Saturday, February 4, 2012
In America we do not swear allegiance to the President or to the Land. We swear before Almighty God to support and defend our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, for it is that document which makes us Americans. My husband is the Father of that Constitution, and that makes me its Mother. So, [...]
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
It is with great sadness and no small amount of consternation that I must report “The Forgotten Adventures of Dolley Madison” will not be completed by November of 2011. Whatever disappointment you might be feeling cannot compare to my own, for now I shall have to go out and buy real Christmas gifts for my [...]
9 February 1815 Corsair Flagship Yorktown Atlantic Seaboard “Happy New Year, Madam!” Wang smiled at Dolley’s puzzled expression. “Chinese New Year begins with the second new-moon day following the winter solstice. Today is the start of Year 4513, the Year of the Wood and Pig.” “Wood and Pig?” asked Dolley. “The elemental force and animal [...]
On 25 August 1814, a large British army vanquished the American militia at Bladensburg and marched towards Washington City, six miles to the south. Abandoned by her guards and not knowing the whereabouts of her husband, Dolley Madison stayed behind with only a few servants to safeguard and remove irreplaceable artifacts left in the [...]
Neil A. Garra served in the US Army for 21 years, and is a graduate of the Airborne, Ranger, and Long Range Surveillance courses. He has a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Physics from the University of Mount Union, in Alliance, Ohio, and is currently the Owner and Despot for Life of The S2 Company, [...]
16 October, 1814 Camp Corwin, Tennessee Aaron spoke to the prisoners. “Gentlemen, you are guilty of treason, murder, and innumerable other crimes. The sentence is immediate execution. “He caught Dolley’s eye. “Do you still want to . . . ?” Dolley nodded and bowed her head in prayer. Please, Lord, give me strength. Let [...]
13 July, 1804 Presidential Mansion, Washington City She sat at the table, planning the menu for next week’s dinner. One hundred guests, most of them Federalists, including the head of their delegation, Alexander Hamilton. Alex and Jemmy had been close friends, had coauthored the Federalist Papers during the Constitutional Convention, but had grown apart [...]
19 December, 1793 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania What am I supposed to do? Her eyes burned with tears of frustration. James, her brother-in-law, had again ignored her request for the accounting documents from her late husband’s business, of which James had been the book keeper. Without the documents she could not settle the estate, and she needed [...]
19 December, 1801 Presidential Mansion, Washington City She burst through the doors of the Presidential Mansion, face burning with embarrassment and tears of frustration, swirling past the startled guests in the foyer, past a clutter of servants in the hallway, and into the room Mr Jefferson had set aside for her and Jemmy. She slammed [...]