After a busy Fourth of July, I have finally had an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of this day.
The Declaration of Independence was a bold and unprecedented statement: it not only severed ties with England, but also outlined America’s grievances for the benefit of the nations of the world among whom the young upstart wished to take a place. That Declaration, however, was not worth the paper upon which it was printed without someone to enforce it. That someone was the Continental Army.
A few days after the Declaration arrived in New York, General Washington had it read to his troops, because he knew that they were the ones who would have to make it stick. At that moment the British were assembling in New York Harbor the largest invasion force to that point in history. Its mission was to subdue the rebellious colonies and restore British rule. The soldiers of the Continental Army did not know it yet, but it would take them five long years to guarantee the United States would remain independent.
Very few of the soldiers who assembled in New York In July 1776 would be with the Colors through the war. Some gave up and went home. Some were crippled by wounds. Many were killed in combat. Many more succumbed to illness. Thousands were captured and died miserably of disease, exposure, and neglect in British custody. But some endured. These patriots formed the core around which Washington rebuilt the Continental Army again and again. They lost often, but they won enough to convince the French to join the fight, and they took their place alongside their allies in the siege lines at Yorktown.
Independence was not given: it had to be won at terrific cost. Those “winter soldiers” paid for it with their blood, sweat, tears, and lives. We are in their debt.
Happy Reading!
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Research is a critical part of writing historical fiction. I consider it critical to “get it right” when it comes to things big and small: weather, terrain, the sequence of events, language, uniform and clothing, and so on. For the first five books in the Gideon Hawke Series, research was mostly a matter of finding information.
Some writers might find it counterintuitive to plug other writers’ work, but for me it is only fitting. Rick Atkinson is a best-selling author and has won the Pulitzer Prize for both Journalism and History. I have had the pleasure of interacting with Mr. Atkinson on two occasions, and both were rewarding.
At 11:00 AM on Sunday, November 11th, 2018, I stood with my family before the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. Bells tolled to mark the Centennial of the Armistice, recalling the moment when the guns of the War to End All Wats fell silent. While the seeds of future wars were planted in the wake of that conflict, at least for a short while there was the hope of peace. 
When I set out to write a novel about the American experience at Valley Forge, I thought I knew the basics of the story. I was wrong. Gideon Hawke #5 peels back some of the mythology about the encampment during the winter of 1778. What is left is no less impressive. The new Continental Army was no longer truly representative of American society: its soldiers were less prosperous and less educated than the average American, but they were by no means less committed to the American Cause. On the contrary, they more perfectly represented the revolutionary ideals of 1775-1776. The soldiers of Valley Forge endured inadequate food and pay and stayed with the Colors. When the weather improved, they trained hard, relearning the business of soldiering. In the process they became a professional army. At the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse they would meet the other professional army on the continent, the British Army, and prove themselves its equal.
Golden Box Books Publishing publishes a monthly online magazine. The May 2018 issue is focused on “Meet the Bad Guys.” One of the featured “bad guys” is Dan Scott, who is featured in Gideon Hawke #3, A Nest of Hornets!
Robert Krenzel 