Contributing/Guest Blogs - Karen A. Chase

Guest Post: Michael L. Ross – Washington’s Drummer Boy

June 7, 2022 By Karen A. Chase

The Revolutionary War didn’t start in Concord or even Boston—it had its beginnings earlier and more widespread than what appears in your seventh-grade history book. One of those beginnings was the Pine Tree Riot (or White Pine Rebellion) in New Hampshire. And one of its youngest participants would one day meet Washington.

What was the Pine Tree Riot?

The Crown claimed that white pine trees in colonial forests were the property of the Crown because of their use as masts on Royal Navy ships. The sawyers (those who made their living working timber) in New Hampshire disagreed, resulting in one of the first fights in the Colonies.

What started the Pine Tree Riot?

One of the leaders among the sawyers, Ebenezer Mudgett, had been arrested days before for possession of white pine logs without the Crown’s mark.

The sawmills banded together and arrested the local Crown sheriff, surprising him in bed early in the morning. The sheriff grabbed his pistols, but when momentarily distracted he was overcome by the mob, his horse’s tail clipped, and he was run out of the county.

Muggeridge was also a ringleader in the rebellion. He and his adopted son, Billy Simpson, fled the county for a time in fear of redcoat retribution.

The account of the event appeared in the New Hampshire Gazette, on April 24, 1772. The event and Billy will be featured in my upcoming book, A Drummer Boy for Washington.

White Pine Rebellion as reported by the New Hampshire Gazette

Billy Simpson Beyond the Riot

Early in the American Revolution, Billy Simpson became a member of George Washington’s Honor Guard, a group charged with defending Washington in battles. Billy met Washington as a protégé of Nathaniel Folsom, a friend of Mudgett. Simpson was among the youngest of the 180 members of the Guard, serving as a drummer boy. At the time Billy joined, he was only twelve.

Drummer boys did not have a glamorous life. They performed all the drudge work, had to attend school in off-hours, and were in the thick of battle with no weapons (and a rather loud instrument drawing attention to themselves). The Guard, and Billy, were in every battle with Washington until it was disbanded in 1783.

Washington's Drummer Boy — Illustration commissioned from **Martins Isaiah Ajogi** of Billy and George Washington

About Michael L. Ross

Michael L. Ross is a lover of history and great stories. A retired software engineer turned author. The Search was his second book in the Across the Great Divide series. Find him and his books online at HistoricalNovelsRUs.

Kris Spisak–On American Language

January 17, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of an American Language

A Guest Post by Kris Spisak.

When people think of the American revolution, freedom comes to mind—freedom, liberty, and independence from the necessity of following rules established without any thoughtful representation. But these ideals weren’t and aren’t limited to government. The English language itself went through its own revolution, with founding fathers such as Ben Franklin at the helm here too.

It was an era when “thee” and “thou” were just starting to decline in usage. Our “unalienable rights” were discussed rather than today’s standard “inalienable rights,” and “the” was more commonly written “ye” as a stand-in because the “th” sound no longer had a single alphabet letter to represent it as it once had.

The English language has continuously evolved for hundreds of years, but because the first print dictionaries were published in the 1600s and 1700s, this was an especially turbulent time for words.

Ben Franklin himself suggested that we create a new twenty-six letter alphabet, dropping the letters C, J, Q, W, X, and Y and adding in six new ones of his own creation. His new alphabet would allow, he said, for a phonetic reading of the entire English language. Many ignored him. Many others, like Noah Webster, took Franklin’s many language thoughts into consideration. Thus, when Webster’s American English dictionary was finally published in 1828, he included Franklin’s suggestions that the “u” be removed from “color,” “favorite,” and “honor” and that the “re” in “theatre” and “centre” should be reversed, among many other ideas. The differences between American English and British English were born of this celebration of reason and independent thought, but, of course, the story hardly end there.

The fact that Thomas Jefferson used linguistic ciphers in his correspondence with Merriweather Lewis during his great expedition westward with William Clark is a story for another day.

Kris Spisak wrote her first book, Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), with a goal to help writers of all kinds empower their communications. Her “Words You Should Know” podcast and “Grammartopia” events follow the same mission. A former college writing instructor, having taught at institutions including the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Kris now works as a freelance editor, specializing in fiction. She is on is on the board of directors of James River Writers, is the co-founder and director of creative strategy of Midlothian Web Solutions, and can’t wait for you to hear about her next book. Sign up for her monthly writing and communications newsletter for more tips and trivia like this.

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Alphabet anecdotes and language-based ciphers also play a role in my American Revolutionary novel Carrying Independence, debuting in summer of 2019.

For research related to the novel and to stay updated on Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-news publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Thank you for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

Rachel Pater–A Walking Tour for Justice

January 10, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

The Life and Times of Elizabeth Van Lew

A Guest Post by Rachel Pater.

After 20 years in the Midwest and 10 years in the Wild West, my partner and I landed in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Prior to moving here, I had little knowledge about the Civil War—even less about Richmond’s role in it.

Like many others, the way I can best access history is through narratives from or about people who lived through specific periods of time. Since moving here, my portal to Civil War times has been through the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Unionist Spy who lived in Church Hill.

Elizabeth’s story took a hold in me, and I knew I wanted to share it. And so, in collaboration with a few musicians and the Richmond Story House, we recorded an audio narrative of her story (hear a sample here). You can now take this 70-minute, 2-mile, downloadable walking tour on your own time, by yourself or with a group. The tour starts and ends at St. John’s Church in Church Hill.

Elizabeth’s Significance Then and Now

Following the fall of Richmond, Ulysses S. Grant said that Elizabeth Van Lew provided him with “the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.” Her lessons continue to provide us with knowledge of our city’s participation in the slave trade and the Civil War, challenging participants to make connections between this history and the insidious forms of racism still alive in our city and world today.

Proceeds from the tour go directly to expanding our work in the Richmond City Justice Center, where we run weekly personal narrative workshops. Download the Van Lew Tour and see a slideshow here.

Rachel Pater is the Founder of Richmond Story House. Visit Richmond Story House for the tour, workshops, and also information on volunteering and donations.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

National Bill of Rights Day

December 14, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

In honor of National Bill of Rights Day (December 15), a guest post by historian and author Tony Williams.

James Madison and Bill of Rights Day

On June 8, 1789, during the First Congress, Representative James Madison arose on the floor of the House and made a speech introducing amendments that would come to be known as the Bill of Rights.

963px-Bill_of_Rights_Pg1of1_AC — Bill of Rights via the National Archives

Madison had previously thought the Bill of Rights was unnecessary.

And yet, during an exchange with Thomas Jefferson, Madison started to change his mind and admitted that a bill of rights could help the liberties become ingrained in the American character.

Madison began his June 8 speech by appealing to the spirit of compromise: “We ought not to disregard their inclination, but, on principles of amity and moderation, conform to their wishes, and expressly declare the great rights of mankind secured under this constitution.”

Madison teaches us a lesson about moderation.

James_Madison_KarenAChase — James Madison Portrait via Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division, digital ID cph.3a53278.

“If we can make the constitution better in the opinion of those who are opposed to it, without weakening its frame, or abridging its usefulness, in the judgment of those who are attached to it, we act the part of wise and liberal men.”

Madison became the “Father of the Bill of Rights” as he skillfully guided the amendments through the Congress during the summer of 1789. Virginia became the last state to ratify on December 15, 1791.

This Bill of Rights Day affords Americans an opportunity to reflect on the basis of their rights and their form of government as well as the compromise and spirit of moderation that enabled them to protect their inalienable rights.

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Tony Williams is Senior Teaching Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute, and author of Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America and Hamilton: An American Biography. You can also follow him on Facebook.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Rice and Slavery in Colonial America

December 12, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

Not the Land o’ Cotton

A Guest Post by Susan Keogh

When most Americans think of the Old South, they envision the cotton plantations of Gone with the Wind or Roots. Most think cotton was all the South produced. They might also think of tobacco growing. But I would wager few outside South Carolina think of rice.

Rice_SusanKeogh — A demonstration rice field at Middleton Plantation in South Carolina, photo taken by Susan Koegh as part of her research.

How important was Rice in the Revolutionary South?

“Nowhere in the Americas did rice play such an important economic role as in South Carolina,” writes author Judith A. Carney in her book, Black Rice. “Rice and South Carolina share a history that led to the establishment of the crop early in its settlement… On the eve of the American Revolution… rice exports from South Carolina exceeded sixty million pounds annually.”

Who Introduced Rice to the Colonies?

To work the fields of this labor-intensive crop, English planters in Carolina used slaves brought from Africa. While some Colonists may have claimed credit for introducing rice to Carolina, the more likely source was the slaves who were born and raised along Africa’s Rice Coast and provided the knowledge of rice cultivation.

Carney writes: “About a hundred slaves accompanied the first settlers arriving in South Carolina from Barbados in 1670; within two years they formed one-fourth of the colony’s population, and by 1708 blacks outnumbered whites.”

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Susan first published a series of novels centered around the adventures of Jack Mallory, a young Englishmen who is both pirate and eventually the patriarch of a large rice plantation in the colonial province of Carolina.

Her latest book, THE DRIVER’S WIFE, set in 17th Century South Carolina, is available now. Follow her via: Facebook, Twitter, or on her blog.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Christian Di Spigna Reexamines History

December 6, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

The Generous Benedict Arnold

A Guest Post by Christian Di Spigna

To many Americans, the name Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason and treachery. The former American patriot hero flipped sides and became a spy in the employ of the Crown. When Arnold’s betrayal was uncovered in 1780, it shocked and pained patriot sons and daughters of liberty.

Many historians have claimed that one of Arnold’s motivations for becoming a traitor was financial. Yet such a rationale betrays an incredible act of generosity that Arnold bestowed upon the young orphaned children of Dr. Joseph Warren, the martyred hero of the Bunker Hill battle.

Arnold and Warren had met briefly and befriended each other in the spring of 1775. Arnold’s wife died that June—the same month Warren was killed in action, leaving Arnold a widower with young children of his own.

A remarkable letter written by Warren’s fiancé, Mercy Scollay, to Benedict Arnold in July 1780 has uncovered the fact that Arnold had personally given nearly 3,000 pounds for the education and care of Warren’s orphaned children in the years since his battlefield death.

This kindness contradicts Arnold’s motivation of greed. It adds an additional layer to the many complexities surrounding the man. None of Dr. Joseph Warren’s patriot brethren—including future American governors and presidents—provided Warren’s children such financial support. Perhaps now, centuries later, Arnold’s historical lens needs some refocusing.

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You can attend events with author and historian Christian Di Spigna (listing via his website) or connect via Twitter. His newest book Founding Martyr is about Dr. Joseph Warren, an architect of the colonial rebellion, and a man who might have led the country as Washington or Jefferson did had he not been martyred at Bunker Hill in 1775. It’s available online, and at bookstores via IndieBound.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Karen McCann on Armchair Adventures: Guest Post

April 24, 2015 By Karen A. Chase

Today on Compositions, we hear from Karen McCann, an American expat living in Seville and exploring Europe. Following a 6000-mile, 13-country train journey, she has just published Adventures of a Railway Nomad: How Our Journeys Guide Us Home. But as she reminds us, sometimes the best travel experiences involve a good armchair and a great read.

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The Civilized Joys of Armchair Adventures

A great travel memoir gives us the exhilarating pleasure of exploring far-flung places in the company of a congenial and insightful companion — without having to put up with long plane rides, inclement weather, lost luggage, and worrisome food. Having visited places where it’s advisable to shake out your shoes to dislodge scorpions and stay on perpetual lookout for leopards and electric eels, I deeply appreciate the civilized thrills of armchair adventures.

Books involve us in journeys we would never undertake ourselves. In Free Country we join George Mahood as he sets off on a 1000-mile journey penniless, without luggage, and nearly naked. He proves — via many uproarious detours — that you really can rely on the kindness of strangers.

As a young girl educated by a French order of nuns, I dreamed of living in Paris someday. Two delightful memoirs — Karen A. Chase’s Bonjour 40 and Sarah Turnbull’s Almost French — provide realistic yet enticing views of today’s City of Lights.

Perhaps the best kind of travel memoir is one that enables us to see familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. Alain de Botton, who claims he actually enjoys airports, spent seven days at Heathrow writing about his impressions on a screen visible to passersby. A Week at the Airport is so fresh and insightful that I’ve actually had to rethink my aversion to air terminals.

“The real voyage of discovery,” wrote Marcel Proust, “consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” And that’s something every good travel memoir offers us.

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You can follow Karen McCann on her blog or on the Enjoy Living Abroad Facebook page, too. Her book, Adventures of a Railway Nomad: How Our Journeys Guide Us Home is out now.

Guest Blog: Susan Winkler

March 6, 2015 By Karen A. Chase

Today on Compositions, I welcome author and Paris-lover, Susan Winkler. Her new book, Portrait of a Woman in White, is set in WWII Paris. She joins us today to chat about how her love of Paris began with the movie Gigi.

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I fell in love with Paris when I was very young and saw the movie Gigi, at an outdoor drive-in with my parents and grandparents, in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Portland, with our 3 black and white TV channels was all I knew, so Gigi’s Paris and the belle époque offered another window onto life that yearned to explore.

I was 18 when I first traveled to Paris, to spend a summer, and stayed for the next year and beyond studying literature, art, linguistics, and of course, life. Outside my small academic program, many of my friends were journalists and filmmakers who flocked to Paris from around the world. I wrote for an American newsletter and had a press pass to the Venice and Cannes film festivals. When I came back and began grad school in French literature at Stanford, I missed Paris terribly.

There is something about the abroad experience when you are young, and not traveling with mom and dad, that can feed the imagination forever. I was predisposed to love the city, it’s attention to visual detail, and its incomparable beauty. Plus, I love speaking the language and becoming someone else when I am there.

I was very fortunate, over 20 years ago, to be asked by a publisher to write a guidebook to Paris (The Paris Shopping Companion), allowing me to endlessly explore my favorite city. But no matter how many trips I make, I never get to the bottom of my must-do list. So much to see, eat, do!

In my new novel, PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN WHITE, I explore WWII France, lovers, and a Matisse painting looted by Nazis.

Guest Post: Susann Cokal

September 12, 2014 By Karen A. Chase

Another author joins me today as part of a week-long shout-out about the James River Writers Conference this coming October 17-19th in Richmond. Susann Cokal is also a member of our JRW organization. Her newest book, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, is set in the Scandinavian Renaissance. She’ll be a speaker at our conference and happily answered a couple questions about her writing process.

Do stories find you, or do you go in search of them?
I’m always in search of a story—or at least I let the gods of story know that I’m open. I think ideas find me because they know I’ll give them a loving home. Sometimes an agonized one, of course; writing is a series of ups and downs as I often doubt I’ll be able to match the ideal that first glimmered in my mind.

The idea for my latest novel, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, came to me about eighteen years ago. A sentence sprang up: “The children in the royal nursery were sick.” That was the tip of a big concept—the kingdom might easily dissolve into chaos if the king dies with no healthy heir. I’d already read for pleasure about Renaissance kings and queens and commoners; of course, I needed to do more specific research in order to write about Renaissance courts, seamstresses, slavery, food, fashion, astronomy, medicine, and so on.

I try to have a nice chat with each of my favorite ideas every day. I wrote two other novels before beginning The Kingdom. I didn’t know the third novel would take as many years as my first, but there’s no predicting the course of art. Especially when a lot of writing energy has to go to my job; I teach at VCU, so I’m commenting on fiction-in-progress every day. Time and confidence, the confidence that I can bring a project to the end—those precious entities come in spurts.

What has attending the JRW conference done for you?
At the JRW conference, the air crackles with energy. The conversations and panels breed a lot of ideas and hope. This year, like every year, I look forward to sharing encouragement and enthusiasm.

You can read a review of Susann’s book from the New York Times Book Review. Or visit her website for all things bookish.

Guest Post: Jon Sealy

September 10, 2014 By Karen A. Chase

As part of a week-long shout-out about the James River Writers Conference this coming October 17-19th in Richmond, I’m featuring two local authors here on my blog in one week. The first is Jon Sealy. A member of our JRW organization, Jon has not only released a dark, southern, debut novel called The Whisky Baron, he’ll also be speaking at the conference. I posed a few questions, and Jon happily answered.

How do you perform research for your writing?
I visit libraries to read books and magazines contemporary to my story. For the 1930s, the Sears & Roebuck catalog was helpful (a tip I stole from the writer Tom Franklin).

Do stories find you, or do you go in search of them?
Who knows where ideas come from? I have an old English major’s sensibility that books are made out of books, and that authors are as much in conversation with each other as they are with the reader. With that in mind, I’m always looking for a great book to read, which is a reminder of why it all matters and provides a constant measure of excellence.

Which other authors influenced your work?
In the spirit of “books are made from books,” I’d like to mention two under-read authors. The first is William Gay, who I think is the finest southern writer in recent decades. The second is Mark Powell, a fellow South Carolinian, whose new novel The Sheltering is a real tour de force.

What do you hope to share about your work at the conference?
I’m on a panel about southern literature, which should be interesting because I think southern literature has reached something of a dead end. Places are invented constructs that humans constantly reinvent, and I’m not sure the “South” really exists anymore. I could be wrong, so I’m curious to hear what my fellow panelists think.

Visit Jon Sealy on his website, or follow him for fun bits on Twitter.

You can find out more about the conference on my Facebook page, or on the conference website.