Chapter 5 Summary

Tim now sees the war as a reality that is effecting his town. Other people lost guns to the soldiers, and while the people in town do not hunt often, the guns are necessary to keep the wolves away from the livestock. Food is beginning to become hard to find, and soldiers from both sides have been stealing cows. The Meeker family has to raise prices to accommodate the scarcity of food. In spite of these changes, the biggest change for Tim is that he misses his brother. He has always looked up to Sam, and even now he wishes that he were grown up enough to do something as heroic as fighting in the war.

One day in April 1776, Mr. Heron, a rich and respected neighbor, stops by the tavern. He asks if Tim is continuing with school, but Father is not...