The sequel to The Drum of Destiny will be out in 2018! Simon & Schuster/Liberty Bell Press will be publishing Cannon of Courage which follows Gabriel Cooper’s journey through the American Revolution. In Cannon, Gabriel joins Henry Knox in a daring trek across hundreds of miles of wilderness in the dead of winter to retrieve the one thing that can drive the despised British from Boston, CANNON! Gabriel and Henry Knox attempt to accomplish the impossible, bringing Fort Ticonderoga’s cannon back to Boston.  To do so, Gabriel must face untold challenges; bears, Indians, and ice. All while trying to find his way as Washington’s aide-de-camp. CANNON OF COURAGE continues DRUM OF DESTINY’S fight for freedom.

Henry Knox’s journey is an amazing, and often overlooked, piece of American History. The Knox Trail is well-marked with various monuments documenting the path Henry and his brother William took from Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge. Henry was age twenty-five and his brother William was only nineteen when the two set out to get the cannon from Ticonderoga. Their three hundred mile path navigated multiple crossings of the Hudson River and difficult mountainous terrain. Henry chose to make the journey in winter to allow the use of sleds instead of wagons. Wagons were cumbersome, prone to breaking, and often became mired in mud. Sleds pulled by oxen over snow would provide a much quicker mode of transportation.

The weight of all the cannon towed from Ticonderoga totaled approximately 120,000 pounds. Some of the cannon were 11 feet in length and weigh 5,000 pounds. Henry’s ingenuity and perseverance made the journey a success. Ticonderoga’s cannon made it to Cambridge in what Henry described to Washington as a “noble train of artillery.” The cannon were key to the patriot army driving the British from Boston in March 1776.

I’m looking forward to Gabriel showing young readers this amazing piece of American History and what creativity, hard work, and perseverance can accomplish! Stay tuned for more specifics on the release.