Summary
Summary of Ahead of the Army
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Trade puts loyalty to the test
Ned Crawford’s father sends him to sea to learn business, but the voyage gives him a lesson he never expected. Aboard the Goshawk, Señor Zuroaga tells him that the hold contains cannonballs and gunpowder intended for the fortress of Vera Cruz. The sailors must not hear their conversation.
Ned wishes he could be with General Taylor. Instead, he is helping carry supplies to the enemy. His position turns an ordinary trading voyage into a struggle between his work and his loyalty to his country.
Key idea 2
An escape brings Ned mixed feelings
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Key idea 3
Shelter comes with hidden dangers
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Key idea 4
A new identity opens the road
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Key idea 5
Friendship makes divided loyalty personal
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Key idea 6
Political power shifts beneath Ned
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Key idea 7
War reaches beyond flags and armies
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Key idea 8
Friendship crosses the battle line
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
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 this book is
What if a boy of about seventeen from New York found himself on the wrong side of a war? That is Ned Crawford's fate in Ahead of the Army, William O. Stoddard's adventure of the Mexican-American War. Ned is a merchant's son, sent to sea to learn the Mexican trade. War breaks out while his bark crosses the gulf, and he ends up among Mexican families, plotters and soldiers. He is an American patriot hiding in plain sight.
In this summary
- 1A bark races toward a warFree
- 2Flags, warships and a clever escape
- 3Stranded in a port of plots
- 4A disguise and a flight into the mountains
- 5A boy among the Spanish families
- 6A king falls and a tiger returns
- 7A dispatch bearer inside a besieged city
- 8A scout for General Scott and his engineers
- 9What the story is really about
Key point 1 of 9
A bark races toward a war
Ned Crawford stands on the deck of the Goshawk, a bark running through the Nicholas Channel off Cuba. His father sent him to learn business the practical way.
A Mexican passenger, Señor Zuroaga, tells Ned a secret the sailors must not hear. The hold also carries cannonballs and gunpowder meant for the fortress of Vera Cruz.
Ned is stunned. He wishes he were with General Taylor, yet he is crew on a ship carrying powder to the enemy. His first lesson is that business and loyalty can pull in different directions.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
Why does the Goshawk’s cargo trouble Ned?
Right. “He wishes he were with General Taylor, yet he is crew on a ship carrying powder to the enemy.”Not quite. “He wishes he were with General Taylor, yet he is crew on a ship carrying powder to the enemy.”
What brings home the human cost of war to Ned?
Right. “Ned sees a mother and her children killed by a shell, and he weeps.”Not quite. “Ned sees a mother and her children killed by a shell, and he weeps.”
What central tension shapes Ned’s loyalties?
Right. “Ned loves his country, yet he lives under a Mexican roof and wins the trust of Mexican officers.”Not quite. “Ned loves his country, yet he lives under a Mexican roof and wins the trust of Mexican officers.”
Questions about Ahead of the Army
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?
The story follows Ned through a real war. 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.
Is Ahead of the Army easy to read?
Chapters are short, and the language is plain. Ned's lively voice, Felicia's sharp remarks, and the clear explanations of real history make it welcoming for readers of many ages.
