Carol A. Spradling
As an historical fiction author, doing research is as important as finding readers. And hopefully, if done well, one will follow the other. My favorite haunt is the 1700s. Sadly, this is not a time period where minute details are in abundance. Yes. It is easy to trip over bulky facts which we learned in school, but to find detailed information, that's when a researcher hears the Hallelujah Chorus.
Naturally, as society progresses, information is lost. Tales being retold from one generation to the next, monuments, signifying places of importance, and a desire to honor past events help us remember what led to the life we live today. The battle to retain these memories must sometimes be fought with as much fervor as the initial conflict.
During the Revolutionary War, Fishkill, NY, a seventy-acre small town, served as a supply depot, barracks, prison, hospital, and cemetery for the Continental Army. George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, among others, used Fishkill as a troop gathering point.
Although listed on the National Register of Historic Places, historic preservationist and local developers recently squared off. Each troop gathered their information and prepared for victory. You see, although Fishkill was vitally important throughout the war, it was not as celebrated as Valley Forge. There were no archaic buildings marking the field, and although there was the mention of a cemetery, where were the graves? As far as developers were concerned, these seventy-acres were nothing more than a vacant field.
Ground-penetrating radar sided with history, and old bones rattled, revealing hundreds of Revolutionary War soldiers' graves. This archeological find provided physical proof of Fishkill's historic importance and ended the shopping mall project.
I can almost hear the whoops and cheers of all who benefited from this unknown community’s service. Cue the Hallelujah Chorus, this author has found a treasure trove of historic details that have been omitted from our history books.
Carol A. Spradling
Force me onto a stair stepper and I'll spill family secrets faster than a mob snitch. I'm void of the endorphin gene and there is no worse punishment for me than exercise. Colonial Americans, on the other hand, considered a foot race highly anticipated entertainment. God love them. Luckily for anyone of the time who shared my genetic defect, walking, horseback riding, carriage and sleigh rides were also appropriate leisure activities. Ah, that's more my speed.
Other activities that drew a crowd were militia musters, court days, and public executions. Talk about being desperate for entertainment. To fill the lulls during these occasions, the townspeople would conduct side entertainment in the way of wrestling contests, horse races, and a rather interesting activity where participants would bludgeon each other with a stout stick. Thank goodness for the war. Apparently the Continental Congress felt it best to reserve energy for a more unified cause.
Away from the war effort, dancing became very popular. A dance master would travel the country, teaching the latest maneuvers. His repertories included minuets, reels, and jigs. However, not everyone preferred such physical amusement.
For the more even-toned, there were card games, board games, and billiards. Women enjoyed these games of skill and chance as well as the men. To encourage the sexes to mingle, and since females were not permitted in taverns, these games were played in private homes. Some card games of the period have evolved into modern games. Whist is commonly known as bridge and if you have ever sat with three other people and held thirty-two cards between you, you have probably played euchre. So did the Colonists.
We have all heard about the evils or cards and dice. My grandmother would not permit a card or dice game of any type into her home, no matter how innocent, because of the immorality associated with it. The Colonists were no different, and with good reason. Many card and dice games attracted unseemly characters and brought ridicule from Colonial society. Polite society did not play hazzard or put, a precursor to poker, this was left to the lower classes. Instead, refined citizens entertained themselves with cribbage, loo, and the royall. I suppose this is better than cockfights, boxing, and knife throws, which most men enjoyed. However, both sexes of all classes enjoyed gambling and drinking.
Printing literature was as time-consuming as every other chore. Broadsheets were a great source for current events, but chapbooks provided stories of shipwrecks, folk heroes, villains, and even boasted lurid plotlines. These cheap books with paper covers were very similar to genres found in local bookstores.
The mentioned activities were ideal for grownups, but children were technologically disadvantaged compared to their modern counterparts. While adults may have been forced to substitute chocolate or coffee for their tea, it brewed on in little girls' imaginations. Pretend tea parties ensured hours of fun along with tops, marbles, dolls, puzzles, balls, and Bilbo catchers.
Remove batteries and solar power from the quotient and we are no different than our ancestors. We tend to work hard and play harder. Only the toys are different.
Carol A. Spradling
A rebellious community threatens tradition, safety, and his country. British general Thomas Gage is determined to carry out orders to bring the American colonies back in line with support to the crown. His training and reputation are above reproach. He knows how to lead thousands of men, strategize intricate military maneuvers, and make examples of traitors. But when spy tactics are suspected in the most unforgivable of places, can he honor the vows he has taken, one to his country and another to his wife?
In April, 1775, Sam Adams received word from a daughter of liberty informing him of an upcoming British march. The unequally yoked woman, who supported the Colonists though her husband did not, revealed the number of British soldiers being sent to Concord. This cryptic information made Adams aware that the objects of the march were the merchants and not himself and Hancock.
It was also rumored that the same woman warned Joseph Warren that her husband's troops planned to raid armories at Lexington and Concord. This information led to Paul Revere's famous Midnight Ride.
The warning was sent days before soldiers and Patriots departed Boston. Because of this coincidence, British General Thomas Gage was called into question where he revealed he had told only one other person about the Concord march before revealing it to top officers. That one person was his American born wife, Margaret Kemble Gage.
Granddaughter of New York City Mayor, Stephanus Van Cortlandt and daughter of Peter Kemble, a successful businessman and politician, Margaret and Thomas were wed on December 8, 1758.
Though never proven guilty of spying, General Gage sent his wife home to England at the start of the war. Questionably done out of love and concern for her safety, he removed her from danger. Of course, if found to be true, her traitorous acts would cause his possible embarrassment and ruin his career, not to mention, it wouldn't bode well for her continued good health.
After the war, General and Mrs. Gage remained married. Their first son became Viscount Gage and a daughter married British Admiral Charles Ogle. In honor of her dedication to her country, Gage Road in East Brunswick, New Jersey, the town of her birth, is named for this courageous woman.
Carol A. Spradling
Was Captain Thomas Preston guilty of murder or of defending his men?
On March 5, 1770, the civilian authority was tucked away for the night and unavailable to grant permission to enlist the troops, while lone sentry Private White faced a burgeoning mob of hostile Bostonians. The officer of the guard waited nervously for Captain Thomas Preston to give him his orders. Loyal to his men, and fearing for their safety, Captain Preston dispatched a half dozen men to assist the sentry.
The crowd grew bold and dangerous in front of the Customs House, taunting the soldiers and pelting them with rocks, sticks, and ice. Somewhere in the mayhem an order to fire was shouted, resulting in five dead Boston Colonists.
Although Captain Preston is a key figure in the March 5th incident, relatively little is known about him. Captain of the 29th British Regiment, his orders to his men led to the Colonial deaths and the subsequent arrests of himself and eight British soldiers. Knowing mob rule would demand a full investigation, Captain Preston surrendered himself to the local authorities within hours of the confrontation. As a gentleman, he was held prisoner away from his men and allotted clean clothes and grooming implements while awaiting trial.
The charge for the captain differed from that of his men. There was no evidence that the captain had fired any weapon on that night, while several of his men had. The captain's trial focused on what orders he had or hadn't issued. If the captain was exonerated, his men faced murder charges.
The captain remained adamant that he did not give the order to fire on that night, even though several citizens testified that he had. Patriot John Adams, highly ridiculed for accepting the case, proved the Loyalist captain innocent of the charge, and Captain Thomas Preston was honorably acquitted.
The captain is believed to have retired from the army and returned home following the trial. His parting words, referring to his acquittal, were addressed to General Gage: "I take the liberty of wishing you joy at the complete victory obtained over the knaves and foolish villains of Boston."
Well...at least he wasn't bitter.
Carol A. Spradling
Although listed on the National Register of Historic Places, historic preservationist and local developers recently squared off. Each troop gathered their information and prepared for victory. You see, although Fishkill was vitally important throughout the war, it was not as celebrated as Valley Forge. There were no archaic buildings marking the field, and although there was the mention of a cemetery, where were the graves? As far as developers were concerned, these seventy-acres were nothing more than a vacant field.
