Review Detail

After the death of his brother Sam at the hands of the Redcoats during the Revolutionary War, Timmy Meeker and his mother are struggling to run their tavern in Connecticut. Since his father, who fought for the British, was also killed, times are tough. Occasionally, Timmy has to travel to other towns to get supplies, but since the war is going on, this is often a treacherous undertaking. When he goes to White Plains, the British take his horse and wagon, but he manages to get them back in the night. In New York City, he meets Becky, who tells him that the two of them should just try to steal the supplies he needs instead of buying them. She steals a clock, and the two of them pawn it for fifteen shillings, and Becky decides to leave her life of crime and go back to Connecticut with Timmy. She helps out at the tavern until soldiers abduct her so she can cook for them. Timmy manages to save her, but on the way back home, the two meet a drifter named Chauncy. He comes home with them and tries to make the mother sign a paper giving him half of the tavern in exchange for his help in refurbishing the place. The mother has none of this. Chauncy then pockets much of the silverware and takes off. Timmy and Becky follow him and watch as he tries to sell it to the British. Of course, the officer just takes the silverware. Timmy and Becky try to get it back from the Redcoats while they are sleeping. Even though Chauncy continues to claim the silverware is his by rights, he moves in to the tavern, where he doesn't do much work. At some point, the Redcoats take him, but Becky maintains it is important to save him. While Timmy has thought a lot about getting revenge for Sam's death, he can't manage to figure out whether he would get revenge on the British or the Americans, and in the end decides that none of it matters because his brother Sam is dead.