Book excerpt: Thirteen-year-old John Montgomery is told he is too young to become a soldier when both his father and fifteen-year-old brother sign up to fight the British Redcoats in 1777. It's true that the colonists desperately need soldiers, but they also need fifers, and that's where John knows he can contribute. He understands that fifers play an important role in battles; fifers are the soldiers who pipe orders to the men. Fifers and drummers, too lead the army into battle, and he could do that. During his five years of army service as a fifer, he participates in many battles, including the pivotal Guildford Court House Battle. As John comes of age during the war, he learns about sacrifice, thoughtfulness, and kindness while he fights his own battle against homesickness. Based on a true story, John Montgomery, Revolutionary War Fifer shows the heroics of the men who became soldiers as they fought alongside other colonists to obtain their freedom from the British.