The Awakening

Alethea27

Disclaimer: Sons of Liberty is credited to Lionsgate Entertainment and the History Channel. No copy write infringement is intended and no profit is gained from writing this fiction.

Summary: What if after witnessing General Gage's vile treatment of the citizens of Boston and his disdain for the soldiers under his command, Major Pitcairn seeks out the Sons of Liberty with the intent to help them defeat General Gage.

A/N: This takes place following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775. My story is an AU and does take license with the events portrayed in the miniseries and in history. Tim Kelly does not die at the Battle of Lexington nor Dr. Warren or Major Pitcairn at Bunker Hill.

A/N: I know that people in this century did not speak using contractions, but their speech is very stilted otherwise and that is why I've chosen to use them. The British officers however speak formally.

Chapter 1

Late evening, April 19, 1775

Major John Pitcairn walked slowly out of the hospital tent after being treated for the leg wound he had sustained at Barrett's farm in Concord. He was of average height and weight with pale skin, dark brown hair and blue eyes. He leaned heavily on his crutch as he limped slowly back to his horse, Regina. He still had to examine the surviving men in his regiment for any hint of treason as ordered by General Gage even though the order infuriated him. To question the loyalty of his men was tantamount to questioning his own loyalty. He also had to explain to the general why they returned without arresting Sam Adams and John Hancock, seizing the rebel munitions hidden at Barrett's farm, did not crush the rebels who attacked them at the farm, and further disgraced themselves, in the General's eyes, by losing their colors. He returned to his billet in the house of Francis Shaw, changed into a fresh uniform and made his way slowly back down the stairs, holding tightly to the banister. His wound in left leg was throbbing pain steadily. He reached for his crutch that he had left leaning against banister and tucked it under his arm.

Captain Marius Whiting who served as his adjutant for four years now was waiting downstairs. He was taller than Pitcairn with light brown hair and hazel eyes. Whiting saluted Pitcairn and asked, "Major?"

"Yes, Captain Whiting?"

"The men are ready for you to begin your examination."

"I will be conducting it in the parlor. Send the first man in there, Captain."

The examinations took until the early hours of the morning of the 20th. Every soldier in the regiment was examined with the exception of the men who were unconscious in the hospital and he had found no source of treason amongst any of them. Attempting to sleep he tossed and turned thinking about the previous day. He knew someone had talked and it was not anybody under his command. Pitcairn suddenly realized that there was another person who was a more likely informer and if it were true then he and his men would continue to be blamed for the disaster at Lexington and Concord. He rose feeling tired and frustrated. Pitcairn freshened up and reported to the former Hancock mansion accompanied by Captain Whiting who remained outside holding Regina's reins. He was led into Hancock's former office, saluted, and stood as straight as his injured leg and crutch would allow him to.

General Gage, tall, dressed in full uniform and quite intimidating, stood before the fire with his hands clasped behind him. "Did you find the traitor, Major Pitcairn?"

"The traitor is not amongst my men, Sir. As I stated last evening when we returned; we are all loyal subjects of the King's."

"Then how do you explain the rebels knowing that you were sent to seize their munitions?"

"I have no explanation, Sir."

"The successful escape of Adams and Hancock?" General Gage asked turning around to look directly at him.

"Again I have no explanation, Sir."

"And the loss of your colors?"

Major Pitcairn stood a bit straighter. "We were savagely and unexpectedly attacked by the rebels. Three of my men tried to recover our colors and were killed. I attempted to rally my men, but I was unsuccessful and I made the decision to retreat leaving our colors rather than having more men killed."

"Do you think that was a wise decision now, Major?" Gage asked.

Pitcairn gritted his teeth. Did the general really expect them to fight to the very last man to retrieve their colors in which case they would have lost them anyway? "No, Sir. I should have retrieved them myself."

"You are on report, Major and very close to a court martial for cowardice. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir." Pitcairn saluted and left. Outside the gates, he waited while Whiting brought Regina over. He mounted her with some difficulty and secured his crutch.

"How was your interview with the general, Sir?"

"As expected. He is not pleased with our performance yesterday along with our poor performance in guarding the silo and allowing the rebels to escape with two hundred barrels of gunpowder."

"The rebels are much more clever than we were led to believe and we were not warned that rebels would be waiting for us at Lexington. They fought fiercely at Barrett's farm. We lost many men in our regiment and many more were wounded."

"General Gage is not interested in excuses Captain," Pitcairn answered crisply.

"Yes, Sir."

They returned to the Shaw house and Pitcairn to the parlor. He felt even angrier and more frustrated than he had before reporting to General Gage. He had arrived in Boston in May of 1774 with 600 Marines drawn from the Portsmouth, Chatham, and Plymouth divisions. They had arrived without proper winter clothing or equipment which they would need when winter returned yet he had had several arguments with General Clinton before he was able to procure the proper clothing for his men. The Plymouth Marines had been a particular problem becoming quickly addicted to the liberal dispensation of rum which killed a fair few of them. He had spent some weeks living in the barracks with them to keep them sober and with regret and distaste he had had to resort to flogging to enforce discipline, but he had succeeded in keeping them sober and drilling the men into an effective fighting force.*

He leaned on his crutch unable to pace as he usually would have done. It was obvious to him that General Gage did not care how many of his men were slaughtered. He considered them nothing more than acceptable casualties, continued to underestimate the colonists, and held nothing but scorn and derision for them. The flogging in the square had particularly bothered him. Why was it necessary to force every citizen of Boston, even the women and children, to watch it? It had only served to inflame the colonials further added to the fact that now General Gage had ordered civilians to be shot if they were found helping the rebel soldiers or harboring weapons.

Previously he had hosted socials at the Shaw home where British officers and the locals could meet and exchange views in a civilized fashion.* Even Paul Revere, Dr. Joseph Warren, and John Hancock had attended them on occasion, but it would be no longer possible to host one now that shots had been fired and people killed on both sides. Dr. Warren in particular had seemed to be a gentleman who was able to listen to the opinion of others without rancor or disparagement.

He wondered if there was some way he could get in touch with him and then recalled that Mrs. Gage had made his acquaintance after the flogging when Dr. Warren had insisted on medical treatment for the poor man and the guards had refused. Mrs. Gage had interfered and insisted he be taken to Dr. Warren's office. Perhaps she could …no she was not a good choice if what he suspected was true and after his most recent interview with General Gage, he was certain it was.

There was a sudden knock on the door. "Come in."

Mr. Shaw came into the room, looking very pale and holding a note. "I am sorry to disturb you Major, but I have received a note from my son-in-law that my daughter, my only child, has taken ill, but since the curfew has been instituted I cannot leave Boston without permission. They live on a farm near Braintree."

"I shall write you a note to give to the sentries if you are stopped by them. Shall I ask one of our regimental doctors to accompany you?"

"No, my son-in-law will bring Dr. Warren. He has treated Kathleen for several years."

Pitcairn had a sudden idea. While Mr. Shaw was very critical of the British in Boston and not at all fond of the Quartering Act, they had always treated each other respectfully and Pitcairn had been very careful not to abuse Shaw's forced hospitality in any way. They often played chess in the evenings.

He quickly wrote out the note for Mr. Shaw, sealing it with his personal stamp and wrote out another one for Dr. Warren in which he requested a meeting with Warren, Adams and Revere. In addition he warned them that General Gage had a spy by the name of Mr. Whittier in their midst. He sealed that note with wax and gave it to Shaw. "Please give this to Dr. Warren for me. I fear I have been remiss in my thanks for a book he loaned to me."

Mr. Shaw nodded absently, placing the note for the sentries in his breast pocket and the other note for Dr. Warren in coat pocket and then left hurriedly most anxious to get to his daughter.

Major Pitcairn wondered how long it would take for them to respond to his offer.

~*~* Page Break ~*~*

Dr. Joseph Warren was already at the home attending to his daughter by the time Mr. Shaw arrived. He waited anxiously with his son-in-law in the outer room, waiting for Dr. Warren to come out of the bedroom.

They heard the door open and Warren came out. Tall and slender built he was in his early thirties, but looked younger. He was dressed in dark waistcoat which came to slightly below his knees, dark brown breeches with buttons on the calves, white shirt with a light brown vest and a navy stock around his shirt band with black boots that reached his knees. His dark brown hair was tied back with a black ribbon. He smiled. "Kathleen will be fine. I have given her an Emetic for her stomach and she will be up and around in a couple of days. You can go in and see her."

Her husband hurried past Warren without another word while Mr. Shaw stopped and shook Joseph's hand. "Thank you for coming to see Kathleen."

"You're welcome Mr. Shaw, but tell me …how are you able to leave Boston with the strict curfew General Gage has set?"

"Major Pitcairn wrote me a note to give to the sentries."

"That was certainly decent of him," Joseph replied.

"Yes it is. Oh! By the way I have a note to you from him. He said he had been remiss in thanking you for a book you had loaned him." He took the note out of his pocket that Pitcairn had given him and handed it to Joseph and then went in to see his daughter.

Joseph wondered over to the light from the fireplace. It felt strange to be reading a note from Pitcairn when they had faced each other in battle at Barrett's farm yesterday. He broke it open, quickly read it, and then placed it in his pocket. He put his medical chest over his shoulder and stepped to the doorway of the bedroom. "I'm leaving, but I'll be back to check on you the day after tomorrow. If you need me in the meantime, don't hesitate to send for me."

He went outside, got on his horse, and rode to where Paul Revere and William Dawes were waiting to escort him through the network of Redcoat sentries that General Gage had placed around Boston. He was still able to see his patients who lived outside of Boston, but the ones in Boston proper no longer had a doctor.

Joseph stopped them once they were past the sentries, but not yet back to the encampment. "We have a turncoat."

"What!" Revere exclaimed. "Who?"

"A man named Whittier. He apparently started as an informer for Governor Hutchinson and then apparently transferred his allegiance to General Gage."

"Aye," Dawes said nodding. "He must have told Gage that Sam and Hancock were hidin' in Lexington and about the munitions in Concord."

"That's how Hutchinson knew about the underground markets too! Whittier must have gotten a coin from one of the men who trusted him," Revere added. "We need to tell Sam."

"Where did you get this information from, Dr. Warren?" Dawes asked curiously.

"You're probably not going to believe it, but I received the information from Major Pitcairn."

"The second-in-command to the General himself?" Revere asked in amazement. "Why in hell would he tell us?"

Joseph nodded. "He gave it to Mr. Shaw along with a note to give to the sentries to visit his sick daughter and Shaw gave it to me. He is under the impression the note is a late thank you for a book I loaned Pitcairn."

"You never loaned him a book," Revere laughed.

"I know, but he wants to meet with us. It could be very valuable to know what plans Gage is laying," Joseph pointed out.

"It could be a trap too," Dawes said.

"It could be, yes," Joseph agreed. "We can let Sam decide." He mounted his horse and Revere and Dawes did the same.

"We'll need to hobble Whittier first," Dawes said.

"You and Kelly can have the pleasure," Revere replied and laughed.

~*~* Page Break ~*~*

In camp, Sam, Amos, and Kelly sat inside the main tent smoking, talking quietly, and waiting for the others to return

John Hancock sat in a chair at the far end of the tent, quietly listening. He was still stunned by the fact that he had killed someone even if he had been a British soldier who had been about to kill Sam and Paul. The soldier had been a young man and he had ended his life without a single thought because it had been either the soldier or them. Was this what war did to you?

They all heard the sound of hooves and then the voices of Joseph, Paul, and William. Joseph entered the tent while Paul and William searched the area around the tent carefully making sure there was nobody hiding in the immediate vicinity of the tent. They came in and nodded at Joseph.

Sam, Kelly, and Amos stood up. "What's wrong?"

"We have a turncoat in our ranks," Joseph answered quietly. "His name is Whittier. He was an informer for Hutchinson and now he's apparently Gage's informer."

Amos turned pale. "Merciful Mary! It was me who gave him a coin. He said something about us being both Irish and we should stick together."

Kelly looked extremely angry. They had lost a lot of their comrades at Lexington and he and two others had barely escaped with their lives. No doubt this Whittier was responsible for the deaths there as well. "Come Amos and see if he remembers how we dealt with shites like him in Ireland."

Dawes got up too. "I'll help you. This man has a lot to answer for."

The three of them left the tent while Joseph, Paul, and Sam talked. John came over to listen to what they had to say.

"I got a note this evening brought by Mr. Shaw whose home quarters Gage's second-in-command, Major Pitcairn." Joseph took the note out of his pocket and gave it to Sam who read it while frowning.

"What does it say, Sam?" John asked.

Sam looked up, his eyes narrowed. "It says Pitcairn wants a meeting with me, Joseph, and Paul. Why would he want to meet with us unless he's planning a trap?"

"Why would he ask for a meeting when he would know you would think it's a trap?" John pointed out.

Joseph shrugged. "I attended a couple of the socials he held at the Shaw house as did Paul. He invited British officers and local people and we were able to talk and exchange views without hostility. He wouldn't permit any rudeness, insults, or baiting from either side."

"And the food was always good," Revere added.

"Yes, I attended a few also," John spoke up. "And it was just as you say, Doctor."

"Still doesn't give me any confidence that this isn't a trap," Sam replied.

"What if I arrange to meet with him and you and Paul come with me, but remain hidden?" Joseph asked. "If it does turn out to be a trap …" He shrugged. "We kill him and anyone with him."

"How are you going to arrange for a meeting?" Paul asked.

"The same way I got this note tonight. I told Mr. Shaw I would be back in two days to check on his daughter and if he's there as I am sure he will, Kathleen being his only child, then I'll give him a note to take back to Pitcairn."

"That might work," Sam said thoughtfully as he sat down again then directed Joseph, "Write him back and tell him we will meet him at Barrett's Farm on the night of no moon, in three nights at 11:00."

Joseph grabbed a piece of paper from the middle of the table and sat down. He picked up a quill, scratched his chin, and then wrote down what Sam had dictated. He sprinkled cuttlefish bone powder over it, waited a moment, blew it off, and then handed it to Sam.

Sam read it, nodded, and returned the note to Joseph who folded it and put it in his pocket to give to Mr. Shaw when he returned to the McKittrick farm.

"The morning of the meeting Dawes and me will ride out and warn James about the meeting so if Pitcairn arrives before us, he won't shoot him. He's still angry that Pitcairn treated him like a common criminal," Paul chuckled.

"Good idea," Sam replied. "At least until we find out what he wants. If it does turn out to be a trap, Barrett can have the pleasure of shooting Pitcairn."

Revere grinned and nodded. "Aye!"

Sam was sitting alone outside the tent enjoying the cool evening breeze. He hadn't seen William, Amos, and Kelly all day and hoped they hadn't gotten into any trouble, but they were back now. He looked up as they approached him. "Whittier?"

"He won't be doin' any more informin'," Kelly replied. "We took care of that shite!"

"He won't be doing much of anything in fact," Dawes added as he drew a cup of water from the barrel outside the tent and took a long drink.

"We left him somewhere he'll be easily found and General Gage will receive our message at first light when the sentries change," Amos finished.

"Good," Sam said waving his hand. "Better get some sleep. It'll be light soon enough."

~*~* Page Break ~*~*

After eating breakfast in the morning, Major Pitcairn and Captain Whiting were going over the schedule for the sentry patrols in the parlor of the Shaw home. They had a large map unrolled on the parlor table and both men were bent over it. The area around Boston was so large that they were having trouble keeping the city in as tight of a curfew as General Gage had ordered especially with the men killed at Concord and the ones who remained in the hospital tent. Pitcairn leaned heavily on his crutch as they surveyed the map.

"If we were to take a couple of men from here where the colonist do not travel much and one from this area and place those three here; they could cover this area on horseback," Whiting suggested.

Pitcairn shook his head. "To cover an area that large, they would need to ride alone and too far out of earshot of one another and I would rather not put any of the men in danger of being ambushed by the rebels."

Whiting sighed. "We simply do not have enough men to cover this large of an area even when the ones who were injured, recover. If the General were amendable to asking Lord North for more troops …"

Pitcairn shook his head. "Even so it would be three months before his request got back to England and if Lord North decided to send more troops, it would be another three months before they arrived here. Six month in all and that is only if General Gage agrees to ask for more troops."

A knock on the parlor door interrupted them. "Come in," Pitcairn called.

Francis Shaw came in. "There is one of your soldiers at the door, Major and he appears quite distraught," he reported.

"Thank you Mr. Shaw," Pitcairn said as they passed him.

"Sir," the soldier said and saluted them. He was pale and shaking.

"What is it, Sergeant Hammersmith?" Pitcairn asked. He noticed the wagon that was pulled up in front of the house.

Behind him Whiting shook his head. He had never figured out how the major could remember all the names of the men in the regiment.

"If you'll follow me Major, I'll show you," the sergeant replied.

Pitcairn looked at Whiting who shrugged and they both went outside to the wagon, Pitcairn limping behind Whiting on his crutch. A private waiting by the wagon saluted and lowered the tailgate to reveal a blanket covered body. "We found him hanging from a tree at the north end of town and cut him down before any ladies might see such an awful sight Sir," he explained.

"If the rumors are true, Sam Adams and his thugs control that end of town," Whiting said.

"Is he one of ours?" Pitcairn asked.

"No sir, we don't know who he is," the sergeant responded.

Pitcairn lifted the blanket and saw the body was Mr. Whittier's. The severed noose dangled from his neck, his hands were bound, and he was wearing a large sign with the word 'TRAITOR' painted on it. He dropped the blanket back down and said, "Take him to the undertaker, Sergeant, Private."

"Yes Sir." They both saluted and then climbed up into the wagon's seat and the private snapped the reins to get the horses moving.

Pitcairn turned to Whiting and said, "We will continue the schedule later. I must inform General Gage of this most recent development and he will want a full report which means I must examine the men returning from night sentry duty to see if they saw or heard anything."

The Captain saluted him and mounted his horse that was tied in front of Shaw's home. Pitcairn limped across the street to the stable where he boarded Regina, securing his crutch to his saddle. He mounted her, his left leg sending him a sharp pain as if to remind him he had a bullet wound there.

He rode to the barracks to interview the soldiers that had just returned from sentry duty and were nodding sleepily. None of them claimed to have seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. At Gage's commandeered home, he dismounted and limped up to the gate. The guards saluted him and opened the gate. He went through the gate and up the stairs to the front door. He was let in by a servant and limped, leaning heavily on his crutch, as he made his way down the hallway to the double doors of Gage's office and knocked.

"Enter."

Pitcairn came into the room and saluted. "There was an incident in the north end of Boston this morning."

Gage sighed and asked, "What happened now, Major?"

"Two of my sentries coming on duty this morning found Mr. Whittier's body hanging from a tree. He had been gagged, his hands bound, and a sign hung around his neck that read traitor. I examined the men coming off sentry duty, but they neither heard nor saw anything out of the ordinary."

"How can this be, Major?" Gage said getting up from behind his desk. "The rebel army is flesh and blood. How is it they can do these things and not be heard or seen?"

"I do not know, Sir."

"Did Mr. Whittier mention any suspicions that the rebels suspected him of being our informant when he was last here?"

"No, Sir, he did not. It is possible that he simply got careless and was followed here."

"Well, it should not be hard to replace him. With the harbor closed there should be plenty of men who are willing to do anything for a shilling or two."

It was clear from General Gage's tone that he was assigning him the job of recruiting a new informer. "Yes Sir," Pitcairn saluted and left. He mounted Regina, his wound sending another spasm of pain down his leg to remind him of its presence and returned to the Shaw residence. He decided in favor of resting rather than lunch. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep or how long he had slept, but was awoken by Mr. Shaw knocking on his door. "Major?"

"Yes?"

"Captain Whiting is waiting downstairs for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Shaw. Please tell him I will be right down."

Pitcairn freshened up and came downstairs. Whiting was waiting in the entrance hall. He saluted Pitcairn and then asked, "Do you feel up to continuing our scheduling of the sentry patrols?"

"Yes, we need to get it completed."

They went into the parlor where their map of the city of Boston and the surrounding areas was still laid out on the table. "We are still facing the same problem; too big of an area to patrol and not enough men to do it," Pitcairn said, leaning on his crutch and frowning at the map.

"What did General Gage say about the death of the informer?" Whiting asked.

"He's assigned me the job of recruiting a new one. It's not going to be as easy as he believes as the people of Boston are mostly against us now and will not turn even 'for a shilling or two' not to mention that the rebel forces are going to be very careful about whom they allow into their ranks."

"What you are saying is that the rebels will be very suspicious of anyone new attempting to join them?"

"Yes. I do not believe the rebel army is as stupid as General Gage believes they are."

~*~* Page Break ~*~*

Two day later, Joseph rode up to the McKittrick farm. He spotted Mr. Shaw's carriage out front and smiled. He dismounted, his medical chest swinging from his shoulder, went up the steps, and knocked on the front door.

Kathleen opened the door. She obviously had recovered from her illness. "Dr. Warren, how good of you to come."

"How are you feeling, Kathleen?"

"I'm fine now, Doctor. I even got up and milked the cow this morning and fed the chickens."

"Good." He replied. He nodded at Francis Shaw who was having a cup of tea. "Mr. Shaw, I have a note for Major Pitcairn if I might prevail on you to give to him when you return."

"I'll be happy to," Mr. Shaw replied taking the note and putting it in his pocket.

"I should have expressed my gratitude to him for his attempts with those socials he had to create some kind of understanding between the colonists and the British army," Joseph said sounding regretful.

"Yes, well that's not possible now that shots have been fired and lives taken, but I'm sure he'll appreciate your note anyway," Mr. Shaw replied, finishing his tea and getting up. He gave his daughter a kiss and said, "I'm glad you're back in good health, my dear."

"Thank you, Papa. Please be careful going back to Boston."

"Can I give you a ride to wherever you're going, Dr. Warren?" Mr. Shaw asked.

"Yes, I'll let you know where you can let me off," Joseph replied. He tethered his horse to Mr. Shaw's carriage and got in beside him. Nobody had spoken to anybody in Boston since they'd been force to leave it and this would be a good chance to find out what was occurring.

"How are things in Boston? Joseph asked.

"Not good," Mr. Shaw replied shaking his head. "There is no work to be had and the food that is available is very expensive. The only places doing a steady business are the taverns and the houses of ill-repute. General Gage has even more soldiers patrolling the streets and arresting people than anytime before. Everyone's afraid to leave their homes and walk the streets for fear of being arrested."

"I'm very sorry to hear that life has become so hard," Joseph said shaking his head.

"It isn't anyone's fault but King George's and General Gage's."

"You can leave me here and I thank you for the ride and the conversation."

Mr. Shaw pulled his carriage to a stop. Joseph got out, untied his horse and mounted it.

Mr. Shaw nodded at him and continued on his way to Boston and Joseph returned to the rebel encampment. He rode up to the main tent, dismounted and went inside. "Well, the invitation to Major Pitcairn is on its way back to Boston."

"Good," Sam said. He turned to Paul. "You and Dawes ride out at first light tomorrow and warn Barrett."

"Will do," Paul answered.

~*~*~ Page Break ~*~*

The next night at 10:00, Pitcairn stealthily made his way out of the Shaw house. He had removed everything off Regina that might identify her or him as a British officer. He himself was dressed in a soiled and stained shirt, old breeches, soiled white hose, and a cheap pair of leather shoes. His hair was undressed, pulled back, tied with a leather strip and he wore a tricorn hat on his head. He had also taken the precaution of rubbing dirt on his face and his hands.

Because he knew where all the sentries were stationed, it was easy to avoid them, but he still stuck to the edges of the forest rather that riding out in the open. He finally made it to Barrett's Farm and dismounted. It was a painful reminder of what had happened three days ago when he'd watched so many of his men shot down and killed. He stood out in the open so he would not be seen by anybody as a threat. He heard a door open and saw a dark figure emerge.

"Major?" Joseph called.

"Yes," Pitcairn answered. "I am unarmed, but if you wish to search me, you may."

Joseph did a quick pat down of him and then searched his saddle bags. Pitcairn held Regina's reins tightly and talked soothingly to her until Dr. Warren finished searching.

Finding that Major Pitcairn was unarmed he nodded at him and said, "All right follow me."

He led Regina and followed Joseph into the barn. Joseph closed the door, lit a lantern, and lifted it up to see Pitcairn. "I am afraid I do not look my usual self, Dr. Warren."

"I'll give you that, Major. Now, why did you ask for this meeting?"

"I can no longer tolerate General Gage's vile cruelty towards the citizens of Boston or his belief that the loss of my men are of no account; however many of their death result in battle, it does not matter. I want to help you to defeat him in whatever way I can."

*wwwdotamericanrevolutiondotorg/pitcairndotphp

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