Sophia’s War is against the historical backdrop of the American Revolutionary War. Until the war was won by the Americans, American colonists remained under the rule and governance of the British Empire. The novel spans the years 1776 through 1780, tracing the onset of the revolution and the events that led to Benedict Arnold’s exposure as a traitor of the independence cause. Avi has inserted his fictional protagonist Sophia Calderwood into this narrative, casting her as a key player in Arnold’s exposure and his accomplice John André’s capture and death sentence.

The Revolutionary War began in 1775 in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts; word of this bloodshed spread throughout the eastern seaboard, “and thousands of volunteers converge[d]—called ‘Minute Men” (“Timeline of the Revolution.” National Park Service). Throughout the following year, the conflict between the American patriots (colonists fighting for liberation from the British Crown) and loyalists (colonists supporting continued British rule) intensified—ultimately culminating in the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. In the years following, General George Washington would continue fighting British troops across the eastern seaboard. Patriot soldiers were later supported by the French monarchy and its ally, the Spanish empire, who were both longstanding enemies of Britain.  

In 1780, Benedict Arnold was in control of West Point, a critical American fort located in what is now Orange County, New York. Neighboring New York City was entirely under British occupation, and so retaining its hold on West Point was crucial to the patriots’ continued fight for independence. Arnold was given this position of power at West Point despite accusations against him throughout his military career. Historians have speculated that ongoing “feuds and assaults on his reputation” throughout the 1770s may have “tempted him to commit treason” (“Benedict Arnold.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon). Arnold began to liaise with the British lieutenant John André after failing to be promoted to Major General. Arnold gave André detailed plans of West Point so the British might apprehend the fort. After one crucial meeting, André traveled on horseback through patriot territory, wearing plain clothes and carrying papers from Arnold declaring him to be an American businessman called John Anderson.

John Paulding, a sergeant in the Westchester Volunteer Militia, encountered André on his way back to British-occupied New York (Evangelist Walsh, John. “John Paulding and the Ten Seconds That Saved the Revolution.” Hudson River Valley Institute). Although there is no apparent reason that he should have doubted André’s identification papers, he searched the lieutenant and found Arnold’s West Point plans in his boot.

Avi upholds the majority of these historical facts in his fictionalization of the Revolutionary War. The dynamics that Sophia faces in New York City throughout Part 1 are true to history and capture the fear patriot supporters faced in their home city as the war waged beyond. Sophia’s War is fiction in that it casts Sophia Calderwood as instrumental in exposing Arnold’s treachery. Avi uses her character to explain why Paulding ended up on that roadside with John André, and why he had reason to search the man. Although a young girl with limited freedoms, Sophia proves herself to be a vital patriot. It is her espionage efforts that lead to Arnold’s exposure and ultimately save West Point.