William is faced with an ambush in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 59
William and the troops are on the way to Bennington, where they learn there are plenty of supplies. It turns into an ambush in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 59.
This chapter shows us William’s nativity and lack of experience when it comes to war. He doesn’t think too much like the enemy, and it’s something he needs to work on if he stands a chance in working up the career ladder.
I do feel like we get a lot of names thrown at us in this chapter. Not all the names are all that important, but they’re made to seem it at the time of reading. Sometimes, it is where I see flaws in the writing. There is such a thing as too much detail, but that will be a personal preference.
There isn’t anything that I see as foreshadowing in this chapter. It’s more about plot development for William to continue his story and learn more about him.
Will the chapter be used in the TV series? There is going to be a lot that needs to be reduced in the series, so I would go out on a limb and say this won’t. We could see William come across Jamie happen in a slightly different way to condense everything.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 59.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts off with William talking to a new character, Sandy Lindsay, about preparing a turkey. It’s a trivial conversation, but the whole chapter can’t stay that way.
The troops learn that General Howe has abandoned them. Burgoyne will be left to his own devices, and will need to figure out how to reinforce and resupply. While Howe will invade Pennsylvania, Burgoyne’s men will head to Bennington.
Before they can go there, William needs to give the bad news about Howe leaving. This is where he mentions Mrs. Lind, who turns out to be General Burgoyne’s mistress. Oh, and she’s the chief commissary officer’s wife. There is a lot of detail for a character that I don’t remember being all that important.
Back to William, he is writing to John about the state of affairs for the troops. It turns out that horses have been abandoned, stolen, or even eaten. William’s boots have worn through. They need supplies and fast. That’s why he and many others are looking forward to go into Bennington to capture the town. They’ve heard all about the supplies there.
Well, maybe William should keep his mind on the situation rather than planning too far ahead. There are a lot of cow droppings around, but the men don’t even think about how this could have been a trap. There’s an ambush, but William ends up being saved by two Indians. He now has to explain what happened, and it turns out there are no cows.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
I don’t see any foreshadowing in this chapter. This is more about developing William’s plot. After all, we need to see something happen to him to keep the storyline interesting. Ambushes in war are normal, and I think this offers us a chance to also see that William is not quite everything Jamie is.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I don’t see this chapter being used in the TV series. This is purely because I could see things being condensed to make William’s story work for the TV show. The series only has a limited amount of time to tell the story, and we know some of the eighth book is being used for Season 7. This means there’s a lot more that needs to fit into one season.
I know each part of William’s journey is important, but he’s not one of the main characters. Maybe he could become one, but the main focus has been on the Frasers and the MacKenzies, and I can’t see that changing too much for the seventh season.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 59? Let us know in the comments below.
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