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Multi-Faceted Entertainer Vanessa Williams Spotlights New American Founding Figure Slave Heroine with Foreword in Creative Nonfiction Release, ‘Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution’

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Multi-award-winning entertainer Vanessa Williams has penned a moving book foreword that shines the spotlight on an amazing tale of spying and slavery during the Revolutionary War while unveiling an unlikely heroine. "Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth" by Claire Bellerjeau and Tiffany Yecke Brooks, published by Lyons Press, is a fascinating historical narrative that takes place in the North during the 18th century and details the intertwining of two lives, a Revolutionary War spy, Robert Townsend and an enslaved woman, known only as Elizabeth or Liss.

Robert Townsend, one of America's first spies, is credited with being instrumental in the colonies' victory in the Revolutionary War. Liss' life travails, as laid out in this riveting creative nonfiction, coupled with her intelligence, beauty and prowess, position her as a new figure in the founding story of America.

Bellerjeau, an acclaimed historian and the Director of Education at Raynham Hall Museum, the former home of the Townsend family in Oyster Bay, New York, has researched the Townsend family and those they enslaved for over sixteen years. Her discovery of Liss lends important credence to not only the experience of a woman of color during America's founding period, but also contributes valuable insight into the extent of slavery in the North, long before the Civil War.

Slavery was not just a 19th-century issue. In fact, there were 244 years between the arrival of the first African slaves to the colony of Virginia in 1619 to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. By contrast, there have only been 158 years between 1863 and 2021, with the United States having a longer history as a nation with slavery than without it. American history is grossly misrepresented when slavery is only acknowledged as an occurrence in the middle of the 19th century.

In "Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution," we learn that Liss was first enslaved in Oyster Bay on Long Island, NY in the 1770's during the Revolutionary War by Robert Townsend's family. Townsend became a spy for George Washington and a key member of the legendary Culper Spy Ring. She escaped with a British commander named Col. Simcoe, later was re-enslaved in New York City, and after the war was separated from her toddler son and transported to Charleston, South Carolina where she was enslaved yet again. Robert's persistent efforts to bring her back to New York and reunite her with her child are the second half of this amazing narrative.

Vanessa Williams' own ancestral ties to Oyster Bay, which also date back to the early 1800's, endeared her personally to the tale of a woman that history overlooked. "Claire was able to trace my lineage back to the 1820's, all the way back to a time when slaves did not have a last name. I found her research about Liss captivating and intriguing. Here was a brave Black woman from Oyster Bay who started life as a slave, became involved with the spy Robert Townsend, and may have been a spy herself. She finally achieved her freedom all in the same area where my roots as an American go back hundreds of years. Historically marginalized stories are at last being brought to the forefront and Liss rises like a phoenix among them. Claire's Bellerjeau's collaborative effort with Tiffany Brooks brings history to life and reveals a new African American female hero, Liss!" cites Vanessa Williams.

"When I first uncovered Liss' story, not only was she completely invisible, but the very idea that there was slavery in New York during the Revolution was completely foreign to almost everyone," notes Bellerjeau. "In popular culture, we are generally given broad brush-stroke tropes about heroic figures like George Washington, Paul Revere, and the Sons of Liberty, and significant events like the Boston Massacre. For several years I resisted connecting Liss to the Townsend spy story, but as my research continued, the two stories merged. To me, what makes her so important in American history is we haven't had a person of color to focus on, to see the Revolution through their eyes. Our story, while unfolding among the well-known people and places of the Revolution, gives the reader a rare glimpse of what life was really like for enslaved people struggling though the upheaval of the time."

"The book is of interest for many reasons," adds Tiffany Yecke Brooks, "not the least of which is that Liss' story touched so many different headliners from early American history. Our book gives America a way of seeing the northern theater of the war, which is part of our cultural legacy, but also opens our eyes to northern slavery. To see how deeply slavery was ingrained in New York is shocking. But to acknowledge the many roles and dynamics that everyone played, and not a select view, is critical to the true telling of history."

"My continuing focus is going to be to bring this story to a national audience," says Bellerjeau. "I'm grateful for the interest shown by Vanessa Williams and hoping her connection to the story will raise even more awareness. Liss is symbolic of so many unheralded voices and stories from our collective past. She's a national founding figure."

Further immerse yourself in American 'herstory' at https://www.espionageandenslavement.com/ and follow "Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution" on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Espionage-and-Enslavement-in-the-Revolution-177409520576347.

Watch the book trailer at https://youtu.be/_o795GPxdOM.

Purchase the book at Barnes & Noble, on Amazon.com and wherever books are sold.

MEDIA CONTACT
Makeda Smith
Jazzmyne Public Relations
makeda@jazzmynepr.com
Phone Number: 323-380-8819

Related link: https://www.espionageandenslavement.com/

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Monument to an African American Patriot Drummer? You Bet!

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- According to the Georgia American Revolution Preservation Alliance, if one battlefield archaeologist had his way, the first monument placed on the newly preserved Battle of Beaufort, SC site would not be to the two signers of the Declaration of Independence who also fought there. It would be an almost forgotten private. Not that Daniel Battle feels more than one monument is well deserved at one of South Carolina's newest sites.

By the end of 1778, most of the serious fighting of the War for American Independence had been predominantly in the northern half of the new United States. That was about to change as British Forces surged a new invasion into the southern states. During the British Southern Winter Campaign 1778-79, Georgia was overrun from both land and sea with forces invading from Florida and Sandy Hook, NJ. This appeared to it be the knock-out punch that might just end the American Rebellion. It was a chaotic moment when citizens and militia volunteers throughout the South were weighing their options and loyalties.

"If the King's Forces had strategized a forgiveness campaign as some had planned, rather than a war against the citizenry, the outcome of the war may have been much different," Battle claims. Still, a spark of hope in the American cause was desperately needed at this time. Southerners got that from an unlikely place at Beaufort, SC.

"The British had barely secured Savannah before the wharves had become backed up by wagon loads of loot and plunder being sent back out of port to destinations unknown. British officers were freely enriching themselves shipping off captured slaves and plantation commodities," Battle explained.

A British expeditionary naval force soon set off with the same designs for the Lowcountry of South Carolina. That navy flotilla left a trail of destruction, marked by plumes of burning residences, as it went up the sea islands toward Beaufort. After landing near town, however, they found an angry American force under the fiery General William Moultrie awaiting them. On February 3, 1779, British Regulars attempted to march into the town but were soundly repulsed. They were beaten by an ethnically diverse American militia. "This little victory helped bolster volunteers to the American Cause at a pivotal time when support was desperately needed for what was coming for South Carolina. The American Cause was on razor thin margins," Battle explained.

The engagement at Beaufort was the first true land battle of the war in South Carolina and the first victory for the Americans since the southern invasion. One British officer would later recount, with a sneer, the presence of several African Americans within the American ranks. One of these individuals, a free man of color from one of the surrounding islands, was serving as a drummer in the 4th SC Artillery.

"Drummers were critically important in those days because we didn't have electronic communications like radios to give out battle orders. The beat of drums informed our fighting men of such things as keeping to their post or alerting to new orders during the fighting," Battle explains. This was the beginning of Beaufort's Jim Capers distinguishing career. Private Capers would serve in some of the bloodiest battles of the war all the way up to the surrender of British General Cornwallis' at Yorktown.

"He would have likely had the honor to play his drums as the British stacked their arms and this must have been an incredible experience for Capers," Battle states.

During the war, his name had become well-recognized throughout the Southern command according to pension applications. One soldier claimed: "While encamped at Jacksonborough near Charleston, I heard that the 'great Drummer Jim Capers' under (Francis 'Swamp Fox') Marion was wounded at the battle of the Eutaw Springs, South Carolina."

After the war, Capers applied for the first United States pension. Capers and his wife, who was listed as a slave, were denied benefits. Capers died without the United States ever honoring the debt for his sacrifice of service. A simple gravestone in Alabama reads, "Jim Capers a man of Color and resident in the County of Pike & State of Alabama."

"Capers was an unwavering American Patriot who deserves recognition. There is a wrong here that should be set symbolically right. Certainly, we cannot even begin to ponder what the dream of freedom must have meant to soldiers like him. Erecting a monument makes an important statement and helps set the record straight. It bridges a gap with those who have often felt little or no connection with this part of our American History," Battle states.

About Georgia American Revolution Preservation Alliance:

The Georgia American Revolution Preservation Alliance (GARPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to study, research, and promote preservation of American Revolutionary War resources in the southeast region of the United States. Our group is made up of professional archaeologist and other specialist who support a range of projects from publications, scientific research, and visual resources for distribution to the public. Our goal is the identification and preservation of endangered battlefields and forts predominantly related to 18th Century America.

Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/GARPA1776

Related link: https://www.facebook.com/GARPA1776

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New Press Publishes Picture Book About Boston’s History

WEYMOUTH, Mass. -- "It Happened In Boston" (ISBN: 978-1733084703), a new children's board book introducing the history of Boston to young readers, is also the first in a series by Weymouth-based Great Pond Press, a publisher of books specifically created to interest children in history from a very young age.

"If you know the history of a place, you can't help but fall in love with it a little," Mike Pickett, founder and publisher of Great Pond Press, said. "I think that kids should grow up loving where they are from."

Pickett, originally from California, relocated to New England in his twenties and it was Boston's rich history that won him over.

"When I first moved here, I couldn't believe that I could be standing in the same place where the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party or the Battle of Bunker Hill took place. It made me feel connected to those events." Pickett says that he wants children to feel that kind of connection to history.

"I hope that kids can understand that history isn't something that happened in some far-off place or time," he said. "I hope they know that wherever they are, that place has a history and they are a small part of it."

"It Happened In Boston" highlights episodes from Boston's history ranging from the city's founding by John Winthrop to Paul Revere's famous midnight ride to the ambitious and overbudget Big Dig. Recounted in a way that is both appropriate and engaging for children ranging from newborns to kindergarteners, "The book focuses on the good stuff," Pickett said. "There will be plenty of time for children to learn about the rest of the city's history as they get older."

Pickett adds, "One of my favorite writers is David McCullough, and I recently heard him say that we are raising historically illiterate children. I hope that our books can start children on the path to being historically literate."

Pickett holds a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin and currently works as an attorney in Boston. But before going to law school, he earned a master's degree in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College. "Starting Great Pond Press has allowed me to finally put all the knowledge that I gained during my master's degree to good use," Pickett said.

"It Happened In Boston" is available on Amazon and at https://greatpondpress.com/.

Great Pond Press will continue the "It Happened In ..." series with "It Happened In New York" and "It Happened In Philadelphia" to be published next year.

For more information or for a review copy of "It Happened In Boston," please email mpickett@greatpondpress.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Pickett
Great Pond Press
37 Great Pond Road
Weymouth, MA 02190
617-653-4780
mpickett@greatpondpress.com

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/19-1118s2p-ithapboston-300dpi.jpg
*Photo caption: Cover, "It Happened In Boston" by author Mike Pickett; illustrated by Hannah Welch.

See additional images at: https://www.instagram.com/greatpondpress/

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Entertainment, Fine Art and Artists, Free News Articles, General Editorial

Artist Recreates The Infamous Boston Massacre

SOUTHBURY, Conn. -- Nationally renowned Southbury Connecticut artist-historian Don Troiani has unveiled his painting of the momentous Boston Massacre. That encounter on a cold March night set forth a series of antagonistic events that climaxed in the start of the American Revolution 5 years later.

Most people today are familiar with the famous Paul Revere engraving of the subject, but that was a carefully crafted propaganda piece designed to demonize the British and not to accurately reflect what really transpired.

Using actual accounts from original trial depositions, consultations with historians and in-depth research into the material culture of the time, Troiani was able to recreate this seismic event as it would have appeared to an actual participant.

Troiani's artwork is represented in many institutions nationwide including the Smithsonian Institute, West Point Museum, National Park Service, Pentagon, Washington Monument, Booth Museum of Western Art and private collections.

The Boston Massacre was a defining moment in American history. Sparked by a barber's apprentice taunting a British officer over an unpaid bill, it was the culmination of growing tensions between the town's inhabitants and soldiers of the King's army since they arrived in Boston on October 1, 1768.

On March 5, 1770 Private Hugh White of the 29th Regiment of Foot was standing guard before the Customs House in Boston. Having witnessed Edward Garrick verbally assault Lieutenant - Captain John Goldfinch, he reprimanded the youth with a strike to his head with his firelock. This ignited a fuse of retaliation. A "motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes and molattoes, Irish teagues and outlandish jack tarrs" swarmed upon White with clubs and staves. Overwhelmed, the sentry called out for relief.

As the mob continued to grow and become more violent, church bells began to ring. Corporal William Wemms managed to lead a guard of six grenadiers from the 29th Regiment to relieve the sentry. Unable to escape to the main guard house, they formed a semicircular line and leveled their bayonets at the breasts of their adversaries. Within moments, Captain Thomas Preston worked his way to take command.

Within the chaos, many individuals stood out. Henry Knox and Richard Palmes both approached Captain Preston and inquired if his men would fire upon the inhabitants. Benjamin Burdick, a Town House Watchman, struck a soldier's firelock with a Scottish broadsword.

As the crowd grew more and more agitated, a man in a dark gold trimmed suit walked behind the soldiers and encouraged them to fire. Without warning a shot rang out. Crispus Attucks, a mulatto sailor, fell to the ground.

After the smoke cleared that cold winter's evening, blood spattered the snow. Three men lay dead, a man and boy lay mortally wounded, six men were taken away to recover from their wounds and a day of infamy was recorded in the annals of American history.

Learn more: http://www.dontroiani.com/.

*PHOTO: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/17-0301s2p-bostonmassc-300dpi.jpg

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