George Washington and an Incredible Vision at Valley Forge...

Replica of George Washington's camp at Valley Forge by Rdsmith4

As you can imagine, there are a ton of stories out there surrounding the birth of our nation, some based on fact and some now relegated to the corners of legend. Not surprising many of those legends involve George Washington, the presiding authority of the Continental Army. I found several that intrigued me while writing my ghostly paranormal romance,  "Spirit of the Revolution..."

Here's my favorite...

The annals of history say the winter of 1777-78 was uncommonly cold. Historical documents tell us that Washington’s troops were sick, starving, and freezing to death. Morale among the dispirited troops had fallen to its lowest point. Disease took the lives of over two thousand good men. More than half of what was left of his army had every intention of going home once their terms of service ended. Whispers abounded that a disheartened General Washington toyed with the idea of surrender.

George Washington by Peale 177

During this tumultuous time, our beloved first president had an encounter with the paranormal, or so the story goes. You see, we find printed in the National Tribune of 1880--a century after the fact--a story concerning this encounter. According to the alleged witness, (one Anthony Sherman,) George Washington had an unexpected visitor. This beautiful, ethereal spirit—some say angel—appeared before him, startling him half out of his wits. After several attempts to inquire as to her purpose, she pointed east, and said, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” She then showed him in vision several episodes of conflict involving his beloved country.

There are those who interpret these conflicts as America’s triumph over England, the Civil War, and then scenes from World War I and II. In the last conflict all nations were arrayed against America

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Very cool...right?

The Restless Spirits of Ringwood Manor – New Jersey

Not only is Ringwood Manor historically interesting, it is also the home of several restless spirits. Or so they say...

Ringwood Manor by Mwanner

Built in 1762, this beautiful Manor served as the primary supply center, strategic headquarters, and transportation hub for the Continental Army under General George Washington. Robert Erskine, Washington’s geographer/surveyor, took up residence here while taking charge of Washington’s defense mapping center. After the war General Erskine stayed on and ran the local ironworks. When he died, they buried him on the property, and his ghost is sometimes seen perched atop his grave and staring off toward the pond. (And speaking of that pond, according to various reports, two French soldiers who died for the American cause frequent the area while speaking French. So if you happen to speak French, and happen by the right place at the right time, do tell us what they're talking about...please.) Other legends tell us that Erskine’s ghost wanders the grounds with a lantern.

Over time, the house passed through many different owners and two of those owners, Martin Ryerson and Abram Hewitt, made extensive renovations. Hewett’s wife is credited for giving the manor its present grandeur. More about her in a minute.

As one wanders throughout the house, one might hear the sounds of footsteps, or witness a heavy object falling to the ground. Some say they have heard the disquieting sounds of someone crying. A door, firmly shut, will sometimes open of its own accord and reveal a messy bed that no one has slept in.

A spiritual medium visited the manor once and said that all the people traipsing through and invading the home during tours had a tendency to upset a female entity residing there. This distressed woman is most likely the spirit of Mrs. Hewitt. Perhaps she isn't the sociable type or maybe she would rather issue the invitations herself. The home is hers, after all.

A chill is experienced by some on the second floor hallway at the top of the stairs and next to the door of the children’s room. Whispers abound that the ghost of a housemaid haunts this floor. Someone beat her to death, or so the story goes. There are a few other entities tied to this house that are said to have worked for Mrs. Hewitt. They don’t seem to like her much, but then again, she doesn't like them either. Perhaps it’s all their squabbling that makes one feel clammy and out of sorts when they visit the house.

Not the most hair raising of phantom residents, but interesting nonetheless, after all, they have “dead people in the backyard.”

Oh, and lest we forget, the eyes of George Washington will follow you around the room. It’s only a painting though. Just keep telling yourself that— it’s only a painting.

So anyone out there have a ghost story of your own? If not, would you like to?

Major John Clark...Spies...and “Spirit of the Revolution”

In my novel, “Spirit of the Revolution,” Colonel Daniel Morgan assigned Mathias McGregor, and his small team of valiant Rangers, to assist Major John Clark with his intelligence operations during the siege of our nation’s capital in Pennsylvania.

Referred to as the Philadelphia Campaign, General Sir William Howe captured the city and then occupied it from September 1777 through June of 1778. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to anyone that while quartered at Valley Forge during the winter months of those years, General George Washington craved reliable intelligence from Philadelphia in order to plan his summer campaign. 

In response to this great need, General George Washington assigned Major John Clark, suffering from a serious shoulder injury, to oversee intelligence operations against the British. The major immediately established a proficient group of informants and couriers to make up his spy ring. Together, they succeeded in sending over thirty reports to Washington, informing him of British activities. He even set up an operation wherein Clark offered to give Howe information concerning Patriot activities. Posing as a Quaker Loyalist under an assumed name, Howe bought into the charade. Washington seized the opportunity and fabricated a number of false reports concerning the Continental Army, their strength and planned deployments, thus aiding and furthering the American cause.

A year, later still suffering from his injury and not having seen his family in over a year, Clark asked Washington for his release. Grateful for his service, Washington put him in contact with Henry Laurens, the man assigned to audit Army expenses. Clark never released the names of his couriers or informants, and they sank into respectable obscurity. In later years, John Clark served as governor of Georgia, as a state representative, a U.S. Indian agent, and “Keeper of the Public Forests,” under President Andrew Jackson.

In the novel, my handsome, intrepid hero, Mathias McGregor, alongside his equally valiant companions, conducted covert surveillance and peripheral reconnaissance missions for Major John Clark. They also formed a portion of the courier system outside of Philadelphia. One such mission cost these men their lives. But in “Spiritof the Revolution,” their mission doesn't end there...

The Ghosts of Fort Mifflin

After the release of my third novel, “Spirit of the Revolution,” (A ghostly, paranormal romance, concerning the same) I decided I would share some of the fascinating stories of restless spirits from America’s fragile beginnings. So come back often and see what’s new!

First up: Fort Mifflin...

Fort Mifflin  by pwbaker

Fort Mifflin is located on the Delaware River and its garrison was charged with defending the river approaches, holding off the advance of British troops, and buying time for Washington’s Continental Army during their retreat to Valley Forge.  A duty they performed most admirably.

And the ghosts?

Well, in this fort, the nebulous form of a young defender, known today as “Amos,” is often seen in the shadows cleaning his gun.  (Why you ask? I don’t have a clue. But I surely hope he has a few other things to do to keep himself occupied in the hereafter...)

“Spirit of the Revolution” and Our Amazing American Rangers...

Cover Art by Angela Anderson - The Wild Rose Press Graphic Artist

Blurb:

Only divine intervention could have guided Jolena Leigh Michaelsson to the doorstep of a ramshackle manor in Pennsylvania, bringing her face-to-face with the man she has waited her whole life to find. There is just one problem. Mathias McGregor died two centuries ago…

Mathias, Revolutionary War ranger and spy, battles his conscience and his heart when he finds himself falling for the beautiful violinist invading his home. Jolena is mortal and deserves far more than what he as a spirit can offer her.

When Jolena’s family motto leads them to unearth a valuable coded message—the very message Mathias died trying to deliver to General Washington—Jolena vows to unravel the mystery surrounding the cryptic document. But someone else wants the message, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it, not even murder.

Divine intervention brought them together—will it also allow them to find forever?

You know, until I wrote this book, I didn’t know that Rangers existed during the Revolutionary war. I thought they were far more contemporary. For me, Army Rangers conjured images from the movies. In Private Ryan, Tom Hanks led a group of Rangers to save—well—Private Ryan. In The Longest Day, Rangers fought their way up the cliff to destroy the German coastal artillery, only to find the guns had never been installed in the bunkers.  And of course, we have our real-life Rangers (heroes every one) during the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During his mortality, Mathias McGregor, my handsome, ghostly hero in Spirit of the Revolution was a member of the elite Morgan’s Rangers. (He also involved himself in highly secretive missions of reconnaissance, facilitating espionage and conducting other covert missions for Major John Clark but that’s another blog altogether.) In my novel, Mathias served under the leadership of Daniel Morgan from the unit’s inception. Yet, the Rangers in the Americas have a long history even before the Revolutionary War began.

Colonel Daniel Morgan

Trailing Clouds of Glory...

Between the years 1802 and 1804, William Wordsworth, the famous English Romantic poet, penned one of his greatest poems, "Ode: Intimations of Immortality." I don’t remember the first time I heard it, but I do know it was familiar to me when my seventh grade English class studied it over the course of several weeks.

The first part of the second movement was then, and still is, my favorite part of the poem. Over the years, it fed my imagination in a thousand different ways as I scrutinized each line. And I loved the experience of allowing my imagination free reign. For those unfamiliar with this particular portion, it reads: