Herman Melville
Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile
"Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile" by Herman Melville is a novel published in 1855. Based on a real Revolutionary War veteran's memoir, it follows Israel Potter from the Battle of Bunker Hill through capture by the British and escape to England. There he encounters King George III, Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, and Ethan Allen in a series of adventures. Despite his patriotic valor, Israel remains exiled in London poverty for decades before finally returning home fifty years later to a changed America.