6 h 56 minAudiobook17 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a young American reaches dangerous country before the army does?
In Ahead of the Army, William O. Stoddard puts a young American out in front of marching soldiers during the Mexican-American War. The road toward Mexico City holds secrets, espionage, and narrow escapes. Beyond the army’s reach, travel means danger, and the young traveler must face more responsibility than his age would usually bring.
This is military history seen from the ground, told through the movement and suspense of an old-fashioned adventure. Stoddard follows a young person growing up under pressure, with the war between the United States and Mexico as his setting. The appeal lies in the journey: dangerous places, uncertain encounters, and the strain of being ahead of the soldiers.
What you’ll discover
- Beyond the marching soldiers Follow a young traveler into places the army has not yet reached.
- Secrets on the road Espionage and narrow escapes give the journey its sense of danger and suspense.
- History close to the ground See a military campaign through a young American’s passage across dangerous country.
- Responsibility comes early Explore what growing up means when war asks more of a young person.
- Adventure plainly told Enjoy Stoddard’s lively storytelling, where travel and danger carry lessons about responsibility.
Who will love it
Readers who like sea chases, disguises and secret messages, and who enjoy meeting real generals inside a story. It suits anyone curious about Mexico, the war of 1846, and how a boy grows up fast.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A bark races toward a war
- Flags, warships and a clever escape
- Stranded in a port of plots
- A disguise and a flight into the mountains
- A boy among the Spanish families
- A king falls and a tiger returns
- A dispatch bearer inside a besieged city
- A scout for General Scott and his engineers
- What the story is really about
Who’s who
- Ned CrawfordA bold New York boy of about seventeen who speaks Spanish, longs to see the war, and ends up traveling disguised as Señor Carfora.
- Señor ZuroagaA Mexican exile and descendant of Cortes who guides Ned through danger, hides from Paredes and Santa Anna, and hopes for a better government.
- Captain KempThe rough English captain of the Goshawk, who carries powder for Mexico and will do almost anything honest or clever to protect his profit.
- Colonel TassaraA Mexican officer in Vera Cruz who shelters Ned, gathers a new regiment, and wants a united and stronger Mexico.
- Señorita FeliciaThe colonel's spirited young daughter, who loudly hates gringos, dreams of seeing Spain, and slowly warms to Ned.
- Señora Mercedes PaezA dignified Mexico City widow and quiet plotter, who opens her library and her house to Ned and has a grudge against Paredes.
- Lieutenant Ulysses GrantA short, quiet young officer of the Seventh Infantry who becomes Ned's friend and commander in the American camp.
- Captain Robert E. LeeA polite engineer on General Scott's staff who takes Ned scouting for a hidden road around the Mexican guns.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 56 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 17 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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En avant de l’armée
by William O. Stoddard · 1903
Seventeen-year-old Ned Crawford sails with a hidden cargo of gunpowder into Mexico as war breaks out.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Ahead of the Army is an adventure novel by William O. Stoddard, who died in 1925.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A bark races toward a war
The story opens with cannon fire. On the Texas coast, the booming of guns reaches the American camp at Point Isabel, and a short young lieutenant named Grant wakes to hear it. He and his friend Meade guess that the fort on the Rio Grande is under attack. The author tells you that none of these young officers has ever heard an enemy gun, and that this war will be their training ground for a much larger one.
Then the scene shifts to a bark of about four hundred tons, the Goshawk, running west through the Nicholas Channel off Cuba. On her deck stands Ned Crawford, who keeps his balance in the gale with the ease of a boy who thinks he can do almost anything. Near him are the gruff English captain, Kemp, and a dark, watchful Mexican passenger, Señor Zuroaga. Ned has been sent out by his father, who deals in the Cuban and Mexican trade, to learn business the practical way.
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What is Ahead of the Army about?
It follows Ned Crawford, a young New Yorker caught in Mexico during the Mexican-American War of 1846 and 1847. He travels from a Gulf of Mexico ship race to Vera Cruz, Mexico City, and General Scott's army.
Who is Señor Zuroaga in Ahead of the Army?
Zuroaga is a Mexican exile who traces his family to Hernando Cortes and the Montezumas. He befriends Ned on the Goshawk and guides him through the dangers of Mexican politics, hiding from both Paredes and Santa Anna.
Is Ahead of the Army a true story?
Ned and his friends are invented, but the war is real. Stoddard shows real events such as the battles at Palo Alto, Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo and the siege of Vera Cruz, along with real leaders like Scott, Santa Anna, Grant and Lee.
The author
William O. Stoddard
1835–1925 · American novelist
William Osborn Stoddard (1835–1925) was an American writer and government official. He was born in Homer, New York, and died in Madison, New Jersey. He served as a secretary to President Abraham Lincoln from 1861 to 1864. He wrote biographies and novels for young readers, including Ahead of the Army.
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