Historical Fiction Novel Preview of "The War Comes to Redding" by Brent M. Colley

Chapter Seven- The Campaign of Starving and Freezing

Up until about December 22nd the weather couldn't seem to make up its mind, we'd have rain, then snow, then more rain, some sleet, and then rain yet again; the roads were a mess. The corduroy road my Father and the other men had created in front of Colonel Read's this past November had become a popular travel route for the teamsters who used it quite often now. 

I remember the 22nd because of all that happened that day. It started off simple enough- On my way back home from school I found a teamster at the corner of Limekiln and Lonetown trying to decide on the best way to go. He was trying to find his way from Lonetown over to the third camp near the Danbury line.

"Hello Mister. You look lost. Can I help?" I asked him.

"Why that surely would be kind of ya," he said in a funny drawl. "I need to get to third camp before this storm gets any worse."

"Then you want to use this road here," I said pointing down Limekiln. "follow it to the Limekilns, you can't miss ‘em and their billows of smoke. From there you’ll cross four fields, and come to a beaver pond. Stay to the south side of the pond and turn Northwest when you reach the next clearing, ahead you will see a stonewall, just beyond it is the pathway that leads straight into third camp."

"Why thank ya son, I do appreciate it." He said with a smile before spurring his horses and heading off through the storm.

The snow was really coming down now, it was up past my ankles and with the winds picking up I knew it wouldn't be long before walking would become difficult, so I cut across the road and into the pines by the swamp. That's where I saw them, there were three of them and they had someone's calf. There were drag marks across the clearing so I figured it was dead, but still it made my heart hurt to see them butchering it; I ran home as fast as I could.

"What's wrong?" asked my Father as I burst through the barn door.

"Soldiers!" I said. "They stole somebody's calf and they're butchering it in the pines!"

My Father slammed the hay rake he was using down to the ground and cursed. "That's the third calf this week!" He grabbed his gun and headed over to the horse stall. "Tell your Mother I'm riding over to Sanford's. And tell her not to worry, we're going to handle this correctly, without any bloodshed."

Mom was worried anyway. Philip and David weren't, they were itching to see what was going to happen to those soldiers.

"What was Dad working on when he left?"  Philip asked.

"He was filling the hay feeders." I said.

"We better get on that." said David to Philip with a wink.

I knew what they were up to, they were heading out to the pines to watch.

"Just stay out of harms way..." Mom blurted as they left, she knew too.

From that moment forward it was a long night for the rest of us. We all sat by the fire, not saying much, just waiting for them to return. Baby Will fell asleep on Phineas’ belly while Mom, Abby and me de-shelled acorns, it was methodical work perfect for the occasion.

Outside we could hear the wind howling.

"I sure hope Phil and Dave took the horses," I thought out loud. "the drifts were ankle high on my way home. They must be waist high by now."

"Good point. You’d better get out there and shovel a path for the morning." said Mom. 

"Really?" I said, hoping she was kidding.

"Really," she said. “"we’ll need a path out to the barn in the morning." Raising an eyebrow to show me she was serious.

"Ugh. Me and my big mouth." I thought over and over again as I shoveled my way out to the barn.

When I got out there I found that they did take the horses. Father took Winfred our quarter horse and Phil and Dave took the work horses, their stalls were empty too.

I told Mom when I got back.

"Good," she said. "let’s get to bed. They may not be back for hours."

She was right, it was well after midnight when they actually got home and we were all fast asleep. We heard all about it at breakfast that morning.

"You should have seen their faces..." David was ecstatic despite his lack of sleep. 

"They had no idea they were surrounded. They had no idea we were even there, they were so focused on the meat they were cooking that they didn't even see us. While they sat there huddled by the fire, the circle closed slowly around them, tighter and tighter, they never heard us, the winds were too loud, and then, BOOM! we all pounced. It was over in seconds; they were subdued and taken to the guard house at Dearborn's camp."

"What's going to happen to them?" asked Abby.

"That's up to General Putnam," said Father. "But I hope he makes an example of them."

"What happens next? asked Philip.

Father’s face twisted, in a thoughtful way. His right hand landed on his right thigh, his left index finger on his upper lip and his thumb under his chin. 

"I really don’t know how this one will play out. The soldiers will be Court-martialed, that’s how they handle these situations. But, this one will be interesting because it involves more than just the Army. Loss of livestock and looting has been prevalent since the troops arrived in Redding and this is the perfect opportunity to put an end to it." 

"Will they be put to death?" asked Mother visibly concerned.

"I don't think Putnam will do that," said Father. "I expect a public lashing, but, as I said, I really don’t know how this one will play out. Putnam may have to put someone to death to put an end to this."

*more soon*


Why I'm writing this novel:

The purpose of my novel is to bring attention to more Revolutionary War topics than simply battles and timelines with the hope that it will fuel future study of these topics in local schools and help students become more aware of the history that surrounds them and push them to explore interests of their own.

In this novel I pick up where My Brother Sam is Dead left off and tell you the story of what it was like to live in Redding in the Winter of 1778-79. Your narrator is Jonas Fairchild. Jonas is 13 years old and lives within walking distance to the middle encampment. His friend and mentor is a Native American Indian named Tom Warrups. Tom is in his 30's and lives just up the hill from Jonas and his family. Through Tom, Jonas learns about Indian culture and their way of life.

Jonas' father owns and operates two saw mills in town with his brothers. When the army decides on Redding for its winter encampment, the Fairchild family agrees to help the soldiers more efficiently cut their hut lumber by showing them how to make saw pits at each encampment. Little do they know they will be helping the soldiers in many more ways than this as the story unfolds.

More will be shared as I edit my chapters so stay tuned for updates about this very insightful first person narrative of what happened when 3,000+ soldiers and their camp followers arrived to co-exist amongst the Redding residents in the winter of 1779.

The War Comes to Redding- A Historical Fiction Novel

Background- Jonas Fairchild is a 13 year old boy living in Redding, Connecticut. It is September 16, 1778.

Chapter One -They're Back-

"They're back! They're back!!" Stephen had been running and he could barely catch his breath.

"Sit down" I said, "Here…  sit here." I got up off the log I was sitting on and guided him down to it.

I let him rest a moment then I asked: "Who's back?"

"Soldiers!" he blurted.

"The British?"

Stephen shook his head and took a deep breath. "No! American soldiers, the same ones we saw this summer; they were over by Colonel  Read's near the old wood lot. And this time they had surveyors with them. Why do you think they had surveyors Jonas?"

I handed him my fishing string to give myself a moment to think about it.

"I don't know for sure, but from what I overheard Isaac Platt talking about at church last Sunday, the troops may be coming to Redding for the Winter."

"Isaac and his brother are soldiers in a Massachusetts Regiment, and he said they were heading up to Quaker's Ridge in Pawling, New York later this week to meet up with the rest of General Washington's troops to train and plan out their strategy for the winter. He said there was a good chance he'd be back in Redding late in November if the General got his way."

Stephen looked puzzled: "Redding? You think they're coming here?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is how my novel begins. 

In this novel I pick up where My Brother Sam is Dead left off and tell you the story of what it was like to live in Redding in the Winter of 1778-79. Your narrator is Jonas Fairchild. Jonas is 13 years old and lives within walking distance to the middle encampment. His friend and mentor is a Native American Indian named Tom Warrups. Tom is in his 30's and lives just up the hill from Jonas and his family. Through Tom, Jonas learns about Indian culture and their way of life.

Jonas' father owns and operates two saw mills in town with his brothers. When the army decides on Redding for its winter encampment, the Fairchild family agrees to help the soldiers more efficiently cut their hut lumber by showing them how to make saw pits at each encampment. Little do they know they will be helping the soldiers in many more ways than this as the story unfolds.

More will be shared as I edit my chapters so stay tuned for updates about this very insightful first person narrative of what happened when 3,000+ soldiers and their camp followers arrived to co-exist amongst the Redding residents in the winter of 1779.

Themes in my upcoming novel- The War Comes to Redding

Right now there is a lot of new information about the Revolutionary War and the encampments at Redding coming out and these findings are much more than, "Hey, that's cool!" these findings fill-in gaps and tie-in groups previously over looked; they really are exciting.

My thought with this novel was to deliver some of this new information to readers via a story that's familiar (because it ties to My Brother Sam is Dead) and gives a fresh perspective of the War coming to Redding through the eyes of Jonas Fairchild, a thirteen year old boy.


Here are some of the topics you'll find in the novel:


1.  The impact of 3,000 soldiers situated in three encampments arriving with little time for locals to prepare.
 
In the novel I make it clear that Redding, Connecticut is a very small town about to double in size over-night.

I bring awareness to some of the dangers ahead before they appear in the storyline so readers have a better understanding of their impact when they actually happen.

Example from the Novel:

"Are you happy about the War coming to Redding Mr. Heron?" Elijah asked.

Mr. Heron paused for a long moment.

"I have concerns," he said thoughtfully. "I have concerns because as I just was explaining- with War comes uncertainty. The outcome you expect is rarely the one you get. And we will have a very large and diverse group of people here. If there is any trouble it will have to be handled swiftly and with force by the Generals or the safety of both the army and our citizens will be at risk."

I also explain the views some residents had about the needs of soldiers once they were in Redding through dialog between the characters.

Example from the Novel:

"The soldiers are starving," Abby said at breakfast "isn't there any way we can help them?"

"We have." Said Father. "We have provided them with an efficient means to cut their wood at all three of their encampments."

"But they haven't any food." Pleaded Abby.

"That is not our concern," Father said sternly. "they have the supplies in Danbury and it is the Army's job to get them here. If we give away our stored food to starving soldiers and our supplies run out, then we will be the ones starving."


2.  Another topic I have woven into the story is the role of the Native American Indian in this conflict.

Tom Warrups is a real-life character whose role in the American Revolution I have slightly altered to educate readers about Native American Indian culture and bring awareness to the presence of Native American soldiers in these encampments at Redding. I share Native American Indian Culture via Indian stories that Tom tells to Jonas(his 13 year old neighbor and the story's narrator); tell of the Native American Indian Soldiers via the interactions Tom and Jonas have with the soldiers; and shed light on the fears/questions the Native American Indians had about "Independent" America and what "Independence" would mean for them.

Example from the Novel:

"My people are fearful of what your Independence means for us. Will it be to our benefit or demise? We don't really know. What we do know is that since the white man has arrived in what you call "America," our ancient home lands have been taken and we have been pushed out. For those of us that fight for the Independence of your people we hope this War brings what your Declaration of Independence promises *and* restores for us the rights that we have lost. Do you know what I speak of Jonas?"

"Yes." I said, "We memorized the Declaration last year at the schoolhouse."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever Any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new Government."

"That is right," said Tom "and I pray that it is known that the Native American Indian soldiers here in Redding are not 'merciless Indian savages' and recognized that they too are men in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness; fighting for their own unalienable rights."


3. Black soldiers or African American soldiers are an important part of the novel. In fact, that is what I am presently working on right now because of information discovered while reviewing documents forwarded to me about the Native American Indian soldiers positioned in Redding.

4. The looting of local farms by the starving soldiers and the locals reaction to this looting.

Example from the Novel:

The snow was really coming down now, it was up past my ankles and with the winds picking up I knew it wouldn't be long before walking would become difficult so I cut across the road and into the pines by the swamp. That's where I saw them, there were three of them and they had someone's calf. There were drag marks across the clearing so I figured it was dead, but still it made my heart hurt to see them butchering it. I ran home as fast as I could.

"What's wrong?" asked my Father as I burst through the barn door.

"Soldiers!" I said. "They stole somebody's calf and they're butchering it in the pines!"

My Father slammed the hay rake he was using down to the ground and cursed. "That's the third calf this week!" He grabbed his gun and headed over to the horse stall.

"Tell your Mother I'm riding over to Sanford's. And tell her not to worry, we're going to handle this without bloodshed."

5. Illness at the encampments due to the cold and the War's on going small pox epidemic. Some modern estimates have the small pox responsible for 100,000+ deaths during the Revolutionary War and because we did have soldier deaths at Redding's encampments I included it as an important element in the story.

6. The executions at Redding in the winter of 1778-79, why they occurred and why they were important to the war and Redding going forward are included as well. 

Desertions and spying were a problem at this point in the War and it was during the Winter of 1778-79 that these issues were dealt with by General Putnam. To give an additional view of desertion and to show that for some it was necessary, the high drama of my novel involves the desertion of several Native American Indian soldiers and a gravely ill Black Soldier.


Why I'm writing this novel:


The purpose of my novel is to bring attention to more Revolutionary War topics than simply battles and timelines with the hope that it will fuel future study of these topics in local schools and help students become more aware of the history that surrounds them and push them to explore interests of their own.

In this novel I pick up where My Brother Sam is Dead left off and tell you the story of what it was like to live in Redding in the Winter of 1778-79. Your narrator is Jonas Fairchild. Jonas is 13 years old and lives within walking distance to the middle encampment. His friend and mentor is a Native American Indian named Tom Warrups. Tom is in his 30's and lives just up the hill from Jonas and his family. Through Tom, Jonas learns about Indian culture and their way of life.

Jonas' father owns and operates two saw mills in town with his brothers. When the army decides on Redding for its winter encampment, the Fairchild family agrees to help the soldiers more efficiently cut their hut lumber by showing them how to make saw pits at each encampment. Little do they know they will be helping the soldiers in many more ways than this as the story unfolds.

More will be shared as I edit my chapters so stay tuned for updates about this very insightful first person narrative of what happened when 3,000+ soldiers and their camp followers arrived to co-exist amongst the Redding residents in the winter of 1779.
Future Updates:

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You can also sign-up for my Dropbox Folder. This book and many others will soon be posted to the Dropbox Folder along with teaching resources for them.

What’s in the My Brother Sam is Dead Dropbox Folder?

Everything I have collected and written over that past 6 years and that's a whole lot. The idea behind this folder is to help parents and teachers better understand what topics the authors have woven into each chapter of the fictional history novel, My Brother Sam is Dead.

I have broken out this resource into three sections:

1). Guide to MBSD(2 e-books and 8 supporting documents),

2). Maps, Photos and Visuals and

3). Teaching Resources(includes lesson plans and online quizzes).

All my ebooks are included at this resource and much more. Photos and maps of everything that occurs in the novel and teaching tools are included as well.

This is everything you need and more to get your kids really excited about the novel and come away with a very good understanding of why the novel was written.

My Brother Sam is Dead Dropbox Access

African American soldiers in Redding's encampments

While doing research over the weekend about the number of African American soldiers in Redding's encampments I came across this:

"As for blacks in the Connecticut regiments, we have brigade returns for August 1778 showing 148 black soldiers in Parson's brigade and 62 in Huntington's brigade. At that time the 6th Connecticut Regiment was serving under Brigadier General Parson."

Source: http://www.americanrevolution.org/rees.html 

I found this interesting because both Parsons and Huntington were in Redding for the Winter of 1778 to 1779 and have now started to look a little deeper to see if all 210 Black and Indian soldiers came to Redding.

I'll update as soon as I have more information.

My Brother Sam is Dead and the British Raid of Danbury

In Chapter 10 of My Brother Sam is Dead, Tim has many feelings about the War but he has yet to experience the war up close. That changes on Saturday morning April 26, 1777 while Tim is tending to the kitchen garden on the side of his house.

Tim narrating: "I began hearing from a long way away a heavy muttering noise. It sounded a bit like thunder, but not exactly. It made me uneasy. I jammed the spade in the ground and went out front of the tavern to have a look up and down the road. The sound seemed to be coming from the southwest over behind the church somewhere…And then I saw Ned, Samuel Smith's Negro, come running up the road. At the same moment Captain Betts, popped out of his house next door. Captain Betts was in the Rebel militia. 

"What is it, Ned" he shouted. 

"British Troops, Captain," Ned shouted. He ran on by.

"The noise grew louder. I watched, and all at once through the hedgerows I caught a glimpse of movement and things flashing. In a moment the vanguard appeared around the bend…On down the road toward me they came. It was a frightening thing to see. They just kept coming on and on as if nothing in the world could stop them." 

With the war in his front yard, Tim experiences many realities in a short frame of time: 

1. The British troops are numerous, organized, and impressive looking: "Oh, those troops were impressive looking with all those belts and buckles and powder horns and bayonets and so forth dangling about their red uniforms. How could people like Sam expect to beat them?"

2. There are split loyalties in his own neighborhood: "It gave me a funny feeling to realize that while Mr. Heron was giving the British officers rum and beef, Captain Betts and Mr. Rogers were sitting a hundred yards away trying out a way to kill them." 

3. That he's a Tory. "Suddenly I realized that I was. Father's capture had done that." 

4. War turns men into beasts. "At first when the troops had arrived, swaggering around so bold and gay, I had really admired them. But seeing them take Jerry Sanford off like that gave me a sick feeling in my stomach." 

5. He doesn't want to be a Tory anymore. After watching the British kill Ned and the others in Captain Starr's house he realizes that neither side of the war is worthy of his support.

These events really happened...

April 26, 1777 British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut

British Raid of Danbury, 1777 

The British Army's march through Redding Ridge is the only direct contact Redding residents had with British troops in the Revolution. It created much excitement and afforded the Collier's an opportunity to bring that excitement to life in my brother Sam is dead. Twenty-four vessels carrying around 1,550 regular British troops and some 300 Loyalist militiamen from "Browne's Provincial Corps", many of whom were originally from Connecticut, arrived on the shores of Compo Beach in Westport, Connecticut on April 25, 1777. Their mission: destroy the rebel military supply depot at Danbury, Connecticut.

Lord Howe, the commander of the British troops, stationed at New York City, had long meditated an attack on Connecticut and news of provisions being stored at Danbury provided the incentive he desired. Howe chose William Tryon, the deposed British governor of New York, as Commander and two military men: Brigadier General James Agnew, second in command and Brigadier General Sir William Erskine as third in command for the expedition. 

Tryon had been Governor of New York up until the Revolution and was said to have been consumed with "an inveterate hatred and thirst for revenge" on the rebel Yankees. He had a special grudge against Connecticut, the sturdy little colony that had thwarted him in a variety of ways: "Her horseman had scattered organs of revolutionary propaganda through the streets of New York; her "Sons of Liberty" had plotted against him even in his own city; treated with contempt his proclamations, using them as specimens of the governor's pleasant humor." 

Tryon had the further merit of being intimately acquainted with the towns and landscape of Connecticut. He had been as far inland as Litchfield, had probably visited Danbury, and had been dined and feted at Norwalk, Fairfield, and New Haven. He seems to have acted as a *guide to the expedition while giving **Agnew and Erskine the responsibility of tactical operations. 

Via 40 or 50 flatboats the troops disembarked at Compo between five and six in the afternoon, and that same evening marched to Fairfield, about seven miles distant, where they encamped for the night. 

News that the British had landed at Compo, encamped at Fairfield, and would march through Redding the next day, was conveyed to the residents at an early hour, and occasioned the greatest consternation and excitement. Money and valuables were hastily secreted in wells and other places of concealment; horses and cattle were driven into the forests, and the inhabitants along the enemy's probable route held themselves in readiness for instant flight. 

On receiving intelligence of the landing at Compo, Captain Zalmon Read mustered his company of militia, and forthwith marched to intercept the invaders. At a place called Couch's Rock, in Weston, Connecticut, they came suddenly upon a British flanking company and were taken as prisoners. Town selectman, James Rogers, Timothy Parsons, Russell Bartlett and 13 year old, Jacob Patchen were among the prisoners. In Charles Burr Todd's History of Redding, Todd relates that: 

"Timothy Parsons, had a fine musket which he particularly valued; this a British soldier took, and dashed to pieces on the stones, saying it should waste no more rebel bullets." 

Meanwhile, Colonel Joseph Platt Cooke, commander of the 16th militia regiment in Danbury, had followed General Gold S. Silliman's instructions and sent all available men from Danbury to Fairfield. Silliman mistakenly assumed that the British intended to attack Fairfield. Other troops were sent toward the Hudson River, in response to a number of ships the British had strategically positioned there to confuse the American generals. This left the Military Depot at Danbury in a vulnerable state. 

On the morning of the 26th, at a very seasonable hour (11am-12 noon), the British troops arrived and halted at Redding Ridge. During the halt the main body of the troops remained under arms on the green in front of the Anglican Church. Tryon, Agnew, and Erskine were invited into Esquire William Heron's home (the first house south of the Christ Church Episcopal, no longer in existence). Here they were reported to have been "hospitably entertained with cake, wine, and it is presumed, many hopeful prognostications of the speedy collapse of the rebellion." 

Shortly after their meeting, a file of soldiers entered the house of Lieutenant Stephen Betts, a prominent patriot who lived across the street from the church and seized him. Daniel Sanford, his son, Jeremiah Sanford (19 years old), and 16 year old, Benjamin Lines, met a like fate. Three of Redding's loyalists joined British Troops on this day: Samuel Hawley, James Gray, and Joseph Lyon. Lyon had been in hiding for 33 days. 

As the army prepared to resume its march north, a horseman was observed spurring rapidly down Couch Hill Road (present day- Sunset Hill Road) toward them. He was within musket shot before discovering their presence and though he turned to fly when he saw their red coats, he was shot, and severely wounded in the attempt. He proved to be a messenger from Colonel Cooke in Danbury, bearing dispatches to General Silliman. His name was Lambert Lockwood. Tryon had formerly known him in Norwalk, where Lockwood had rendered him a service, and Tryon seems to have acted on this occasion with some kindness, as he released him on parole, and allowed him to be taken into a house so his wounds could be dressed. 

All in all, the British troops spent one to two hours on Redding Ridge before resuming their march to Danbury with the ***Redding militiamen captured in Weston, Patriots Stephen Betts, Daniel Sanford, Jeremiah Sanford and a non-combatant (B. Lines) captured in Redding. One British soldier, Bernard Keeler, deserted at Redding Ridge and lived in town until his death in 1827.

As the British marched toward Danbury, the remaining patriots of Redding anxiously awaited the approach of the Patriot troops in pursuit. At length they came in view, marching wearily, in sodden, disordered ranks, a small army of five hundred men and boys, led by Brigadier General Silliman. They were comprised of soldiers from the companies of Colonel Lamb's battalion of artillery, with three rusty cannon, a field-piece, part of the artillery company of Fairfield, and sixty Continentals; the rest were an untrained assemblage, chiefly old men and boys. 

It was eight o'clock in the evening when the New Haven troops arrived at Redding Ridge-an evening as disagreeable as a northeast rainstorm with its attendant darkness could make it. Here the troops halted an hour for rest and refreshment. At the expiration of that time a bugle was heard from far down the turnpike; then the tramp of horsemen was heard and presently Major General Wooster and Brigadier General Arnold, dashed into the village of Redding Ridge. 

On hearing that the British were so far ahead, it is said that Arnold became so enraged that he could scarcely keep his seat, and his terrible oaths fell on his auditor's ears like thunder claps. Wooster at once assumed command, and the column moved forward through the muddy and heavily rutted roadway as far as Bethel, where it halted for the night.

At Danbury, but three miles distant, Tryon's force was at rest, and might have been annihilated by a determined effort, but the Continental command was hampered by the weather conditions, heavily rutted roadways and fatigue.

Benedict Arnold to McDougall, West Redding, April 27th, 1777, 10am:

"Last night at half past eleven, General Wooster, General Silliman and myself with six hundred militia arrived at Bethel, ****eight miles from Danbury. The excessive heavy rains rendered their arms useless, and many of the troops were much fatigued having marched thirty miles in the course of the day without refreshment." 

The British had reached Danbury at approximately 5:00 pm and driven off the Patriots who had been attempting to remove supplies. Later that evening, seven patriot defenders who had stayed behind opened fire on British troops from a house in town owned by Major Daniel Starr, among the patriots was "Ned", a slave of Redding's Samuel Smith. *****Two companies of British regulars charged and put the dwelling to the torch killing all the men inside. 

Before their departure early the next morning, the British had destroyed much of the Rebel's depot: barrels of pork and beef, barrels of flour, bushels of grain, hogsheads of rum and wine, thousands of shoes, stockings and tents among other supplies. Provisions the Continental troops would long for come the winter of 1778-79.

Notes:

*Tryon was aided by local Tories who had fled from the area and joined the British army. The locals intimate knowledge of the roadways and landscape in and around Southwestern Connecticut was a vital asset to the British troops. 

**Agnew was injured at some point during the weekend and Erskine took over as second in command.; He was very capable in that role. Earlier that winter, Erskine had led a foraging expedition to New Jersey in which "he routed the rebels with great slaughter; he took no prisoners." 

***Betts, Bartlett, Lines, Patchen, and most of the Redding militiamen would all eventually return to Redding. Daniel Sanford, Jeremiah Sanford, Daniel Chapman, and David Fairchild died in captivity while being held in the "sugar houses" of New York, where sanitation was deplorable and disease was rampant.

****distances from Danbury vary from 2.5 miles to 8 miles, depending on who is reporting back to their superiors. In this case Arnold incorrectly states they were 8 miles from Danbury; They were within 3 miles of Danbury, at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Blackman Avenue.

 *****This was the story behind the beheading of Ned in My Brother Sam is Dead. 

I will continue to provide free content here and at my History of Redding website, but for those who wish to have access to all I know, I have created a Dropbox account that has everything I've found and created. All can be downloaded from the Dropbox. Access is $12.99 and that is unlimited access. Friend the My Brother Sam is Dead Facebook page and receive a $4 discount.

My Brother Sam is Dead Dropbox information. This resource includes all my e-books, photos, maps, primary source materials, lesson plans and online self-grading quizzes. Plus much more.

Book Preview for Earth Day- The Legend of Skunny Wundy

In honor of Earth Day, The Legend of Skunny Wundy

Long ago, there lived a young boy named Skunny Wundy, his name meant "Cross The Creek." He wasn't particularly large and he wasn't particularly strong, but Skunny Wundy was very clever. The one particular talent that he possessed was skipping stones across the water. Skunny Wundy could make a stone skip more times across the river that cut through his village than anyone else in his tribe.

Now, the people of Skunny Wundy's village had always traveled along this river. But they only traveled South. Children were always cautioned to never go North, because to the North was the land of the Stone Giants, large fierce monsters who loved the taste of human flesh. Luckily, Stone Giants weren't very bright, so as long as they didn't see people, they usually forgot they existed. Which is why the people of Skunny Wundy's village always traveled South and never traveled North.

One day, Skunny Wundy was walking along the river skipping stones and paying no attention to the direction he was going. He walked and walked and walked until suddenly he was startled by a Crow. He stopped, looked around and realized that he was very far from his village and traveling North!

Just as he was about to turn and run home, a thunderous voice boomed down from above him:

"A PEO-PLE! MY FAVORITE SNACK!"

Skunny Wundy looked up, terrified, it was a Stone Giant! He was huge and he was mean and, as the name suggested, his skin looked as solid as granite. Skunny Wundy knew that if he tried to run, the Giant would surely catch him, so he took a deep breath and decided to reason with him:

"You don't want to eat me, I'm nothing more than a bite to you!"

Reasoning wasn't going to work...

"THAT'S OKAY, I HAVEN'T HAD A BITE ALL DAY!" said the Stone Giant, licking his lips.

Skunny Wundy knew his only chance was to out smart the Giant.

"How about a contest?" he said hopefully. The Stone Giant looked interested, so Skunny Wundy pressed on.

"I challenge you to a stone skipping contest! We'll each skip a stone across the river and whoever gets theirs to skip the most times wins. If you win, you can...eat me. But if I win, you have to let me go free."

The Stone Giant thought about it for a moment, scooped up a boulder and said:

"OKAY, LET'S GO!!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Skunny Wundy said motioning with both hands for the Giant to hold up.

"That boulder may work fine for you. But there's not a stone here that I can even lift, let alone skip. How about I come back tomorrow with a stone more my size and then we'll have our contest?" said Skunny.

The Stone Giant looked down at him and thought and thought and thought. Skunny Wundy began to worry this trick might not work.

But, finally, the Giant agreed:

"SOUNDS GOOD!" he rumbled. "I SEE YOU TOMORROW!"

Skunny Wundy jumped up, clicked his heals, turned south and ran; laughing the whole way home.

But when he got home, he realized something- Yes, he had out smarted the Giant, but he had also made a promise. He had promised the Stone Giant that he would return.

If he didn't show up for the contest tomorrow the Giant might come looking for him. What if the Giant decided to come looking for him, headed south down the river path, and in the process found his people's village and ate up all Skunny's friends and relatives? It would be tragic and it all would be his fault. Skunny Wundy knew that he couldn't do that to his people and decided that despite the personal risk he would return the next day and compete in the stone skipping contest he had agreed to.

At daybreak the next morning, Skunny Wundy set off towards the land of Giants, checking the ground for good stones the whole way. Unfortunately, there were none and when he finally reached the spot where the Giant was waiting for him, he knew the stone he had in hand wouldn't skip enough to beat a Giant's throw; it was too light to travel any great distance.

"WELCOME BACK, SNACK!" the Giant laughed as he picked up his boulder again.

Skunny Wundy watched dejectedly as the boulder skipped out across the water once, twice, three times...gaining speed as it went, by the time it splashed into the water for the final time, the Giant's stone had skipped fifteen times!

"HA!! AGH-HA-HA! BEAT THAT, SNACK!" the Giant roared pounding his chest.

Skunny Wundy knew his throw would be hard to beat.

"Skunny Wundy!" a soft voice suddenly whispered.

Skunny Wundy looked all around, but could not find the source of the voice.

He heard it again: "Skunny Wundy, down here, down here! Pick me up and use me!"

Skunny Wundy looked down to see a tiny turtle at his feet. He picked the turtle up and again the turtle said: "You can you use me!" Then the animal tucked its head, feet and tail into its shell. And as simple as that, the turtle had become a perfect skipping stone.

Skunny Wundy smiled and whispered quietly to the turtle:

"My life is in your hands, little friend. But we can do this. Together we can do this, together we are one, we will beat this Giant."

Then he reared back his arm, took a deep breath and sent the shell skipping out across the water. Once, twice, three times it skipped, he thought with plenty of speed, but on the thirteenth skip, it turned sideways and it appeared that skip would be his last. But as the corner of the shell was about to crash into the water, suddenly the turtle kicked out his legs. The shell flattened and bounced off the water's surface, skipping again and again again!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" bellowed the Stone Giant, FURIOUS that he had lost.

He spun and slashed a large pine tree, shattering it like a twig.

Then he roared: "AGHHHHHHHHHH!" and Skunny was very frightened, the Giant could not seem to contain his rage.

But then the Giant stopped abruptly, looked down at Skunny and said:

"GO! LEAVE HERE THIS INSTANT! BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!"

Skunny Wundy wasn't taking any chances. He quickly blurted: "Thank You!!" and turned and ran as fast as he could until he reached his home.

Over the years, Skunny Wundy had many more encounters with the Stone Giants, but that is how he survived his first...with the help of the Turtle Clan.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The above is an Indian legend that I reworked to fit into a historical fiction novel I'm working on about Redding and the Revolutionary War. The storyteller is Tom Warrups, a local Native American Indian that is teaching his neighbor (a 13 year old boy named Jonas) about how his people interacted with the Earth. Below is a little from their discussion after Tom tells Jonas this story:

When Tom was finished, I asked him if the story had any special meaning. He nodded and explained that his people had lived on these lands for tens of thousands of years and how they had done this had a lot to do with how they interacted with the Earth and all its creatures. Indians did not work the lands, they worked with the lands and sought harmony with its creatures. The Turtle in the story symbolizes the Earth. The Turtle helps Skunny Wundy which is symbolic of the Earth helping Man.

My people believe we are a part of the earth and it is a part of us, we are brothers working together. Skunny acknowledges this relationship when he says: "Together we are one."

"What does the Giant symbolize?" I asked.

"The Giant's ways are egotistical and wasteful, he gets his way using force. He takes from the land whatever he needs and when he has what he needs he moves on. The Earth is not his brother. That is why it was important that Skunny Wundy and the Turtle won the contest . It is a story used to teach our children that the Earth is our brother, and we must treat the Earth and its creatures with kindness."

Happy Earth Day!

p.s. Parents or Teachers that wish to receive chapters of "The War comes to Redding" as I finish them can contact me at: bcolley@colleyweb.com.

New My Brother Sam is Dead Help Resources

I loved reading the novel My Brother Sam is Dead when I was a kid, it was exciting; it was sad; it had soldiers; it had mystery, but I never really understood it as the authors wished to me to. But after reading it again several years ago(as an adult), I got it. I understood why it was written and I saw all the topics that the authors had woven into each chapter.

At the time I re-read the novel I was in the process of recording the history of Redding in digital format. I was and I still am gathering information about Redding, Connecticut and posting it online so everyone else can enjoy it too. (My website is: HistoryofRedding.com)

What I realized was that a lot of what happened in the book really happened and a lot of the characters were real. So what I started doing was looking at the novel as less of a story and more as a lesson in what happened in Redding at the start of the American Revolution.

That's when the connection between the real and the fictionalized became clearer and the topics the authors had woven into each chapter started to flow out. It was at this point I began creating my resources to help parents, teachers and students understand the novel better.

From the website, there grew an entire sub-site dedicated to My Brother Sam is Dead and then came online self-grading quizzes, and then an e-book and another and another. And that was great for a while, but then as more people read my e-books they expressed a need for more information and information they could use (as needed) to take this novel to new levels in their classrooms and homes.

Enter Dropbox.

Until Dropbox I could not get people the files and information they needed without a lot of work. I burned thousands of CD's and it was a lot of work. A lot of work and there were shipping issues and it just wasn't working. But Dropbox fixed all of that. With Dropbox I am able to give people access to all my files and they have access to my files from any computer they are on, it's awesome.

My Dropbox account is a work in progress so you will always have my latest research and the most accurate information available. You will also have access to new maps and photos and resources.

What’s in the My Brother Sam is Dead Dropbox Folder?

Everything I have collected and written over that past 6 years and that's a whole lot. The idea behind this folder is to help parents and teachers better understand what topics the authors have woven into each chapter of the fictional history novel, My Brother Sam is Dead.

I have broken out this resource into three sections:

1). Guide to MBSD(2 e-books and 8 supporting documents),

2). Maps, Photos and Visuals and

3). Teaching Resources(includes lesson plans and online quizzes).

All my ebooks are included at this resource and much more. Photos and maps of everything that occurs in the novel and teaching tools are included as well.

This is everything you need and more to get your kids really excited about the novel and come away with a very good understanding of why the novel was written.

My Brother Sam is Dead Dropbox Access

Free Summary of the Historical Fiction Novel "My Brother Sam Is Dead"

My new free Summary of the Historical Fiction Novel "My Brother Sam Is Dead" and the topics that have been woven into the novel is available at EzineArticles.com

"My Brother Sam is Dead is a historical fiction novel told in the first person, through the eyes of ten year old Timothy Meeker. It recounts the hardships endured by Tim and his family during the Revolutionary War. When Tim's older brother Sam joins the rebel forces, it impacts the rest of his family who wish to remain neutral and/or avoid war with England. Tim's family is Anglican and thus loyal to the Church of England so a split with England would greatly affect them..."

Read more about  "My Brother Sam Is Dead"