Mad Anne and the Gunpowder Ride

It was 1791. America was still a young country. Much of the land was not settled. Many people lived in forts, or they would live near a fort. Then they could run inside the fort if there was trouble.
One of these people was Anne Bailey. Many people called her Mad Anne. She lived at Fort Lee with her husband John Bailey who was a Ranger.
One day the Native Americans were going to attack the fort. The leaders of the fort checked their supplies. They were scared. They did not have enough gunpowder to fight the Indians.
The leader of the fort called his men together.
"We need gunpowder," he told them. "We need someone to ride to Fort Savannah to get some. Who will go?"
The men looked at each other. Many of them looked at the ground. None of them wanted to go.
The ride would be very dangerous. It was over 100 miles to Fort Savannah. It was open country and there were many Native American tribes along the way.
Finally Anne stepped forward. "I will go," she said.

Find out how Mad Anne brings the gunpowder from 100 miles away in this exciting 15-minute book.

Ages 7 and up.
Reading level 2.5

This book is part of our "Heroes in History" series. These 15-minute books focus on a specific moment in a historic person's life. Aimed at second graders, they provide the perfect introduction to famous Americans in an exciting, fun-to-read way.

LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.