Timothy's brother Sam joins the rebel army against their father's wishes. When Continental soldiers come to their town looking for supplies, Tim tries to help Sam by taking a letter, but it is intercepted. Their father is then attacked by cattle thieves on a business trip. Tim is left in charge of the home and witnesses further conflict between rebel and British soldiers in the area. Sam is eventually accused of cattle theft and sentenced to death by firing squad, despite Tim's attempts to save him.

1. My Brother Sam Is Dead Youjin (Jenny) Jang Reading Journal English 8B

2. Chapter 1 Timothy’s brother, Sam, comes back home from Yale in a red uniform, and claims that he has enlisted in the Rebel army.

3. Sam tells Tim that he has come home to take the Brown Bess.

4. Sam and his father get into a big argument about going to war, but in the end Sam runs away and his father cries after he leaves.

5. Chapter 2 Timothy and his family goes to church without Sam, and there he meets Tom Warrups, who tells Tim that Sam is in his hut.

6. After lying to his father that he will be working with his friend Jerry, Tim visits Tom’s hut, and there Sam and Betsy ask him which side he is taking in the war (and he couldn’t answer).

7. Sam and Betsy ask Tim to keep an ear open for information regarding the war, and tells him to not report Sam’s stay in Tom’s hut to anyone. On the way out, Tim notices that Sam had stolen the Brown Bess from home and pleads Sam to give it back, but Sam refuses.

8. Chapter 3 War was going on, but the town of Reddings is very quiet.

9. Betsy Read comes over to Tim’s father’s tavern to inform Tim about Sam’s letter and that Sam will be back soon.

10. A few months later, Betsy comes by the tavern again and tells Tim that Sam is back.

11. Chapter 4 Timmy is excited about meeting his brother soon, when suddenly a troop of the Continental Army marches into town and starts to threaten his father in demand of weapons.

12. Timmy runs to Tom Warrup’s hut, and finds that Sam is sleeping. Just when he was about to wake Sam up, he notices the Brown Bess under him, takes it out carefully, and starts to dart back to the tavern.

13. Sam, however, soon realizes the absence of his weapon and catches Timmy before he reaches the tavern. He regains the Brown Bess from Timmy, and leaves once again after having a less-than-five-seconds eye contact with his father.

14. Chapter 5 Mr. Heron, a surveyor living in Timmy’s neighborhood (and supposedly a Loyalist), stops by the tavern and asks Timmy’s father if he could use Tim to bring some business letters to Fairfield. His father strongly declines the offer.

15. Timmy wants to run the errand, however, for he wants something to boast about to Sam when he gets back.

16. Timmy asks his father why he cannot take the job if it is for the Loyalists, and his father replies that nobody is sure which side Mr. Heron is on, and that it is dangerous to get involved with him.

17. Chapter 6 Timmy visits Mr. Heron alone and asks him if he can take the job. Mr. Heron learns that Timmy is going to lie to his dad, but still agrees to give him the job.

18. After telling his father that he will be gone fishing, Timmy goes to Mr. Heron’s office. There, Mr. Heron gives Tim a letter, and tells Timmy specifics on where he should go and who he should give the letter to.

19. On the way to Fairfield he meets Betsy Read, who suspects the content of the letter to be something that could hurt Sam and the Rebel army. Betsy takes the letter away from him, and the letter reads: “If you received this message, then the messenger is reliable.”

20. Chapter 7 November comes, and Tim’s father decides to take Tim with him to Verplancks Point to sell their cattle and buy supplies for the tavern and the store.

21. On their way to Verplancks Point, a group of cattle thief attack Timmy and his father; they nearly kill Tim’s father.

22. However, several British soldiers come and make the cattle thief run away; afterwards, they escort Tim and his father to New York.

23. Chapter 8 Timothy and his father spend the night at North Salem in their cousins’ (the Platts) house. Mr. Platt tells Mr. Meeker about the severe conflict between the loyalists and the patriots in North Salem.

24. Before Tim goes to sleep, his cousin Ezekiel Platt asks him which side Tim is supporting in the war. Tim finds it difficult to answer, because he is confused by the different arguments his father and his brother presents to him.

25. At Verplancks Point, Mr. Meeker sells all the cattle and receives reasonable goods. On their way back, snow starts falling, so the two decide to stay at the Platts’ for the night and go through Ridgebury the day after.

26. Chapter 9 When they wake up, it had stopped snowing, so they start their journey back to Redding. Mr. Meeker rides ahead to look out for any signs of the raiders, and Tim rides behind with the oxen and the wagon.

27. Tim suddenly realizes that his father has not come back to check on him in a long time. He gets worried, and runs towards the road ahead of him. When he reaches a certain point where he finds numerous marks of horse hooves, Tim becomes aware that his father has been taken by the cattle thieves.

28. Soon, Tim soon regains his senses and goes back to the wagon. He keeps on progressing towards home until he meets three cattle thief waiting for him on the road. He fools them by making them think that there is an ambush planned for them. After they leave, Tim arrives home safely by midnight.

29. Chapter 10 Now that Tim is the only man of the house, he takes on the responsibility as head of the house (and the tavern) and plans out what he has to do for the winter.

30. One day, a group of British troops stop by Redding. After receiving information from Mr. Heron (regarding who the Rebels are in Redding), they attack the Betts’ house and captures Captain Betts, Mr. Rogers, and Jerry Sanford.

31. A messenger for the Rebels suddenly appears, and the British soldiers shoot him. Tim goes to call the doctor, but on his way he witnesses the British troops fighting with the Rebels. He vomits after seeing Ned (a black slave)’s head fly off from his body.

32. Chapter 11 The doctor cures the wounded man, and the wounded man tells Tim and the other men that the Continental soldiers under the conduct of Captain Benedict Arnold are planning to march past Redding.

33. The Continentals come to stay at Redding for the night. A group of Continental soldiers (with General Wooster) walk into the tavern, and soon Captain Benedict Arnold also enters the tavern. Realizing that Sam might be in Redding somewhere, Tim goes to the church where the troops are resting in.

34. One of the soldiers calls Sam out for Timmy. Soon, they go to the tavern together and Tim’s mother comes out to meet Sam. Tim and Mother try to dissuade Sam about reenlisting for the army, but Sam argues that he will fight until the British are defeated, and leaves the tavern.

35. Chapter 12 War goes on and people live through the year in severe hunger. Tim and Mother find out that both Life and Jerry Sanford are dead; Life died on a prison ship because of an epidemic of cholera, and Jerry in the same manner.

36. Sam and his troop come to Redding (this time they are planning to stay longer), and Sam visits the tavern again. He tells Tim to butcher all the cows before his fellows come and steal them for food.

37. Tim, however, hesitates to butcher the cows, and several weeks later, what Sam worried about happens; two of the Continental soldiers steal Tim’s cattle. Sam runs out to catch them, but in the end is blamed as the cattle thief.

38. Chapter 13 Tim visits Colonel Parsons and explains to him that Sam did not steal the cattle. However, when even Mrs. Meeker’s visit to General Putnam doesn’t seem to have any effect, Tim realizes that it would not be easy to vindicate Sam’s actions.

39. Colonel Read hears the news and immediately goes down to the encampment to see how matters are turning. He comes back after the court-martial and states that Sam has been sentenced to death; Sam will be shot in public.

40. Tim visits General Putnam to dissuade him from executing Sam, but General Putnam simply states that he will “consider” the case. Afterwards, Tim receives permission to meet Sam, and the two have their last conversation together. Tim tries to give Sam some hope, but Sam just laughs and tells Tim to pray.

41. Chapter 14 Colonel Reads comes to the tavern with the news that General Putnam has refused Tim’s pleas of clemency and is going to execute Sam.

42. Tim gets angry about the execution and decides to make Sam escape. He sharpens the bayonet in the tavern and secretly takes it to the stockade, where Sam had been confined in. Tim throws the bayonet into the stockade, but gets caught by the guard and runs away from the encampment.

43. The next morning, Sam gets shot in front of everyone in town, and Tim watches him in agony, shouting to the soldiers to stop the shooting.