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Three weeks ago, my father, General George Washington, went off to war with the other men of the colonies to fight the bloodthirsty British. My sister, Sara, is so worried about father that she could not think, and started pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

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1776, June 13th

Dear Journal,

Three weeks ago, my father, General George Washington, went off to war with the other men of the colonies to fight the bloodthirsty British. My mother and I have been trying to find the whereabouts of my father since he left us. We have received one brief letter from him two weeks after his departure from us. My sister, Sara, is so worried about father that she could not think, and started pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. When it was almost sundown, she collapsed on the floor in exhaustion, and went right to sleep on the mahogany wood floor in the living room, right next to my wooden toy soldiers by the fireplace.

1776, June 14th

Dear Journal,
   This morning when I woke up my littler brother George was playing with my delicate collectors glass soldiers made by the best glass maker in all of the town.
     When I saw that I said to my brother,“ Please do not touch those George, they break easily.”              Instantly, he said, “ Ok Peter.”
        Just then mother called us into George’s room. We had a race into the small room, side by side. When we got in the room, we sat on the bed while Mother told us funny stories of daddy's childhood. “When your daddy was about your age Peter, he took your grandfathers ax and and chopped down his cherry tree! The next day he was walking down the road when he hopped up on the bridge’s wooden rail, and tried to balance, I walked up to him and said, “Hope you like the water, because you are getting a second bath!” And with that, I pushed him in the stream.”
        Sara interrupted, “That was not very nice mother!” My mother had a defense for every thing, “Well, we were only kids back in the days.” Just five minutes later we got a letter from one of the colonists who fought the bloody British and brought good news. When we opened the letter, we could hear the distant sound of drumming in our ears, just then George said, “Daddy is home!”
         We all rushed to the door and saw father with lots of British prisoners that had been wounded when father and the bloody British met; there must of been at least fifty or more. When father came in the house, he said, “I must only stay for a while, for my men need more supplies, so I will go house to house and gather all that I can, But first, I must go and lock up the prisoners in the town dungeon, and then go back to battle.”
        “But you can not go!” said Sara.
            “Yeah!”said George, “You can not go!!”
           “I must,” said father. When father took one step closer to the door, George cried out, “WAIT!!” “please daddy, don't go, here have this,” then he handed father one of his wooden toy soldiers.
“It is to remember us while your in battle.”
“Thank you son.” father gave George a small pat on the head then departed from us. Poor little Sara was weeping when she saw him walk off in the sunset with the wounded Brits, on his horse riding down the dirt road. We still wait for his return some day... this is only the beginning of a new era... The Battle of Trenton.

1777, December 27th.

Dear Journal,

    When our soldiers came back along with many wounded troops, they would tell us tales of what they had encountered. They once told us a tale that made Sara jump up in fright. The soldier told us how father crossed the icy Delaware River in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. The next morning Father had suprised the Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey. It was the first major battle they had won! Despite this good news we were still not getting regular letters from father we started getting worried and sent a letter to father with the Captain when they were ready to go back to battle. The short and brief letter read, “ Dear father, we are deeply worried about you. We were wondering if you are all right. Please write back as soon as possible.”
                        Your brave and loyal son,
                                Peter Washington.

1777, December 31st.

Dear Journal,
Today we got news that my Father was alive and well and was quite successful in taking down the British Captain and the assistant General to General Cornwallis. I was very pleased to hear that from the Captain of the Second Militia. After that letter I had less worrying to do now that we had heard news that Father was doing well, but day by day, I have to tell myself “ Be strong, it would be the same thing that Father would do.” I have more pressing matters to attend to now, like playing with my brother and sister and living my life to the fullest. I want to make my Father proud.

Epilogue

In December of 1777, George Washington took his troops to Valley Forge

in Pennsylvania. He and his forces retired there. They had lacked in food, clothing, and
ammunition. Washington had a final victory at York town, where he surrounded Lord
Cornwallis’s army, who surrendered.

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