Winds of Rebellion

In the winter of 1777, young Continental officer Jeffry Peale moves through a world of sleet, secrecy, and sudden danger, his disciplined ambition set against the chaos of war. While studying military law near Morristown, he is summoned by the formidable General Maxwell, who sees hidden promise in him and quietly draws him into a mission too urgent to question. Back at the crowded Black Frigate Tavern, Peale navigates uneasy wartime camaraderie, the volatile moods of his friend Priam Lafferty, and the unsettling arrival of the black-clad stranger Otto Trevoris, whose guarded manner suggests espionage and deeper intrigue. From a secret briefing and a rain-lashed ride through hostile country to a password-guarded house, Peale is pulled farther into covert service, helped by frightened locals who live under the threat of betrayal by both sides. But the mission turns perilous when British soldiers close in, forcing him into a desperate escape. Captured by war's darker machinery, Peale is thrust aboard a foul prison hulk where starvation, disease, and cruelty reduce men to shadows. There, beside the practical Sharon Eastman, he confronts the brutal cost of captivity and steels himself for escape, still driven by duty, survival, and the hope of returning to Jane Welch. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.