As a writer of
historical novels set in the 18th century, I find doing the research is as
interesting as writing the book itself…if not more so. In this modern age, it can be done easily, without having to leave the comfort of one’s chair.
Digitization of more and more old, formerly hard-to-find source books, blogs
and specialized websites have taken much of the drudgery out of what used to be
a time-consuming chore.
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| Old Sturbridge Village |
But even with a
wealth of available information, nothing is quite as stimulating as “being
there.” The acrid smell of black powder smoke settling over a field in the hot glare of
autumn sun, along with the crack of musket fire; the boom of cannons belching
fire; the feel on your face of the dry heat of kitchen fires on a sultry summer
day; flies swarming about the kitchen through open, distorting glass windows…all
provide a unique entry into the world I try to recreate in my novels. When
attempting to capture these sensory details, books and journals, letters and
maps fall short, leaving too many of these tangible elements to the
imagination.
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| Recruits drill at Saratoga National Park |
When I was a child
of ten, my family visited Williamsburg, Virginia, and I fell hopelessly in
love with the place and the era it represents. The clothing, the smells and sounds affected me with a deep sense that,
if just for the short time we were there, I had traveled back in time. Over the
years, we made similar visits to other living history sites in the Northeast
and Southern U.S. As an adult, I took my children to Mystic, CT, Old
Sturbridge, MA and many a re-enactment rendezvous.
The magic I’d experienced as a child had not released its hold on me.
During the weekend of September 19-21,
a fellow historical writer friend and I attended the 237th
anniversary of the “Turning Point of the American Revolution” at the Saratoga
National Historical Park in Stillwater, NY. Being transported to an
earlier period in time was magical, marvelous, and informative.
We spent all day
Saturday and part of Sunday traveling by car around the park, stopping at the
numbered points of interest along the route to marvel at the scenery from the
heights overlooking the Hudson River Valley and beyond. At other tour stops, we
met members of the various re-enacting groups representing
both the American and British camps. While other tourists milled about, we sat
around pungent campfires and chatted with women toiling with the laundry in
wooden buckets using water carried up the heights in pails, with a rifleman who
was more than happy to answer our questions and explain how he cleans his
flintlock after a long day on the battlefield. We also watched a group of raw
recruits go through the paces of loading and firing their weapons...with a
little help from the drill master.
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| British Camp follower at Saratoga National Park |
As interesting as
it was to spend time with the “Americans,” the British encampment provided
opportunities to delve into the sort of stuff not taught in history classes.
Here we met a Royal Navy man, a Hessian soldier, Loyalists, and bevy of camp
followers and their children. One of the women introduced us to an assortment
of vegetables common at the time. We even sampled carrots and beans not found
in our local supermarkets.
I don’t know about
anyone else, but after watching numerous movies and made-for-TV-series set during
this period, I wondered how those woolen breeches worn by the British army
stayed so white during their mucky slogs through the wilderness. “Chalk,”
explained the young man portraying a Loyalist Indian agent. Who’d have
imagined that? He also showed us some his equipment, which included an actual
sword (and explained how it differs from reproduction swords) and an ingenious
device he called “the Bic lighter” of the 18th century.
In addition to the
clothes and the sights, smells and sounds from the past, we experienced that
otherworldly sensation of walking among ghosts on hallowed ground where so many
bled and died, where a future traitor achieved his finest hour, on a tract of
land that has been preserved for today and for those of tomorrow who can—if
just for a short while—step back in time.
~Kathy Fischer-Brown
~Kathy Fischer-Brown
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| cover art by Michelle Lee |
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