Even at a distance Howe recognized the broad shoulders and domed forehead of the senior American in the trio. He and Dr. Franklin had met half a dozen times in London, introduced by the admiral’s attractive widowed sister, Caroline, who had become Franklin’s chess partner. In the months before Franklin sailed for home in March 1775, Howe served as an intermediary for the government in fitful discussions to find a diplomatic solution to the American crisis. Nothing had come of the effort. Now the two men would try again.
