My Brother Sam is Dead E-book Preview

Here is a preview of my latest e-book-The Complete Guide to My Brother Sam is Dead

From the Chapter-
Real Life vs. Events Fictionalized in My Brother Sam is Dead
This chapter points out real life people and events vs. My Brother Sam is Dead people and events. I do this using quotes that come directly from the novel; below the quotes are the historical facts these quotes are based on.



My Brother Sam is Dead Chapter Two:

Tim: "Redding was divided into two-parts: Redding Center and Redding Ridge"

In Real Life:

Redding was divided and the Ridge is as Tim describes it. The "empty field" he mentions still exists today, as does the Christ Church Episcopal. As described in length in the Chapters of this book, Redding had Presbyterians (Congregationalists) and Anglicans (Episcopalians). The Anglicans did settle heavily on Redding Ridge, but there were also Congregationalists among them.

In 1771 the Rev. John Beach writes:

"In Reading (Redding), my hearers are about 300. There is a meeting of Presbyterians about two and a half miles from our Church, in which the congregation is not so large as ours. In a manner, all…who live near the Church join with us."

In the present day, there are four sections that make up Redding: Georgetown, Redding Center, Redding Ridge, West Redding.


Tim: "Redding Ridge being a small place I knew everybody there - all the kids, and Tom Warrups and Ned, the Starr's black man."

In Real Life:

I'd call it a stretch to see Tom Warrup in church but it plays well in the story. Charles Burr Todd, author of Redding's only published history, described Tom as "a worthless, shiftless fellow, who lived chiefly by begging" Kind of rough but he did preface it with "except in war".

The Rev. John Beach does write that he has converted a good number of slaves in Newtown and Redding so it is plausible that Ned would attend church. Ned was the property of Redding Ridge resident, Seth Samuel Smith, and was killed by British soldiers during the 1777 raid of Danbury. Apparently, Ned was among a group of patriot defenders who stayed behind and opened fire on British troops from a house in Danbury owned by Major Daniel Starr. Starr’s house was set ablaze and all inside were killed.

There are no official accounts of Ned being beheaded before the house was put to flame. That resulted from an investigation after the raid had taken place, at the request of S. Samuel Smith. Mr. Smith was required to provide a report of Ned's death with witnesses in order to be compensated for his lost "property". It is in this petition that the accounts of Ned's decapitation surface and provide the view point and events that Tim witnesses in my brother Sam is dead.


Tim: "Church was practically the only time we ever saw some of the farmers from farther out in the parish - places like Umpawaug. They wanted to keep up with the news…"

In Real Life:

The colonists in rural locations, like Redding, Connecticut, relied heavily on "hear-say" for general topics, and when it came to issues of importance in most cases it was the opinions of their preachers and ministers that held the most weight.

Umpawaug still exists in present day Redding. It is said to have Native American origins and mean: "Land above the river." The Saugatuck River runs along the eastern border of the Umpawaug district.


Tim: "Her grandfather was Colonel Read, Her father was Colonel Read's son, Zalmon Read."

In Real Life:

Colonel Read was John Read #2. Captain of Redding's first militia organized in 1739, he was Major of the 4th Connecticut Regiment in 1753, Lieutenant Colonial of the 13th Connecticut Regiment in 1757 and in the same year appointed Colonel of the 4th Connecticut Regiment. He resigned his militia commission in the Revolution due to advanced age, but served as Justice of the Peace in cases of confiscated loyalist properties.

Zalmon Read was Captain of the 10th Company, 5th Connecticut Regiment in 1757, which marched to Canada and engaged in battles at St. Johns and Montreal during the French and Indian War. Capt. Zalmon also assembled and led Redding's militia to Weston to unsuccessfully challenge Tryon's British troops as they marched toward Danbury on April 26, 1777. Zalmon and his brother Hezekiah later converted to the Anglican faith; Zalmon moved to Bedford, New York after the Revolution, Hezekiah remained in Redding and was a major landholder.


Sam: "This is Tory Country. Father, Mr. Beach, the Lyons, the Couches - most of them in our church are Tories. And they think it's the same everywhere, but it isn't."

In Real Life:

Tories or loyalists did live in Redding and Southwestern Connecticut was considered Tory Country. However, if you review town records during the war they are filled with entries in support of the war not against the war and for this reason I'd consider Redding to be Patriot Country.

Several members of both Redding's militia's (East & West) comprised The 10th Company, 5th Connecticut Regiment, which joined other colonial militias for the Invasion of Canada in June/July 1775.

Redding's West Company militia assembled, marched and fought in the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of White Plains and the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776.

The first action of the town officials in regard to the war is found in the records of a town meeting held on April 2, 1777, when a committee was appointed "to hire a number of soldiers to serve in the Continental Army." It was also voted that the "sum or sums said committee promise to or do pay to those soldiers…be paid by town rates, and the Selectmen are ordered to and desired to make a rate to collect the money." In the same meeting a committee was also appointed "to take care of the families of those soldiers that are in service of their country."

For more examples of the real life people and historic events used in the historical fiction novel- My Brother Sam is Dead, download my e-book The Complete Guide to My Brother Sam is Dead at Amazon.com

Complete Guide to My Brother Sam is Dead E-book

Last night I posted my latest e-book in the Guide to My Brother Sam is Dead series.

Complete Guide to My Brother Sam is Dead E-book

This e-book was created to help parents and teachers better understand the topics woven into each chapter of the fictional history novel, My Brother Sam is Dead, and provide them with the resources needed to effectively teach it in their classrooms.

I have broken out this e-book into two sections: Guide to MBSD and Teaching Resources.

In the Guide to MBSD section you will find:

Chapter One- Chapter by Chapter Summary & Analysis of My Brother Sam is Dead

Chapter Two- Real Life vs. Events Fictionalized in My Brother Sam is Dead

Chapter Three- My Brother Sam is Dead Maps of Redding, Connecticut

Chapter Four- Short Summary of My Brother Sam is Dead & the Topics it covers

Chapter Five- Places you can Visit Related to My Brother Sam is Dead

Chapter Six- The Setting of the Novel- Redding, Connecticut

Chapter Seven- The Real People Fictionalized in the Novel

Chapter Eight- Why is My Brother Sam is Dead Censored by Some Watch Groups?

In the Teaching Resources section you will find:

Chapter One- Lesson Plans & Ideas
Lesson plans and examples of how others are using historical fiction novels in their classrooms.

Chapter Two- My Brother Sam is Dead Teaching Resources
Suggested reading materials, online resources and links to online, self-grading tests for each chapter of the book (test results can be emailed directly to you).

Complete Guide to My Brother Sam is Dead E-book

My Brother Sam is Dead Summary

My Brother Sam is Dead Short Summary & Topics

My Brother Sam is Dead is told in the first person by Tim Meeker. 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; as a split with England would greatly affect them.
Tim Meeker is a metaphoric symbol of one third of the American population during the war. He portrays the American that is uncertain which side is right and does not wish to choose a side until forced to, sometimes referred to as a "fence-sitter". Sam and Life are examples of the other two thirds: the Rebel/Patriot and the Tory/Loyalist.

Through Tim Meeker we learn of the issues, the concerns and the conflicts of the rebellion on a personal level. Each chapter touches on a number of topics and issues that provide readers with a better understanding of the affects the American Revolution had on individuals, their families, their churches, their towns, their neighbors...in short, it allows readers to see the war from the position of those that lived through it. This is one of the greatest strengths of the novel; it quietly weaves all of the topics and issues of the early years of the American Revolution into a tragic story of a 10 year old boy’s role in a war he doesn't understand.

My Brother Sam is Dead begins in April 1775 and ends in February 1779...a very volatile period of the American Revolution as it was not clear which side would win the war. Many were either still confused about the issues or unwilling to solidify a position on the issues. As the story unfolds the consequences of the war prove devastating to the Meeker family as the rebelliousness of Tim’s brother, Sam, and the pacifist position taken by Tim’s father, Life, result in the ironic deaths of both, symbolizing the atrocities and unfairness of war.

The novel highlights many of the problems and events that impacted towns like Redding, CT. Several of these topics are:

* Trying to stay neutral while living in a town that everyone assumes is a loyalist settlement. Redding's Anglican Church leader and its members preferred not to rebel from England. This was well known across the State and resulted in Redding Ridge being labeled as an area heavily settled with loyalists/tories.

* Currency Issues-The Meeker's own a tavern/store, and keeping it running is hard work. Even prior to the Revolution, to make money, each year Tim's Father and brother Sam would travel to New York State to sell cattle they received from people who owed them money. During the war it becomes even more difficult as paper money and commissionary notes destroy local economies and businesses.

* Sacrifices- Since Sam has sided with the rebels and wasn't there, Tim's responsibilities have increased ten-fold. Jobs Tim and Sam used to share all now fall on Tim's shoulders. Father (Life) takes Tim on his yearly cattle run to New York. They have to travel without a Brown Bess (musket/gun used for protection), which Sam had recently stolen. Life is captured on their return trip, leaving Tim to take care of his mother and himself for the rest of the novel. Tim is forced to grow up over night seeing he is now the man of the house, with his father in prison and Sam fighting with the patriots.

* Committees of Safety- These committees were formed early in the war to disarm people who could potentially give aid to the British. Life is an Anglican and thus seen as a Loyalist/Tory, by the local Committee of Safety which comes to the Meeker Tavern to disarm him. When Life tells them his son has sided with the Patriots and taken his gun, they initially don't believe him and rough him up.

* Cowboys and Skinners- Life is captured on their way back to Redding on their cattle run by cowboys. Cowboys and skinners were groups of raiders who harassed and plundered the rural districts of the boundary between American and British forces in Westchester County, New York. Westchester County, was the so-called "Neutral Ground" seeing the British were in the Bronx and the Americans in Peekskill, New York.

* The British march though Redding and capture several Patriots there on their way to Danbury, CT to destroy the rebels/Patriot's provisions of war which were being stored there. The Patriot soldiers arrive in Redding in pursuit of the British and Sam is with them so he gets to see his mother and Tim again.

* Winter Encampments- General Israel Putnam's division of the Continental Army encamped at Redding in the winter of 1778-1779 and Sam Meeker is a soldier in one of Putnam’s camps. One evening, Sam slips away from camp and returns home to spend time with his family. While they discuss the war and related topics, Sam hears commotion outside…Patriot soldiers are attempting to steal their cattle! When Sam intervenes he is out numbered and beaten. Back at camp he is falsely accused of and court-martialed for deserting camp and stealing cattle. General Putnam having long dealt with ill-equipped troops, deserters and traitors, feels he needs to set an example in order to maintain discipline amongst his army. Sam, unfortunately, becomes one of the two examples that winter, and is executed.

* Hardships of War- Both Life and Sam Meeker die in the novel. Tim's Mother goes a little crazy due to the stress of losing her husband and son to a war she doesn't support. Tim survives the novel and lives to be very old. He had a wife, children, even grandchildren. But his mother never recovers from Life and Sam's deaths.


For more information, analysis and online quizzes:
The My Brother Sam is Dead Study Guide is available via Amazon.com's Kindle edition.

Or visit my website: http://mybrothersamisdead.historyofredding.com/

What is a Brown Bess?

The musket Sam Meeker takes from his father in my brother Sam is dead, was a Brown Bess "Long Land" musket with a 46" barrel length, .75 barrel caliber, and bayonet length of 16"-17". A skilled soldier could fire three shots per minute with a musket of this type.

Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Army's Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired a symbolic importance which was at least as significant as its physical importance. It was in use for over a hundred years with a good number of incremental changes in its design. The earliest version was the Long Land Pattern of 1722, 62 inches long (without bayonet) with a 46 inch barrel. It was later found that shortening the barrel did not lessen its accuracy and made handling the musket easier. This resulted in the Militia (or Marine) Pattern of 1756 and the Short Land Pattern of 1768, both of which had a 42 inch (1,067 mm) barrel. Other versions included the India Pattern, New Land Pattern Musket, and Sea Service Musket.

As most male citizens of the American Colonies were required by law to own a musket for militia duty, the Long Land Pattern was a common firearm in use by both sides at the commencement of the American Revolution.

Accuracy of the Brown Bess was, as with most other muskets, poor. The effective range is often quoted as 80-100 yards but it was more likely about 50 yards. The combination of the large diameter of the bullet, the heavy weight of its lead construction and its unstable aerodynamic shape (a round ball marred by hand casting) contributed to its low effective range. Though the large projectile could inflict a great deal of damage when it did hit its target, military tactics of the period stressed mass volleys and bayonet charges, instead of individual sniping due to the inaccuracy of these muskets. The great length of the weapon, 62 inches long, with a bayonet of 16 to 17 inches, was advantageous because it allowed longer reach in bayonet engagements, especially against horsemen. By forming a rectangle or square with men facing outward with their bayonets, horsemen could not ride through them.

Why call it a Brown Bess?

Early usage of the term "Brown Bess" appears in an April 1771 issue of the Connecticut Courant, which noted "...but if you are afraid of the sea, take Brown Bess on your shoulder and march." This familiar use must indicate widespread use of the term by that time. The 1785 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue, a contemporary work which defined vernacular and slang terms, contained this entry: "Brown Bess: A soldier's firelock. To hug Brown Bess; to carry a firelock, or serve as a private soldier."

Popular explanations of the use of the word "Brown" include that it was a reference to either the color of the walnut stocks or to the characteristic brown color that was produced by russeting, an early form of metal treatment. Others argue that mass-produced weapons of the time were coated in brown varnish on metal parts as a rust preventative and on wood as a sealer (or in the case of unscrupulous contractors, to disguise inferior or non-regulation types of wood). However, the Oxford English Dictionary notes that "browning" was only introduced in the early 19th century, well after the term had come into general ushttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife.

Similarly, the word "Bess" is commonly held to either derive from the word arquebus or blunderbuss (predecessors of the musket) or to be a refhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giference to Elizabeth I of England, considered unlikely as she died more than a century before the introduction of the weapon. More plausible is that the term Brown Bess could have been derived from the German words "brawn buss" or "braun buss", meaning "strong gun" or "brown gun"; King George I who commissioned its use was from Germany.

See how it worked...

This is a great photo exhibit of how these guns worked. Be sure to check out the videos at the bottom of the page: http://science.howstuffworks.com/flintlock2.htm

For more notes and background information on the historical fiction novel- My Brother Sam is Dead, visit my online resources or purchase an e-book.

My Brother Sam is Dead Social Media Links

In an effort to highlight the resources now available for My Brother Sam is Dead, I've opened up accounts at Facebook and Twitter.


My Brother Sam is Dead on Facebook (direct wall link)

My Brother Sam is Dead on Twitter (direct link)

Both these accounts were opened for interaction and questions. Look forward to meeting the fans of this amazing historical fiction novel.