While this story and characters are fictional, I’ve attempted to preserve the historical accuracy of events that occurred during the Revolutionary War. Many citizens of Virginia kept their loyalty to King George or their passion for independence a secret during the war, fearing repercussion from both sides. Families were often divided with fathers and sons fighting for opposing armies, and sentiments swayed depending on who was occupying the town.
Heroic women like Elizabeth Burgin, Lydia Darragh, and Nancy Hart played a critical role in the victory of the Americans while other women ran family plantations. General Washington relied on a network of both male and female spies and couriers to garner and distribute intelligence for the army. Through the deception of his operatives, Washington fooled the British in 1781 into strengthening their position up north. While the British prepared to defend New York against a ghost army, General Washington and Comte de Rochambeau marched their troops down to Virginia and ultimately defeated General Cornwallis and the remaining British army at what is now called the Battle of Yorktown.
George Washington Lewis, the son of Fielding and Betty (Washington) Lewis, was born in 1757 and purported to be General George Washington’s favorite nephew. George Lewis assisted his uncle during the war as an aide-de-camp, working as a courier, secretary, and officer in the General’s Guard. He escaped imprisonment by the British and married Catherine Daingerfield before the war ended. Together George and Catherine purchased a plantation home in Virginia.
Benedict Arnold’s role in Virginia fascinated me. After he betrayed his country, Arnold joined the British army as a general, and in 1781 he and his fleet of ships and soldiers wreaked havoc along the James River. After plundering Richmond and setting it ablaze, they continued their destruction in Virginia, burning plantation homes, military supplies, and the shipyard on the Chickahominy. Also, after writing the final scene in George Wythe’s house, I discovered that George Wythe was actually poisoned to death by his grandnephew. It is believed his grandnephew put the poison in his coffee.
On October 7, 1783, the House of Burgesses in Virginia granted freedom to slaves who served in the Continental Army. After the war, more than a thousand freed slaves established Freetown in Sierra Leone, and fifty thousand Loyalists and former slaves settled in the Canadas, a collection of colonies that gained independence from Great Britain in 1867.
The Courier of Caswell Hall story opens on July 4, 1826, as the United States of America celebrates fifty years since the Declaration of Independence. While the country commemorated the anniversary of freedom, July 4, 1826, was also another significant day in history: Patriots Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both passed away.
One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is the research and then the wondering—what would happen if . . . ? This story began brewing in me long ago, when I was a graduate student in Virginia Beach. Often I would escape to the quaint cobblestone streets of Williamsburg and feast on Welsh rarebit and cider at Chowning’s Tavern. One of my favorite memories of my time near Williamsburg, though, was staying at an old plantation home along the James River. As I wandered the banks, my mind wandered as well, dreaming about what might have happened on that river years ago.
To research this novel, my daughter Karly and I returned to Virginia to explore. She was fascinated by the work of the blacksmith and wigmaker in Colonial Williamsburg, and we both enjoyed touring the Governor’s Palace and George Wythe’s home. Our favorite shop was the restored R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse, where two women in colonial dress shared stories as Karly and I sipped dark chocolate mixed with cinnamon, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and vanilla.
So many people helped me tell this story about our country’s birth, and I am grateful to each of them. A huge thank-you to:
Rachel Meisel, for strengthening and polishing this story and all of my Summerside novels. Your keen eye and love of story (along with British literature!) refine and sharpen my writing skills. I love partnering with you!
Natasha Kern—my amazing agent and friend—for all your wisdom and for cheering me on. Kelly Chang, Dawn Shipman, Leslie Gould, and Nicole Miller, for blessing me with your editing skills, insight, and sweet friendship. Ann Menke, Leslie Manning, Lauren Ruef, Morgan Day Cecil, and Jodi Stilp—my Solid Rock writing sisters—for your prayers and encouragement and sharing your lives with me.
My dear friend Michele Heath, for reading my rough drafts and reminding me when a story needs to be “felt” as well as told. Tyler Colvin, for rising to the challenge and brainstorming a believable way for three men to fool the British army into thinking there were a host of Patriots in the forest.
Pinn Crawford, for helping me find the resources I needed on old plantation homes and the Revolutionary War. Curt Stilp, for educating me on the symptoms of diabetes—a fatal disease until insulin was discovered in 1921.
Thank you to my parents, Jim and Lyn Beroth, for your constant love and support, and Tosha Williams, for your friendship and faithful prayers for my writing and my family.
My guy—Jon Dobson—for fifteen wonderful years of marriage, and for not only encouraging me to dream but for helping me find the time and space to do it. Karly Dobson, for joining me in another writing adventure and brainstorming the idea to make bombs from cherry bottles—I love creating stories with you! Kiki Dobson, for all your prayers as I write, and for playing music that makes me smile.
Most of all, I am thankful to my heavenly Father who never leaves or forsakes us.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Discussion Questions
1. As I began researching the Revolutionary War, I quickly discovered how little I knew about the events that occurred before and during our country’s fight for freedom. Did any of the events or ideas discussed in this novel surprise you or change your perspective about the Revolutionary War?
2. During the Revolutionary War, Patriots risked their lives for freedom from tyranny while Loyalists remained patriotic to their mother country as they honored their king. If you were living in 1781, do you think you would you have remained loyal to the Crown or risked your life for freedom?
3. The main characters in this novel each fought for what they valued most. What do you value most in your life and how would you be willing to sacrifice or fight for it?
4. Lady Caswell did everything possible to keep her family together, and yet the Caswell family fell apart in the end. Was her fight to mend her broken family in vain?
5. Just as the colonists desired freedom from Great Britain, slaves like Elisha sought freedom from their masters. How did colonists justify enslaving people, and do you see any similarities in our world today?
6. The tyranny of Great Britain was mirrored in the Caswell home when Lord Caswell forced Grayson to whip the man his son admired. How did forgiveness change both Grayson and Elisha, and ultimately, how did forgiveness begin the slow process of healing the relationships between neighbors and families in a new country divided by war?
7. Most Patriots were passionate about what they believed to be right, while many of the British and Hessian soldiers fought for money or power—or didn’t want to fight at all. How did the individual motivations of the soldiers impact the outcome of the war?
8. The main characters in this story used deception in order to uncover the truth about their enemy. When—if ever—do you believe deception is the right moral choice?
9. How did the poor choices of characters such as Hannah, Dalton Reed, and both Lord and Lady Caswell impact not only themselves but the future of their friends and family?
10. In spite of their fears, the ingenuity of Sarah, Nathan, Elisha, Lemuel, and Zadock caused the British army to panic, and ultimately they were able to rescue Grayson and his crew. When you are confronted with a situation that seems impossible, how do you overcome your fears?
11. Sarah regretted cowering in the dovecote while the enemy burned her home, but if she had not hidden, the soldiers probably would have killed her as well. How d
o you determine when to confront evil and when to flee?
12. What does water symbolize in this story, and how does it affect each of the main characters?
13. Sorrow and regret faded away for Lydia when she danced. When you are wounded or grieving, what brings beauty and hope back into your life?
14. Elisha, Sarah, and Lady Caswell clung to the hope that those they loved would be returned to them. In your life, what do you hope for most and how do you pursue this desire of your heart?
About the Author
MELANIE DOBSON is the award-winning author of twelve novels, including eight historical romances for Summerside Press. In 2011, Melanie won ACFW Carol Awards for The Silent Order and Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa, and in 2010, Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana, was chosen as the Best Book of Indiana (fiction).
Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family, and she worked in public relations for fifteen years before she began writing fiction full time. Born and raised in the Midwest, she has lived all over America, including eight years in Virginia—Lynchburg, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Richmond. Now she resides with her husband and two daughters near Portland, Oregon. Read more at MelanieDobson.com.
American Tapestries™
EACH NOVEL IN THIS LINE SETS A HEART-STIRRING LOVE STORY against the backdrop of an epic moment in American history. Whether they settled her first colonies, fought in her battles, built her cities, or forged paths to new territories, a diverse tapestry of men and women shaped this great nation into a Land of Opportunity. Then, as now, the search for romance was a major part of the American dream. Summerside Press invites lovers of historical romance stories to fall in love with this line, and with America, all over again.
NOW AVAILABLE
Queen of the Waves
by Janice Thompson
A novel of the Titanic
ISBN: 978-1-60936-686-5
Where the Trail Ends
by Melanie Dobson
A novel of the Oregon Trail
ISBN: 978-1-60936-685-8
Always Remembered
by Janelle Mowery
A novel of the Alamo
ISBN: 978-1-60936-747-3
A Lady’s Choice
by Sandra Robbins
A novel of women’s suffrage
ISBN: 978-1-60936-748-0
The Courier of Caswell Hall
by Melanie Dobson
A novel of the American Revolution
ISBN: 978-0-8249-3426-2
The Journey of Josephine Cain
by Nancy Moser
A novel of the Transcontinental Railroad
ISBN: 978-0-8249-3427-9
The Courier of Caswell Hall (American tapestries) Page 30