Savannah “Savvy” Moore: fictional

Captain Jonathan Wythe (pronounced like the word “With”): fictional; however, he is named in honor of George Wythe, to whom the characters refer as being Jonathan’s relative.

Samuel Brewster (Jul. 18, 1718 – Feb. 10, 1802): Brewster’s Forge was located on Moodna Creek (originally called “Murderer’s Creek”) in New Windsor, N.Y. This was where the Great Chain (a.k.a. the Hudson River Chain) underwent phase two of its construction, as described in Witness to the Revolution. Fans of the television show, Turn: Washington’s Spies, will remember Samuel’s extended family from Setauket, where he was originally born.

Samuel and his brother, Henry, relocated to New Windsor in 1743. They were two of the original sixteen founding members of the township. In real life, Brewster was always the original owner of the forge, along with a sawmill and anchorage. His forge helped build earlier blockade attempts of the Hudson (a.k.a. North) River around Fort Montgomery, as well.

He was a prominent member of New Windsor, holding several appointed positions of honor. For example, he was named as one of the Elders of the Presbyterian Church at its founding in 1764 and as a town assessor in 1763.

The Brewster forge no longer exists, though there is a state marker at its approximate location. His family home, however, does still stand today and hosts a restaurant, Schlesinger’s Steak House.  (The steak is excellent.)

Captain Alexander Brott: fictional

Éabha Carroll: fictional

The Cloet family: both real and fictional, named in honor of my ancestors, Johannes Quackenbush (1672 – 1725), Anna Quackenbush, née Cloet (1685 – 1779), Jacob Quackenbush (1715 – 1767), and Gertrude Quackenbush (1762 – 1796). There were five men with variant spellings of the name who served in Orange County’s Second Militia - Riner Quackenboos, Reynard Quackenbos, Rynar Quackenbos, Abram Quackenboss, and James Quackinbush.

Doctor Auden Cole: fictional; however, he is named in honor of my great grandparents. My great-grandfather was a surgeon. My great-grandmother, whose maiden name was Cole, traces her family back to the Revolutionary War. 

However, multiple men with the surname Cole enlisted in Orange County’s militias. Second Militia: Abraham, Andries, and Isaac Cole. Captain Samuel Cole served in the Third Militia. Fourth Militia: Abraham, Benjamin, John, Tobius, and William Cole. Orange County Militia Associated Exempts: Jacob Cole.

Major Phillip DeForest: fictional

Captain Thomas Machin (Mar. 20, 1744 – Apr. 03, 1816): was born in Staffordshire, England. He was a participant in the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and was wounded in the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775). He was shot in the arm. After that, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant with New York’s artillery and later elevated to the rank of captain, though his commission was not approved by Congress until 1780. 

Machin was sought-after for his skills as an engineer from the beginning of the War, and on July 21, 1776, he was sent by General Washington to the Highlands for the purpose of obstructing the Hudson River. He oversaw the installation of the Montgomery Chain and was wounded when the fort fell on October 07, 1777. The shot traveled through his chest to exit out his shoulder.

By December 01, 1777, Machin had already returned to active duty and was tasked with overseeing the construction and installation of the Great Chain at West Point. The construction of the Chain took only six weeks with the forges working day and night, starting at the Sterling Iron Works before being shipped in pieces for completion at Brewster’s Forge in New Windsor.

In real life, Machin was already stationed at West Point when the Chain was delivered there for installation (April 26 - 30, 1778) and had been receiving reports of its progress from other members of his unit. So, it is possible that at the point in time when this story is set, he would not have been in New Windsor; however, in order to give Machin the nod he deserves for his service, he has been written in.

Private James MacCraith: fictional

Malcolm “the Wall” McIntyre (1608 – 1655): both real and fictional, named in honor of my ancestor. His backstory as an indentured servant to Private MacCraith’s family was inspired by real-life highlander Micum McIntire, who was transported to the American colonies by order of Oliver Cromwell after the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Dunbar (Sept. 03, 1650) and forced into a term as an indentured servant to pay for his passage.

However, one variation of the McIntyre family lore that I found online (once but never again) told of a McIntyre who was transported for similar circumstances but later in history. That second version had McIntyre conscripted into the loyalist branch of the British forces in place of his owner, whereupon McIntyre was killed in battle. The Wall was arguably given a better, though fictional, ending.

Stephen Moore (Oct. 30, 1734 – Dec. 29, 1799): owned the land called Moore’s Folly at West Point. He fought in both the French Indian War and the Revolutionary War.

Molly Pitcher/ Nell: Nell is fictional; however, the story of homes being burnt and the men made to fight for the British Crown was true. The town, in real life, was located in Saratoga County, and the men were abandoned after approximately half the journey to Canada because the British unit realized that some of the men were too old and there weren’t enough rations to feed everyone. The prisoners were released and had to find their way back home on their own.

As mentioned in Witness to the Revolution, the British did burn the homes along the Hudson River up to New York’s then-capital, Kingston, in October 1777, after the simultaneous fall of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. Many of the residents were forced to flee their homes with only enough time to hide or, if lucky, bury the valuables that they could not carry with them.

The story of the Molly Pitchers is also real, though the name has developed over time and may not have existed during the War. A Molly Pitcher was a female camp follower who accompanied the men onto the battlefields, often assisting by bringing water to the soldiers and to cool the cannons. 

The most famous Molly Pitcher participated in the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778). She was likely a composite character of multiple women about whom eye-witnesses wrote. Private Joseph Plumb Martin (Nov. 21, 1760 - May 02, 1850) described in his memoir how, during the fighting, a cannon ball fired by the British landed in between Molly Pitcher’s legs while she assisted at the Continental cannons, tearing away her dress. She was reported to have said that “it was lucky it did not pass a little higher, for in that case it might have carried away something else, and ended her and her occupation.”

Mary Ludwig Hays McCauly (Oct. 13, 1744 – Jan. 22, 1832) was one of the women thought to have participated at Monmouth.

Margaret Corbin (Nov. 12, 1751 – Jan. 16, 1800) was another Molly Pitcher who fought in the Battle of Fort Washington (Nov. 16, 1776). Her husband, John Corbin, was a trained artilleryman from the Pennsylvania 1st Company. When he was killed in battle, Margaret took his place manning the cannon until she was too seriously wounded to continue. She was captured when the British won the battle and took possession of New York City, which they held for the remainder of the War.

Corbin was released on parole rather than being held on a prison ship. She went to Philadelphia to recover, but due to her permanent disability, she was granted a military pension (one of only two women to receive a pension) and joined the Corps of Invalids that were garrisoned at West Point at the end of the War. She is the only female veteran of the Revolutionary War to be buried at West Point.

General George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732 – Dec. 14, 1799): “I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.”