Overview
The descriptions in the diary of the fictitious Jack Mulgrew are based on real accounts of the soldiers who fought for American independence from England during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
The British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 proved to be the decisive victory for the colonists, though the fighting dragged on in some areas for two more years. British leaders feared they might lose other parts of Britain's empire if they continued the war in America. Cornwallis's defeat at Yorktown brought to power in early 1782 a new group of British ministers who began peace talks with the Americans. The Treaty of Paris, signed on Sept. 3, 1783, recognized the independence of the United States and established the new nation's borders.