Things: The Cavalier Spy

"1776: His army clinging to New York by a thread, a desperate General George Washington sends Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed behind British lines again. But even the audacity of Creed and his band of spies cannot stop the British juggernaut from driving the Americans from New York and chasing them across New Jersey in a blitzkrieg fashion. Realizing the imminent loss of one of the new nation's most important states to the enemy, Washington sends Creed into the war-torn Hackensack Valley. His mission: recruit and train a gang of rogues to work behind British lines."

As you can tell from the lead-in above, my second novel, The Cavalier Spy, is now out. I posted an entire page on The Cavalier Spy on this blog, but a post on it would be appropriate just a few weeks after its release. Those following me on Twitter (@SWOConnell) or on Facebook (S.W. O'Connell) have been bombarded with promos, nuggets, and tidbits. You may thank me later for all that. This work was much more challenging to produce than my first novel, The Patriot Spy. Going into it, it would be easier. But I was wrong.

Writing The Patriot Spy was my first venture, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no timeline and only a vague idea of where it would go when I started. The Cavalier Spy, as a sequel, was more challenging. For one thing, I had to remember everything I wrote in the first book to ensure I did not repeat anything unintentionally. Second, I intentionally had to repeat enough scenes from the first book. Why is that, you ask? Because I wanted The Cavalier Spy to be a "stand-alone" work. That way, readers who had not read The Patriot Spy would be up on things. And, of course, I had to do that without giving away any nuggets from the first book. Ice cream headache time!

The other challenge was how to follow the largest battle of the war and all the excitement and intrigue that went with it. How do you make it more enjoyable? As it turns out, that became easier as I went along and got into the plot's rhythm. Things started to happen. I read several new works related to the period following the loss of New York, and before long, I had several interesting things to build the action around. And a new piece of the Revolutionary War struggles to be revealed. And to juice things up, I have a multi-chapter flashback providing more insight into the main protagonist, Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed. As I paced through it, new ideas and characters developed. A fictional town. A British plot. Political intrigue on both sides.

About halfway through the story, I knew where I would end it, with an iconic scene from America's history. But you'll have to read the book to learn more about that.

Shameless plug:  The Cavalier Spy is available on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/Cavalier-Spy-S-W-OConnell/dp/1737663651

The Life Guard

With Labor Day weekend upon us, I am officially concluding the Yankee Doodle Spies summer vacation. But in the spirit of those sun-drenched beach protectors, I’ve decided to blog about the lifeguards. This post isn’t about Baywatch, so you can put away your sunscreen and towels. And don't bother searching for a happy snap of Pamela Anderson and her crew. Even before America had recreational beaches, it had lifeguards, or in this case, The Life Guard. This is about George Washington's Life Guard, to be precise. Readers of The Patriot Spy and its just-released sequel, The Cavalier Spy, have probably noticed that wherever George Washington was, a Life Guard was likely nearby.

 

Despite fighting a war for independence and liberty, the founders' generation still believed in titles. And just like today, those titles often came with perks. Lieutenant General George Washington was more than just the commander in chief of the Continental Army. He was also the unifying force of the eight-year struggle we call the American Revolution. This wasn’t so much planned as a natural result of his leadership qualities, integrity, and stature. He brought together different classes and sections. He was a symbol. And as a symbol of his acknowledged position as the highest executive in the land, he received the title: "His Excellency." It’s a tribute to Washington’s unique presence and importance that this honorific didn’t disappear when he resigned from military service, at least officially.

 

The British were well aware of Washington's significance to the cause they aimed to crush. And the Americans knew that the British were aware. Throughout the war, the fear that the enemy might assassinate or capture the "essential man" lingered. But it wasn't long into Washington's command at Cambridge, Massachusetts, that the need for military bodyguards was recognized. On March 11th, 1776, Washington issued the following orders,

The General wishes to select a specific number of men to serve as his guard for himself and his baggage. The Colonel or Commanding Officer of each of the established regiments, except for the artillery and riflemen, will provide four men, from which the required number will be chosen. His Excellency relies on the Colonels to recommend good men based on their sobriety, honesty, and good conduct. He prefers them to be between five feet eight inches and five feet ten inches tall, well-built, and, above all, he emphasizes the importance of cleanliness in a soldier. Consequently, he requests careful selection of men who are clean and tidy. These men are to assemble at headquarters precisely at 12 o'clock noon tomorrow, when the final selection will be made. The General does not require them to be in uniform or armed, nor does he want anyone sent to him who is not fully willing or eager to be part of this Guard. They should be trained men."

Ever conscious of the need to avoid sectional preference, Washington chose a A New England man to lead the special unit: Captain Caleb Gibbs of the 14th Massachusetts Continental Regiment commanded the Guard, but George Lewis, a nephew of Washington, was named the Lieutenant. The explicit mission of the new group was "to protect General Washington, the army's cash, and official papers." Gibbs began reorganizing the unit. He created the motto, "Conquer or Die." The unit had several names. The official name was "His Excellency's Guard" or the "General's Guard." Many enlistees called it "The Life Guards," "The Washington Life Guards," or "Washington's Body Guard." Washington himself usually referred to them as "My Guards." In dispatches and correspondence, Gibbs called himself "Commandant C-in-C, Guards." The force was specially uniformed and outfitted, making it the best-dressed and equipped among all the Continentals. The uniform consisted of a blue coat with white facings, white waistcoat and breeches, black half-gaiters, and a cocked hat with a blue and white feather. The Guard's size varied during the war but generally settled around 180 men, about the strength of three regular infantry companies. It temporarily grew to 250 men during the winter of 1779–80, when the Continental Army was encamped at Morristown, New Jersey, near the British Army.

Life Guard and Traitor

It did not take long for the elite new unit to prove its worth—and its danger. By May 1776, the British evacuated Boston, and, anticipating an attack on New York, Washington began moving the Continental Army south. On May 24th, 1776, an element of the C-in-C Guards set up camp near Richmond Hill on Manhattan Island. Spies recognized the elite unit and understood what it meant. Anticipating Washington's arrival, a group of New York Tories had secretly plotted earlier that month. Their goal was to assassinate George Washington. Luckily for the Americans, the plot was uncovered. The New York Provincial Congress ordered several Tories, including the city's Mayor, David Matthews, arrested. Meanwhile, Washington sent Gibbs and a hand-picked team to arrest another forty conspirators. Disturbingly, some of these were Continental Army soldiers, including members of Washington's Life Guards: Sergeant Thomas Hickey, Drummer William Green, Fifer James Johnson, and Privates John Barnes and Michael Lynch. Hickey, who had previously been jailed for passing a counterfeit note, was entangled in this conspiracy. As often happens, foolishness and ego led to his downfall—he revealed the plot to another inmate, who used the information to improve his own situation. (I believe this is where plot lines for shows like Law and Order or NYPD come from.) Hickey faced a court-martial alone among the conspirators and was found guilty of mutiny and sedition. He was executed in New York before a crowd of 20,000 spectators on June 28, 1776.

Escorting His Excellency

After that fiasco, the Guard went on to serve with distinction for the rest of the war. The Guard's strength at that time was about 50 men. They accompanied Washington to White Plains and took part in the battle there on October 28th, occupying their position on Chatterton Hill. The next day, the entire Army retreated to New Jersey. When their enlistment terms expired, Washington discharged twenty of the Guard on the condition that they would reenlist in the cavalry unit being raised by Lieutenant Lewis, who had been detached from the Guard for that purpose. A small group fought alongside Washington at Trenton during the darkest hours of the revolution. Others were assigned to different regiments to bolster their numbers and morale.

The Life Guard (in helmets) also honored
distinguished visitors to HQ: here Lafayette

During the spring of 1777, as the army emerged from its first winter encampment at Morristown, NJ, Washington ordered Gibbs to procure new uniforms for the unit. Blue jackets and buff facings with leather helmets adorned with medium blue cloth binding and a white plume tipped in blue on the left side of the helmet. However, Gibbs, possibly due to limited supplies, outfitted them with red vests instead of buff. The Life Guards proved their worth the following winter. At Valley Forge, Von Steuben used members of the Guard as his demonstration company for the new American Drill. Von Steuben personally trained them and then sent them to other Continental Army regiments until the entire force was drilled in the new tactics. This transformed the often hapless Continental units into a force capable of facing the British regulars. It also established the Commander-in-Chief's Life Guards as the Continental Army's truly elite unit, not just a group of dandies in the general’s circle.

It is often overlooked that a key mission of the Life Guard was to protect the commander-in-chief's immediate supplies and equipment. Tents, office equipment, and especially correspondence needed safeguarding during the numerous marches made by Washington.
The Life Guards marched with Washington throughout the war. They were at his side during the campaigns in New York, New Jersey, and into Virginia. In 1779, Caleb Gibbs, now a major, was replaced by another New Englander, Connecticut-born William Colfax. Washington promoted the young officer to Captain. Colfax was present at the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown and was allowed by Washington to occupy a prominent position on horseback near him. As the long struggle drew to a close, Washington's Life Guard, now reduced to about fifty men, was furloughed from duty in June 1783 at army headquarters in Newburgh, New York. With the British about to evacuate New York City, the Life Guard was ordered disbanded on November 15th, 1783.

The Life Guard Flag