The Pres Redway Story, 1780-1781 : A Novel [Paperback]

Clarence Hotchkiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1997

The American Revolution is at its height and preserved Redway wants to play his part. After successfully competeing in the 1780 Voluntown footrace, Pres decides to join the Continental Army. Soon he and fellow runner Toorch Morley are sent to the West Point fortifications on the Hudson River, where they become messengers. Although just 16, Pres is soon dodging musketballs and tracking down spies behind enemy lines. Together with friend Jack Briggs, Pres uncovers a plot by General Benedict Arnold to betray our country. Later with the blessings of General George Washington, the trio sets out to foil the scheme. Their courage then leads them to undertake a daring mission to rescue the mysterious female American spy, Agent 355, from the British prison ship, the Jersey. But when his girlfriend Laura is taken by the notorious David Chew, Pres sets out for British held New York City with more personal reasons in mind. This adsventure leads him to the heart of the campaign of 1781 and eventually to the history-altering Battle of Yorktown.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Preserved Redway, a lanky Connecticut lad who likes to don his moccasins and run for the sheer joy of it, leads the reader on wind sprints to and from major American Revolutionary War battles of 1780-1781. His ultimate finish line - and ours - is the fateful Yorktown campaign of August-October, 1781. Author Clarence Hotchkiss has diligently immersed himself in colonial American detail, thereby aligning Pres Redway's adventures with the exciting, often wrenching,origins of the United States.

Although Mr. Hotchkiss steers his young, six-foot-three-inch protagonist through an under-appreciated period of U.S. history, Redway's story is told with twentieth century gusto. The running of Redway and his friends Jack Briggs, Torch Morley and Israel Sabin, can easily be appreciated by an army of today's joggers. Mr. Hotchkiss's female characters are, almost incredibly, also runners, although the narrative is careful to note that Polly Hall, Laura West and Ann Smithfield, a.k.a. Nancy Maplewood, wore "britches" while on their cross-country jaunts.

While Pres Redway's roaming feet take us to the sites of wartime turmoil, espionage, social affairs and lover's trysts, the story is ultimately motivated by dialogue. Mr. Hotchkiss has a bevy of loquacious characters at his command and they do his bidding well. The appearence of the occassional "wough" for "wow", or "mayhaps" for "perhaps" do not slow the action. And these conversations remind us that the U.S. Revolutionary period was known for learned and colorful writers and speakers. Having George Washington, Alexander Hamilton or the patriotic Pres Redway describe their extraordinary era is both a pleasure and an adventure. -- Junius Rochester, of Tommie Press

About the Author

After graduating from Yale University and serving two years in the army, Clarence Hotchkiss entered the family manufacturing business where he rose to become president and c.e.o. He has run a number of road races as well as 11 marathons, which allows him to give a rich feeling of the joy and pain in his writing. Mr. Hotchkiss lives with his wife in Binghamton, N.Y. he has four children and eleven grandchildren.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 507 pages
• Publisher: Commonwealth Pubns Inc (May 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155197116X
• ISBN-13: 978-1551971162
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,282,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Pres Redway Story, July 30, 2000

By 

Peter R. Limburg (Bedford, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pres Redway Story, 1780-1781 : A Novel (Paperback)

THE PRES REDWAY STORY is a well-researched tale of the American Revolutionary period, rich in authentic details of life in the military and on the farm (many Revolutionary soldiers served for limited terms only, returning to their farms or businesses after their term was up). Although the enthusiasm of the young hero, Preserved Redway, and his girl friend, Polly Hall, for running strains credibility, other elements of the tale are solidly grounded in historical records, memoirs, letters, etc. Drama is supplied by the romance of Pres and Polly, set against the uncertain fortunes of war and the treason of Benedict Arnold, himself the respected hero of the Battle of Saratoga. In addition to Arnold, the reader will meet such notables as Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Sam Fraunce, the free black owner of famed Fraunce's Tavern, the redoubtable General Israel Putnam,and George Washington himself. This is a book for the history buff.