6 h 56 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 56 minPaperback · 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 love adventure with a real war behind it will enjoy this book. So will anyone curious about Mexico, or about Grant and Lee as young officers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- War interrupts a boy's education
- The cargo makes loyalty personal
- Safety depends on a borrowed identity
- Private kindness meets public upheaval
- Patriotism cannot silence grief
- Knowledge becomes a scout's strength
- Friendship crosses the lines of war
- Two nations remain in view
Who’s who
- Ned CrawfordA bright, brave New York boy of about seventeen who speaks Spanish and wants to see the war and learn Mexico.
- Señor ZuroagaA hunted Mexican exile and descendant of Cortes who guides Ned and plots against Paredes and Santa Anna.
- Captain KempThe tough English skipper of the Goshawk who runs powder to Mexico for money and looks after Ned in his own rough way.
- Colonel TassaraA Mexican officer who shelters Ned and wants to raise a loyal regiment while staying out of reach of Paredes.
- Señora TassaraA proud lady of Spanish blood who loves her silver coffee urn and slowly warms to the young American.
- Felicia TassaraThe Colonel's headstrong daughter who says she hates gringos, yet becomes Ned's friend and dreams of Spain.
- Señora PaezA shrewd Mexico City widow, enemy of President Paredes, who hides plotters and sends Ned on his errand.
- Lieutenant GrantA short, quiet young officer in the Seventh Infantry who sends Ned to see the general and later helps him.
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Ahead of the Army
by William O. Stoddard · 1903
A New York boy on a powder-laden bark races three warships across the Gulf of Mexico in 1846.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Imagine a boy of seventeen on the deck of a small bark in a gale, listening to two men talk about a war he has barely heard of. Below his feet lie barrels of gunpowder meant for the enemies of his own country.
Ahead of the Army at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 45 min3 h fast, 4 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 54,100 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1903by William O. Stoddard
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Far-off guns start a war and a voyage
In May 1846 the sound of distant cannon rolls over the American camp at Point Isabel on the Texas coast. The guns come from a half-built fort on the Rio Grande. Officers gallop to General Taylor's tent, and the whole army longs to march.
In one small tent a short, strong second lieutenant wakes and cries out that the war has started. He is Ulysses Grant, and he has never heard an enemy cannon. Mexico says Texas ends at the Nueces River, while the United States says it reaches the Rio Grande, so each side calls the other the invader.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1903
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 30 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Stoddard, William O. Ahead of the Army. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/ahead-of-the-army.
Stoddard, W. O. (2026). Ahead of the army. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ahead-of-the-army (Original work published 1903)
Stoddard, William O. Ahead of the Army. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ahead-of-the-army.
@book{stoddard2026ahead,
author = {Stoddard, William O.},
title = {Ahead of the Army},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ahead-of-the-army},
note = {First published 1903}
}
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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 with a Mexican exile, lives among Mexican families, and later helps General Scott's army as a scout.
Who are the real people in Ahead of the Army?
Ulysses Grant, Robert E. Lee, Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Zachary Taylor and Santa Anna all appear, as does President Paredes. Ned, Zuroaga, the Tassaras and Captain Kemp are invented characters.
Is Ahead of the Army a true story?
It is a novel set inside real events, such as the siege of Vera Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo. The main hero and his friends are invented. Stoddard wrote it for young readers, using the history of the war as a frame.
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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