I Survived the American Revolution, 1776: Chapters 8–18

by Lauren Tarshis
In this fifteenth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Nathaniel Fox runs away from home and finds himself in the middle of the Battle of Brooklyn.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–18
30 words 82 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gruesome
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    He squeezed himself tighter into the doorway and tried not to think about the gruesome stories Papa’s men used to tell, about men who’d had their heads blown off by cannonballs.
  2. grimy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    Every inch of grass was covered with tents—row after crooked row of the grimiest, droopiest tents Nate had ever seen.
  3. wrench
    twist or pull violently or suddenly
    Nate wriggled and squirmed until he wrenched himself free.
  4. canteen
    a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
    He’d sneak vinegar into the men’s canteens.
  5. militia
    civilians trained as soldiers, not part of the regular army
    There was no American army yet. But each town in the colonies had a militia—a small group of volunteer fighters. Few of those men had ever fought in a war before.
  6. fortification
    a defensive structure
    Paul spent the night frantically helping to build fortifications—dirt walls and ditches that could protect them from musket fire.
  7. husky
    deep and harsh sounding
    His voice dropped to a husky whisper.
  8. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    He was the gruff and unsmiling head of the Connecticut 5th, Paul’s army company.
  9. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    Now Martin hoped his meager soldiers’ pay would help him save up to buy freedom for his family.
  10. ammunition
    projectiles to be fired from a gun
    The ammunition came wrapped in little paper packets called cartridges. Inside was a single musket ball and just enough gunpowder for one shot.
  11. elegant
    refined and tasteful in appearance, behavior, or style
    Nate saw the general often. He’d ride by the camp on his gray stallion. He was very tall, and always wore an elegant blue uniform with silver buttons and a bright white sash across his chest.
  12. lurk
    be about
    But there was something even more dangerous than Hessians, and it was lurking right in the camp.
  13. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    And then he lurched back in horror.
  14. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “Go away,” James rasped. “You’ll get sick.”
  15. fife
    a small high-pitched flute similar to a piccolo
    One man played along on a little twinkling flute called a fife.
  16. blare
    make a loud noise
    The singing went on until a blaring trumpet called the men to attention.
  17. stony
    showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
    Captain Marsh’s stony face seemed to crumble for a moment, and then he regained his steely determination.
  18. determination
    firmness of purpose
    Captain Marsh’s stony face seemed to crumble for a moment, and then he regained his steely determination.
  19. glint
    be shiny, as if wet
    They carried muskets topped with long glinting bayonets.
  20. agonize
    suffer anguish
    He braced for the vicious stab, for the agonizing pain, for the end.
  21. searing
    extremely hot
    There was searing heat. Blinding light.
  22. reel
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    He spat the dirt from his mouth and turned around, then reeled back in fear.
  23. splay
    widen or spread apart
    The soldier was splayed out on his back, with one leg twisted in a way it shouldn’t be.
  24. trance
    a state resembling deep sleep
    Nate stood there until finally a cannon blast from somewhere very close jolted him out of his trance. The battle was still raging. He felt like he’d woken up from one nightmare, only to be locked inside a new one.
  25. splinter
    break up into thin fragments
    Nate tried not to imagine the blinding pain of his guts being torn open, his bones splintering, his clothes soaked with blood.
  26. meld
    mix or become mixed together
    The sounds all melded together—the explosions, the shouts, the footsteps, the pounding of Nate’s heart.
  27. daze
    overcome as with astonishment or disbelief
    And then he walked all around the fort, searching the crowd of dazed and terrified men for Paul, Martin, Captain Marsh, and the rest of the Connecticut 5th.
  28. trickle
    run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
    Reports trickled in from the hideous battle raging outside.
  29. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    Soldiers fled the army until there were only about three thousand men left. The Connecticut 5th had dwindled down to just thirty men.
  30. assets
    anything of material value owned by a person or company
    Mr. Marston explained that Storch had left no will—no letter saying what should be done with his property.
    You are your uncle’s only living family member. Because he left no will, all of your uncle's assets go to you.
Created on Sun Apr 30 14:45:59 EDT 2023 (updated Thu May 11 12:00:17 EDT 2023)

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