Ford the Pacholet is a historically accurate tale set during the American Revolution about Lem Farnandis, a troubled teenager from Grindall Shoals, South Carolina. Divided politically, sometimes violently, into Whigs (Patriot sympathizers) and Tories (Loyalists to the King), his community struggled to survive. His father, Henry, a successful local merchant, tried to remain neutral. Still, King George III’s taxes on molasses, sugar, iron, tea, paper money, and more were eroding Henry’s profits. From what Lem had seen, the whole world revolved around power and control. At the age of thirteen, he had neither.
Caught between the hammer and the anvil of two opposing armies, the Grindall community could not escape the horrors of war. Lem became embroiled in the conflict along with Amadahy, an Indian girl about his age, Major Joseph McJunkin, who carried a secret message for General Dan Morgan of the Patriot forces, and James Park, the major’s aid-de-camp. Morgan must be warned of an impending surprise attack by the British Legion under Bloody Ban Tarleton. Otherwise, many Patriot soldiers would die. At the pivotal Battle of Cowpens, Lem reached manhood and learned the ramifications of wielding power.