners who are serving as General Washington's Headquarters troops. He makes friends with Private Adam Cooper one of several African American soldiers, free men who enlisted in Colonel Glover's regiment along with other fishermen from Marblehead and Salem. When a race riot breaks out between the Mariners and some backwoods riflemen, Will finds himself in the midst of the melee, fighting alongside the Mariners. In the early morning hours of the sixth anniversary of the Boston Massacre, Washington's troops occupy Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston and its harbor. Will, now assigned to Colonel Knox's artillery regiment, hauls a cannon up to the Heights and tensely awaits the assault by the battle tested and disciplined Redcoats and the feared Death's Head Cavalry. Later, on an exposed promontory overlooking the Boston Neck, he is caught in a fierce British artillery bombardment. When the British leave Boston, Will searches for his older brother, Johan who is apprenticed to a Boston merchant. After inquiring in the more respectable areas of the city, he wanders among the grog shops and taverns along the wharves. There, he makes a surprising discovery and is almost tarred and feathered as a Tory sympathizer. Will is rescued at the last minute by his friends in the Mariners and Knox's artillery. Through Will's experiences, this novel explores the divided loyalties that tore families apart and the motives of ordinary people taking up arms against King George. Unlike many historical novels that take substantial liberties with established facts, "Cannons for the Cause," is carefully researched. The End Notes include background information about the events described, different interpretations by prominent historians, and quotes from the historical figures' own correspondence. Original sources used are diaries, newspapers, gazettes and broadsheets. The historical figures emerge from under the cloak of hero worship and the fog of historical mythology as real people, not too unlike modern Americans in their doubts, concerns and aspirations. The fictional characters, based on solid research of those who actually lived through the tumultuous years of 1775-1776, add to the novel's historical authenticity.

In 1861 twelve-year-old Truth, a Quaker girl from Indiana, is staying with relatives who run a North Carolina station of the Underground Railroad, when her world is changed by the beginning of the Civil War.

This sequel to Cannons for the Cause (Oakland, Calif. : Peace Corps Writers, 2014) follows Will Stoner, a member of the Massachusetts Artillery, through the Battle of Brooklyn and the months following, during the fall and winter of 1776 when the very survival of the cause of independence hung in the balance.

In the early spring of 1775, on a farm in Concord, Massachusetts, British army spies located four brass cannon belonging to Boston's colonial militia that had gone missing months before. British general Thomas Gage had been searching for them, both to stymie New England's growing rebellion and to erase the embarrassment of having let cannon disappear from armories under redcoat guard. Anxious to regain those weapons, he drew up plans for his troops to march nineteen miles into unfriendly territory. The Massachusetts Patriots, meanwhile, prepared to thwart the general's mission. There was one goal Gage and his enemies shared: for different reasons, they all wanted to keep the stolen cannon as secret as possible. Both sides succeeded well enough that the full story has never appeared until now. The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War by historian J. L. Bell reveals a new dimension to the start of America's War for Independence by tracing the spark of its first battle back to little-known events beginning in September 1774. Drawing on archives in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, the book creates a lively, original, and deeply documented picture of a society perched on the brink of war.

Training Circular (TC) 3-09.81, "Field Artillery Manual Cannon Gunnery," sets forth the doctrine pertaining to the employment of artillery fires. It explains all aspects of the manual cannon gunnery problem and presents a practical application of the science of ballistics. It includes step-by-step instructions for manually solving the gunnery problem which can be applied within the framework of decisive action or unified land operations. It is applicable to any Army personnel at the battalion or battery responsible to delivered field artillery fires. The principal audience for ATP 3-09.42 is all members of the Profession of Arms. This includes field artillery Soldiers and combined arms chain of command field and company grade officers, middle-grade and senior noncommissioned officers (NCO), and battalion and squadron command groups and staffs. This manual also provides guidance for division and corps leaders and staffs in training for and employment of the BCT in decisive action. This publication may also be used by other Army organizations to assist in their planning for support of battalions. This manual builds on the collective knowledge and experience gained through recent operations, numerous exercises, and the deliberate process of informed reasoning. It is rooted in time-tested principles and fundamentals, while accommodating new technologies and diverse threats to national security.

Includes proceedings of the association, papers read at the annual sessions, and lists of current medical literature.

From the author of Backyard Ballistics comes this new DIY handbook on building cannons and other fun things that shoot, from wiffle ball launchers and beverage bottle bazookas to super-powered water guns and model culverins. It combines military history and physics with do-it-yourself projects. Now ordinary folks can construct a dozen awesome artillery devices in their garage or basement workshops using inexpensive household or hardware store materials and this step-by-step guide. Clear instructions, diagrams, and photographs show how to build projects ranging from the simple supersonic ping-pong ball shooter to the more complex replica of the Napoleon Cannon. With a strong emphasis on safety, the book also gives tips on troubleshooting, tells the history of how and when the artillery devices were used, and explains the physics behind the projects. This book will be indispensable for the legions of backyard watergunners, model-rocket launchers, and fireworks fanatics who wish every day was the fourth of July.

LINCOLN – The Lost Cause Book 1 in the Lincoln Assassination Series President Abraham Lincoln once said, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt!" President Jefferson Davis once said, "I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came." More than 150 years later, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln remains one of the most significant events in United States history. It continues until this very day, attracting the interest of scholars, writers like myself, and armchair historians. This series is very special to my heart. It begins with the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1861, and passes by the four war years and continues with his assassination by David Edgar Herold, a 23-year old pharmacist who was living in Washington City. Wait! Did you just say who? If you did, then follow this book from start to finish and you will find out that not only did John Wilkes Booth die for his involvement in the assassination, but so did four others. Many novels define John Wilkes Booth as a lone deranged actor and a madman who struck from a twisted lust for vengeance. This is not true. He was neither alone nor was he mad. According to the U. S. federal government, over 250 people were taken into custody and interrogated. Later books in the series will take you through the actual military trial of the other's conspirators, including the first woman ever executed by the United States Government. This novel will also cover that fateful night of Lincoln's assassination. It will follow the 12-day chase for John Wilkes Booth and David Herold. Then, it will follow the burial route and final resting place for Lincoln. The trial will not be covered in this novel, but the day of execution of the conspirators is included along with the burial of the other assassins. Then, the chase and capture of Jefferson Davis is told, along with his two year imprisonment by the federal government. Are you aware that it wasn't until 1977 during Jimmy Carter's term in office that Davis was posthumously forgiven for his role in the civil war and made a U. S. Citizen? The novel includes the inauguration, the assassination, the funeral, capture of John Wilkes Booth, the execution, the arrest and imprisonment of Jefferson Davis and later his funeral held in Metairie, Louisiana. Below are a few words his wife said while traveling down Poydras in downtown New Orleans. The funeral procession was over three miles long as mourners paid their respect to the South's President, Jefferson Davis. "Dear, I was thinking out loud how sad a day this has been. The United States War Department did not recognize your father. The United States flag did not fly at half-mast. It flew at half-mast throughout the south." Varina began to cry again. She raised her handkerchief up to blot the tears running down her cheek. "He is the only former Secretary of War not given the respect and honor due him by the United States Government." She sighed, clasping her slender hands together in her lap, and stared at them, lost with her emotions. "Mother, don't fret about it. Father's funeral service was, I am sure, attended by far more people than those who attended Abraham Lincoln's. The South loves him. We love the South."

Sequel to: The troubles of Johnny Cannon.