This is the account of Ebenezer’s early life, born 1763 to 1784. No helicopter parenting by Ebenezer, his father put him out to work at age 7 on a local farm. Hearing people talk about freedom and oppression Ebenezer thought himself oppressed. Having to work for a farmer was against his will, at the age of 12 he ran off with a buddy to sail the oceans blue. He enlisted on a merchant ship and made one cruise. He came back home and was apprenticed to a barber. In 1779 Ebenezer went into army as a substitute. He was discharged after a few months. At 17 he enlisted on an Massachusetts ship the “Protector,” participated in two cruises and was captured on the 2nd cruise. He was imprisoned on the prison ship “Jersey”. He enlisted in the British Army as a way to get off the prison ship. He was sent to Jamaica where he deserted, stole a boat and sailed to Cuba. He found the “Flora” an American ship he enlisted and sailed to France. He was in France when the peace treaty was signed. He made his way home and returned to his apprenticeship in 1783. All this by the time he was twenty. This book has all the makings of a super hero novel, except it happened to an ordinary man. No great heroic’s, or, valiant deeds just a man with a sense of adventure doing his best under difficult circumstances. Excellent book, highly recommended.
