Rule Britannia

Virginia, 1738. Lawrence Washington is determined to improve his standing in a colonial society governed by land, family influence and imperial patronage. When Britain goes to war with Spain, he accepts a captain’s commission in the American regiment raised for service in the Caribbean. The expedition carries him from Virginia to Jamaica and into Admiral Edward Vernon’s vast operation against Cartagena de Indias, where military ambition promises advancement and security for the family he hopes to establish.

Cartagena’s fortifications, divided British command and tropical disease turn the expected victory into a prolonged disaster. Lawrence must lead colonial soldiers through bombardment, sickness and the collapse of the campaign while confronting the human cost of the empire he intends to serve. The novel presents his experience as a formative chapter in the Washington family story, connecting his ambitions and survival to the education and future identity of his younger half-brother George.