The year was 1769 and the times were troubled. Boston rang with complaints against King George III: his soldiers were arrogant; taxes were too high; a man could not conduct his business without interference from the king's ministers—so people said.

John Treegate did not agree. Solid citizen of Boston, he had fought for king and country in the Battle of Quebec, on the Plains of Abraham, and was fond of saying, "For rebels, sir, there is but one cure. The hangman's noose." He was loyal to his British king and he had taught his son Peter to be loyal, too.

How was it then that only a few years later, in 1775, he said to Peter:

 "Boy, have you a gun?"

 "Yes," said Peter.

 "And I have one," said his father. He looked up over the fireplace at his musket. "I had never expected to be doing this," he said. He hesitated and then took the weapon down swiftly. He examined the flint and the pan.

 "I do not know how we are to get out of Boston armed," he said. "But I will shoot my way out if need be." And he led the way out of the room.

John and Peter Treegate, father and son, were armed for the battle against the British which was to go down in history as the Battle of Bunker Hill.

From the dust jacket