At Mount Vernon in March 1789, retired General George Washington finds one of his slaves murdered. The political and moral decisions the General faces on his journey toward honor and justice imperil the very survival of the nation he has fought so hard to create.
During the two-year process of writing this novel, I have uncovered so many interesting things about Washington and his times that I want to share some of it with anyone interested.
Over the next few months, I will be blogging on topics like these:
- How Washington freed his slaves in his will, and why Martha Washington disregarded his instructions out of fear for her life
- Why Washington's management style caused him problems on his farms
- The current best evidence for what happened with Hercules, the Washington's slave cook, who ran away
- The story of Oney Judge, and my thoughts on why Washington spent so much effort to get her back
- The details of the true spy story about British interference in the United States in 1789 that inspired my novel
- The full story of Billy Lee, Washington's valet
- Why did Washington spend so much effort acquiring land?
- The complex relationship between Washington and the Fairfax family next door
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