Visiting George Washington's Marquee (or Pretty Darned Close)

 In October, we went to Newport, Rhode Island, for the dedication of markers for two Frenchmen who died there during the American Revolution. But that is not what I am writing about today.

The day after the ceremony, there was a gathering of Revolutionary War re-enactors. This featured the exact replica of George Washington's tent, which he used throughout the war. It was made completely by hand by the staff of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which owns and displays the orginal marquee. Obviously, no visitor is alllowed to touch or enter the original. The replica is quite the opposite: it was created so that people could go inside and get a sense of Washington's mobile headquarters and bedroom. And so we did!

Here I am with the marquee behind me. The red bit on top is to protect against leaks. (The original has been lost, so you won't see it on the actual GW tent in the museum.)

A couple of the re-enactors. I can't remember exactly who they are supposed to be, but I believe the green-coated gentleman is a Newport merchant, and the guy in the striped pants is a sailor.

The tall re-enactor on the left was impersonating a French officer. As my husband is exactly the same height as Washington, it was easy to see that this guy would have towered over him.  (BTW I told him the story about Admiral de Grasse, who was about the same size as Washington, who was nearly always taller than everyone around him. When deGrasse met Washington, he addressed him as mon petit general,  which means "My Little General.") 

On the right is Tyler Putman, Manager of Gallery Interpretation at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

Great fun!

Here my husband is demonstrating how Washington fit inside his marquee. David is 6' 4", which is GW's purported height. As you can see,  either would have to duck to move from room to room inside. The small enclosure being him is the bedroom. (We arrived which they were just setting up: eventually a replica of Washington's camp bed was placed in this room.)

The main room of the tent was used as headquarters, and another smaller room on the end opposite the bedroom was used for storage.

Here Tyler Putman is showing me that the shole tent is put together with hooks and eyes.  It must have been quite a challenge to hand stitch all of the "eyes!"

Here I am with Tyler standing at the front of the marquee.  After talking with him for quite a while inside the tent, I realized that he had been the host on a virtual tour of the museum for the American Friends of Lafayette, and also for a webinar done las January. As he had been bearded and bespectacled at both those events, I didn't recognize him until he told me his name! 

All in all, replica or not it was great fun to visit the past!

My only  regret is that I can’t go back to 1989, when I finished writing THE RIDDLE OF PENNCROFT FARM. I would have changed the location of Geordie and Sandy’s meeting with Washington at Whitemarsh: they would most certainly have been in George Washington’s marquee!

Compiegne: Two Armistices in Pictures

                                          

 A couple of years ago we visited the site of the signing of the 1918 armistice that ended the fighting of WWI.  The final negotiations were carried out from two trains parked on adjacent tracks.  

Here is a photograph taken at the time of the November 11, 1918 signing.

Here is a model of the parked trains from the museum at the Armistice site.

The actual signing of the Armistice was done on a railway car belonging to Marshal Foch, the leader of the French forces. 

After Hitler invaded and defeated France in June, 1940, to add to the humialition of the French he insisted that the they sign their surrender in the same railroad car, situated in the same place, near Compiegne, France.

Here is the actual railroad car used for the WWI Armistice just before the French were compelled to meet with Hitler to sign their WWII surrender in June, 1940.

Afterwards, Hitler had the car taken to Berlin to be put on exhibit in triumph. It was later destroyed.An identical railroad car was eventually brought to Compiegne as a memorial to the WWI Armistice signed there.

Here is a picture I took looking into the identical car. at the Compiegne museum:

Here is a diagram of where the French, German, and English commanders sat during the WWI Armistice signing.

Our guide told us that after the French surrender, Hitler commanded that everything at the site commemorating the 1918 Armistice be obliterated, except for the statue of Marshal Foch. (See below.)

He wanted Foch to remain overlooking the devastation

One of these things is not like the other!

My latest book, Liberty-Loving Lafayette, won the Bronze Medal in the Young Adult - Nonfiction category of the 2021 Readers' Favorite book awards today. I am thrilled to get this award, as a glance at the top five winners (below) shows that historical poetry is not what usually wins this category!

Thank you to the judges who realized that this playful little rhyming story for teens is actually NONFICTION!

 

So here's my cover adorned with its new award!

Woo hoo!

Thrills in an Antique Barn!

Last night we went to Beech Hill Farm here in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, for ice cream. While there, I noticed a small barn that was a museum for farm tools. I went inside and found a real riddle hanging on the wall! It was thrilling to see a scene from my historical novel for kids, The Riddle of Penncroft Farm, right there in my very own town!

Here is the scene:

The wooden sides of the barn—or what was left of it—were weathered to a gray that matched the foundation stones. There was a full top story, but because the barn was set into the hill, the ground floor was only about the size of our Minneapolis garage, much to my relief. 

A wide door ran across the lower level. I gave it a shove, and the door creaked open on ancient iron hinges. I entered the dark inside, groping for a light switch as I went. I couldn’t find one.

Swell. How can I clean this place if I can’t see what I’m doing?” I asked, wasting good sarcasm on an empty barn. Moving gingerly along the wall, I touched a large, round, metallic object that felt nothing like a light switch. It clattered to the floor. I slid my foot around until I found it, then carried it across to the door for a closer look. It was a flat metal sieve, covered with cobwebs, red with rust, and bigger than any sieve I’d ever seen.

Perplexed, I murmured, “I’d hate to have to eat any macaroni that was strained in this . . . this . . . whatever it is!”

“’Tis a riddle,” said a voice in my ear. —Chapter 4, The Riddle of Penncroft Farm © 1989  by Dorothea Jensen

Just like Penncroft Farm, the Beech Hill Farm has been owned by the same family since before the American Revolution. Here's info from its website, https://www.beechhillfarm.com

"Some of the earliest English settlers in Hopkinton were Aaron and Susanna Kimball, who came from Massachusetts in 1740. Their son, Abraham, was the first English child actually born in Hopkinton. In 1771, the King of England granted Aaron Kimball some land on Beech Hill."

The unexpected treat of spotting this riddle was even better than the ice cream cone I was eating when I discovered it!

Buffalo'd but Philosophical

I'm philosophical about negative reviews. I really am. Sometimes I am surprised by how philosophical I am about them. It seems unlike me.

I know that people's tastes differ, however, and not everyone will like what I've written. But sometimes I am, well, buffalo'd by what reviewers write and wonder what they were reading. Or if they read it.

Recently I received some evaluations of Liberty-Loving Lafayette: How "America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman" Helped Win Our Independence done by judges for a national book award. Here's what one of them reported:

"Important information concerning the Marquis de Lafayette and the American Revolutionary War is contained in the book but I fear may be lost to readers due to the fact that the information contained is written in prose."

Prose.

That's what this evaluator wrote.

About a story written entirely in rhyming verse.

Hmm.

All I can say (philosophically) is "Isn't life interesting?" 

Regards,

Dorothea Jensen

 On Wednesday, May 5, at 2 P.M. there will be a dedication ceremony for a new marker commemorating Major General Lafayette's stop in Hopkinton, New Hampshire on June 27, 1825. This visit was part of the world-famous Revolutionary War hero's Farewell Tour, during which he visited all 24 of then existent states. This was a huge deal, as Lafayette was the only general still alive fifty years after the beginning of the Revolution, and was seen as a living link to the late General Washington and many other Founding Fathers.

Millions of excited Americans came to greet and meet him during the 13 months he traveled through the courntry,  going nearly 6,000 miles by carriage, horseback, riverboat etc. His visit to Hopkinton came five days after a huge reception in Concord, NH, only recently designated the capital of the state. 

Graphic Review #1

I've been playing around with Canva designing some small graphics featuring blurbs from reviews of my books. Here are a few for Liberty-Loving Lafayette, my unique rhyming history inspired by the Broadway smash hit, Hamilton.

I've never carried a torch before, but am delighted that Booklife thinks I have done so with this book.

Regards,

Dorothea