The Patriot Surgeon

During the spring of 1775, tensions and tempers boiled over and armed conflict erupted between the American colonists and the military forces of their mother country, England. As 1776 looms on the horizon, General George Washington, commander of the American forces, finds himself in a stalemate. He has 6,000 British soldiers throttled in the city of Boston and yearns to pick a fight. His plan, along with Congress, is to force the British Parliament to address the complaints and demands of the colonists. The Crown and Parliament would do so, but not in the fashion that he and his fellow patriots expected.1776 would prove to be a tumultuous and monumental year for the young United States. King George III has now viciously turned against the colonists and solicited the assistance of auxiliary troops from Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Hanau and other German principalities. Diplomacy has produced no results at reconciliation and a war for independence emerges as their only option. In July, Congress declares the colonies independent and generates a list of grievances for all the world to read. Armed conflict would escalate throughout the summer resulting in a string of battlefield successes for the British. Defeat, disease and desertion would continue to decimate Washington's army, prospects for independence and the spirits of the young nation. As the year nears its end, so too does Washington's army and the revolution for which they are fighting. Christian Maier, still providing assistance to the British army in Canada, must confront professional and domestic hardships to survive the winter and return to his home in Pennsylvania. Tammany Maier must endure the continuing military and medical hardships in Canada before returning to General Washington to help keep the revolution alive. George Washington must learn from his army's many failures, overcome the lack of support of his trusted compatriots and somehow cobble together a formula that will allow the revolution to continue beyond year's end.