My Brother Sam is Dead is a historical fiction novel told in the first person, through the eyes of ten-year-old Timothy Meeker. It recounts the hardships Tim and his family endured during the Revolutionary War. When Tim’s older brother Sam joins the rebel forces, he shocks the rest of his family who wishes to remain neutral and / or avoid war with England. Tim’s family is Anglican and therefore loyal to the Church of England, so a split with England would affect them greatly.

Through Tim Meeker we learn about the problems, concerns and conflicts of the rebellion on a personal level. Each chapter touches on a series of themes and questions that give readers a better understanding of the effects the American Revolution had on individuals, their families, their churches, their towns, their neighbors … in short, it allows readers see the war from the position of those who lived it. This is one of the novel’s greatest strengths; it silently weaves together all the issues and problems of the early years of the American Revolution in a tragic tale of the role of a ten-year-old boy in a war he does not understand.

The novel highlights many of the problems and events that affected cities like Redding, Connecticut and its inhabitants at this time of the war. Below are the themes that have been woven into this novel that I find most intriguing.

1. What people lived at the beginning of the Revolution.

   The novel begins in April 1775 and ends in February 1779 … a very volatile period of the American Revolution, as it was not clear which side would win the war. Many were still confused about the issues or unwilling to solidify a position on them. As the story unfolds, the consequences of the war are devastating for the Meeker family, as the rebellion of Tim’s brother, Sam, and the pacifist position taken by Tim’s father, Life, result in the ironic death of both symbolizing the atrocities and injustice of war. .

2. Trying to stay neutral and / or ignore the Rebellion.

   Life Meeker is a moderately successful businessman and member of the Anglican Church who feels that a rebellious break from England will put both his livelihood and his religion at risk. He does not want rebellion; you just want things to stay the way they are. Life’s decision to ignore the war and go about business as it always has turns out to be fatal.

3. The monetary problems that arose from the rebellion and the way it was financed.

   The Meeker has a tavern / shop, and keeping it running is hard work. Even before the Revolution, to earn money, each year Tim’s father and brother Sam traveled to New York State to sell cattle that they received from people who owed them money. During the war it becomes even more difficult as paper money and notes from the police station alter the values ​​of existing currencies and negatively impact local economies and businesses.

4. The sacrifices families and individuals were forced to make during the American Revolution.

   Since Sam sided with the rebels and was not there, Tim’s responsibilities have increased tenfold. The jobs that Tim and Sam used to share now fall on Tim’s shoulders. Father (Life) takes Tim to New York for his annual cattle race. They even have to travel without a Brown Bess (musket / weapon used for protection), which Sam had recently stolen. Because Life is captured on his return journey from Verplanck, Tim has to take care of his mother and himself for the rest of the novel. He is forced to grow up overnight when he sees that he is now the man of the house, with his father in prison and Sam fighting with the Patriots.

5. Groups that were formed during the war for both good and bad reasons.

   Security Committees – These committees were formed early in the war to disarm people who could potentially help the British. Life is an Anglican and therefore viewed as a loyal / conservative by the local Security Committee who comes to Meeker Tavern to disarm him. As the war progressed, these groups worked to maintain order in rural areas and help those in need.

   Cowboys and Skinners: The Cowboys and Skinners were groups of raiders who harassed and looted rural districts on the border between American and British forces in Westchester County, New York. Westchester County was called “neutral ground,” since the British were in the Bronx and the Americans in Peekskill, New York. Life is captured by the cowboys on their way back to Redding in their cattle ranch. Cowboys.

6. Wartime raids and brutal acts that take place during war.

   In Chapter 10, the British march through Redding and capture several Patriots on their way to Danbury, CT to destroy the Rebel / Patriot war supplies that were stored there. As the British leave town, a local slave is accosted and brutally murdered as Tim watches in horror. The point the authors were making here is that war is cruel and people died.

7. Winter camps and the problems within them during the early stages of the Revolutionary War – Theft of local cattle; spies and desertion; discipline of the troops.

   General Israel Putnam’s division of the Continental Army is camped at Redding in the winter of 1778-1779 and Sam Meeker is a soldier in one of the Putnam camps. One night, Sam runs away from camp and returns home to spend time with his family. As they discuss war and related issues, Sam hears the commotion outside … Patriot soldiers are trying to steal their cattle! When Sam intervenes, he is outnumbered and beaten up. Back at the camp, he is falsely accused and court-martialed for deserting the camp and stealing livestock. General Putnam, who has long dealt with ill-equipped troops, deserters and traitors, feels he needs to set an example to maintain discipline among his army. Sam, sadly, becomes one of the two examples that winter, and is executed.

8. The difficulties of war.

   Throughout the novel we are provided with examples of the difficulties that local communities endured during the Revolution and long afterward. Economically, socially and emotionally, the Revolutionary War was devastating for the people who lived through it and the narrative provided by Tim brings these feelings to life.

I think the best way to use this novel in the classroom is to explore the topics I have listed above. Each chapter is geared toward giving us a better understanding of the difficulties caused by the American Revolution and the effect it had on individuals, their families, their churches, their towns, their neighbors, etc. powerful learning tool if you are willing to look beyond history.

My Brother Sam is Dead was written by Christopher and James Lincoln Collier and can be found in most bookstores and public libraries.