Grenville Dodge: Grant's Extraodianary Spymaster

By Sherry Shindelar

Grenville Dodge, Photo by Mathew Benjamin Brady -
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

I’m always intrigued by spy stories, especially tales of intrigue from the Civil War. Much has been written about Pinkerton’s legions, Belle Boyd, Rose O’Neil Greenhow, Sarah Emma Edmonds, and others. I’d never even heard of Major General Grenville Dodge. According to the Office of the Department of National Intelligence, Dodge became the “most effective spy master in the Western Theatre [of the Civil War], and perhaps of the whole war.” 

Dodge was a man of many talents. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1851, worked in surveying and building railroads, and settled in Council Bluffs, Iowa as a businessman and community leader in the 1850’s.

However, when the Civil War broke out, he answered the call to defend his nation. Eager for a field command, he accepted a colonelship and outfitted a regiment. He was admired and acclaimed for his bravery, determination, and strategy in the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas in 1862 and Atlanta in 1864, but Generals Grant and Sherman recognized that his true talents lay elsewhere.

Dodge was a master railroad builder and destroyer. His arch enemy in the task of maintaining open railways for the transportation of Union troops and supplies in the Western Theater was Brig. General Nathan Bedford Forest. It was said that Dodge could repair railroads faster than Forrest could destroy them.

General Nathan Bedford Forrest, T.J. Selby photograph

However, the underlying secret to Dodge’s greatest successes was his spy network. He had his men in the right place and the right time at Pea Ridge because his spies had discovered that the Confederates had split their forces, and the spies determined from which the direction the “surprise” attack would happen. His agents, along with his expert engineering skills and blockade-house strategies, helped him to stay ahead of Forest, as well.

Early in the war, Dodge grew weary of having his cavalry missions thwarted by inaccurate intelligence. He determined to rectify the matter by hiring a company of scouts to risk their necks for a price to keep him apprised of enemy activity.

From this small outfit, his spy network grew to over one hundred operatives, including former slaves and Union sympathizers behind Confederate lines. He enlisted women in his rank of spies, as well, and they proved their worth as effective assets.

Dodge carried on his operation while rising in rank to Major General and leading the 2nd Division of the Army of the Tennessee. Only his commanding officers and his adjutants and provost marshals were even aware that he was in the spy game.

The intelligence gathered by his agents significantly assisted Grant in his victory at Vicksburg. One of Dodge’s operatives managed to get inside Vicksburg and even garnered a pass from the Confederate commander that granted him/her free access to the garrison’s defensive positions. With this key information on artillery and troop numbers and positions, Grant was able to concentrate his men where they could do the most damage to the enemy.

Siege of Vicksburg, by Kurz & Allison

In addition, when Jefferson Davis ordered General Joseph Johnston toward Vicksburg with reinforcements, Dodge’s operatives infiltrated Johnston’s ranks and discovered that the Confederates were only sending half of the number of men that had been reported. This bit of news enabled Grant to leave thousands more of his men at Vicksburg instead of sending the main body to intercept the approaching Confederates.

Dodge cared about the safety and lives of his operatives. He trained them well, and he refused to tell his commanding officers and others the identities of his spies. Only he knew who they were. In fact, he worked to keep their names off the army payroll. With permission from Grant, Dodge paid his men and women with funds raised from selling confiscated Confederate cotton. In addition, he avoided meeting with them face to face, keeping the veil of secrecy by exchanging information indirectly. He also provided them with Confederate money and gold in order to bribe and barter their way through enemy territory if needed.

The spy master was also adept at counterespionage. In late 1863, Dodge and his agents foiled a highly effective Confederate spy ring, known as Colman’s Scouts, whose objective was to gather information Federal troop strength and movements and to interrupt communications while remaining invisible to Federal troops in Tennessee. The enemy ring consisted of forty-five secret service men and a talented leader who at times disguised himself a babbling, elderly herbal doctor.

In April 1861, when Dodge accepted an officer’s commission in the Federal Army, he wrote to his mother: “I go into this war on principle, [which] pecuniarily [financially] will ruin me. I put my trust in God; if I come out safe, I hope no one will have cause to regret my course.” He spent the next four years pouring out every ounce of his courage, determination, and intelligence toward keeping the Union whole.



Sources:
Harbor, Susan. “Harber’s History Lesson: Spymaster Henry Shaw was leader of Coleman Scouts.” The Daily News Journal. Rutherford Historical Society. 5 May 2017. https://rutherfordtnhistory.org/habers-history-lesson-spymaster-henry-shaw-was-leader-of-coleman-scouts/



“Grenville Dodge: The Fighting Spymaster.” Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Intel.gov. https://www.intelligence.gov/evolution-of-espionage/civil-war/union-espionage/grenville-dodge

Wilmot, Julie. “The Civil War’s Most Interesting General.” History.net. 29 Nov. 22. https://shop.historynet.com/blogs/new-the-latest-from-historynet-com/the-civil-war-s-most-interesting-general

Originally from Tennessee, Sherry loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. When she isn’t busy writing, she is an English professor, working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is a multi-award-winning writer. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.

 

             Connect with Sherry: website, newsletter, Amazon, FB, Goodreads

Can she trust the man who ruined her life to rescue her future?

Driven by the looming expectation of becoming a proper lady, Morning Fawn is determined to escape the confines of her uncle’s plantation and return to her adoptive Comanche tribe. But with each failed attempt, her hopes dwindle. The last thing she needs is help from the frontier soldier who put her there in the first place.

Disillusioned with the Confederacy and his role in Morning Fawn’s kidnapping, Devon Reynolds returns to Texas as a Yankee spy, determined to make amends. But can two wounded souls, each fighting their own battles, find solace and love amidst the chaos of war?

Alexander Hamilton ~ Founding Father, Anonymous Author, Doomed Duelist

Note ~ The Florida Artists, Architects, and Authors Series will continue next month.

A FOUNDING FATHER

 

Though Alexander Hamilton is considered a Founding Father, he is one of four in that historic group who didn’t sign America’s Declaration of Independence from the British on July 4, 1776.

The other three are George Washington, James Madison, and John Jay. 

 

General Washington was too busy actually fighting for that independence. However, he read the newly-signed document to the Continental Army on July 9th. Alexander Hamilton was only 19 years old at the time.

Or maybe he was twenty-one. His birthday is January 11th, but historians disagree on whether he was born in 1755 or 1757.

Here are a few details historians accept as fact:

• Hamilton was born out-of-wedlock in the West Indies and orphaned in 1768. His father had abandoned the family before then.
• From 1777 to 1781, he served as George Washington's trusted aide-de-camp.
• He was an artillery officer in the American Revolutionary War and fought in the Siege of Yorktown (1781).
• After the war, he was a lawyer and founded the Bank of New York.
• As a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, he was involved in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
• As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he served in President Washington's first cabinet.

 

AN ANONYMOUS AUTHOR

 

Along with all his many historical political achievements, Hamilton also bequeathed a tremendous literary legacy…many written under a pen name.

 

Let’s take a look at a few of his better-known works.

 

The Revolutionary Versus the Loyalist

 

In 1774, Loyalist Samuel Seabury, a Church of England clergyman, published pamphlets intended to scare the American colonists from rebelling against the king. He wrote under the pseudonym of A. W. Farmer, an abbreviation for A Westchester Farmer.

 

In response, Hamilton anonymously published A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress. Seabury published another pamphlet in response to Hamilton and then Hamilton responded with The Farmer Refuted.

 

Pen Name ~ Publius

In 1778, Hamilton signed three accusatory letters with the pseudonym Publius. The name came from a book titled Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans. The original Publius Valerius, better known as Publicola or “friend of the people,” helped to found the ancient republic of Rome. 

The three letters accused Samuel Chase—who is a signer of the Declaration of Independence and, in 1787, represented Maryland in the Continental Congress—of using insider knowledge to benefit from the flour market.

The Reynolds Pamphlet

To defend his own integrity, Hamilton wrote a ninety-five-page pamphlet confessing to an affair he’d had during his tenure as Secretary of the Treasury. 

 

While not excusing Hamilton’s behavior, it’s widely believed Mrs. Reynolds and her husband conspired to set Hamilton up so they could blackmail him. 

 

In the pamphlet, published in 1797, Hamilton admitted he was guilty of adultery but vehemently insisted he was not guilty of corruption.

 

The Federalist Papers

Hamilton is most well-known for writing fifty-one of the eight-five installments of The Federalist Papers. The remaining essays and articles were written by James Madison and John Jay, but each one appeared under the pseudonym of Publius—the same pen name that Hamilton used for his letters attacking Samuel Chase.

Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote The Federalist Papers to encourage public support for the proposed U.S. Constitution. The vast majority of the essays were published between October 1787 and August 1788 in New York newspapers and sometimes reprinted in other states' newspapers.

 

The collected Federalist Papers
in one volume and
an advertisement for the book.

 

Poetry

 

Before embarking on his political writing career—remember that his first anonymous pamphlets were written in 1774—Hamilton wrote a few poems and a hymn that appeared in the Royal Danish American Gazette, a St. Croix (Virgin Islands) newspaper.

 

The first two published poems were printed with Hamilton’s query letter. He wrote:

 

“I am a youth about seventeen, and consequently such an attempt as this must be presumptuous; but if, upon perusal, you think the following piece worthy of a place in your paper, by inserting it you’ll much oblige Your obedient servant, A.H.”

 

Another poem, “The Melancholy Hour,” was published on October 11, 1772 under the pseudonym Juvenis.

 

“This brooding work,” writes Ron Chernow in his biography of Hamilton, “reprises the theme of the hurricane as heavenly retribution upon a fallen world.” He quotes the following two lines:

 

Why hangs this gloomy damp upon my mind 

Why heaves my bosom with the struggling sigh?

 

An unsigned four-stanza hymn, “The Soul Ascending Into Bliss,” appeared in the Gazette on October 17, 1772. Chernow calls this “a lovely, mystical meditation in which Hamilton envisions his soul soaring heavenward.”

 

Here’s an excerpt:

 

Hark! Hark! A voice from yonder sky

Methinks I hear my Savior cry…

I come oh Lord, I mount, I fly

On rapid wings I cleave the sky.”

 

The Gazette published another poem, “A Character” by A.H., on February 3, 1773.

 

“In this short, disillusioned work,” Chernow writes, “Hamilton evokes a sharp-witted fellow named Eugenio who manages inadvertently to antagonize all his friends.” 

 

Here are the final two lines of the poem: 

 

Wit not well govern’d rankles into vice

He to his Jest his friend he will sacrifice.

 

A DOOMED DUELIST

 

On July 11, 1804, Hamilton and Aaron Burr fought a duel. 

 

Though Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson held opposing political views, Hamilton supported Jefferson for the presidency over Burr who was considered to be power-hungry and unprincipled scoundrel by his contemporaries. 

Burr accused Hamilton of impugning his honor and challenged him to a duel after Hamilton refused to apologize for disparaging remarks he’d made.

 

Hamilton told his second that he would purposely miss Burr and may have expected his opponent to do the same. 

 

However, Burr aimed at Hamilton and wounded him. 

 

Hamilton died the next day.

 

Whether born in 1755 or 1757, he wasn’t yet 50 years old.

 

HONORING HAMILTON

 

“…he was first on the $5, then the $2, $20, $50, $500, $1000 (those larger denominations were only used to move money among banks or between banks and the Federal Reserve). Since the currency was redesigned and given a standard size in 1928, Hamilton has been on the $10” (Brian Phillips Murphy).

 

RE-IMAGINING HAMILTON

 

The highly-acclaimed Broadway production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton was nominated for 16 Tony Awards and won 11 including Best Musical, Best Actor, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. The script was based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton.

 

Your Turn ~ Which of Hamilton’s writings impress you the most?

Johnnie Alexander writes award-winning stories of enduring love and quiet courage. Her historical and contemporary novels weave together unforgettable romance, compelling characters, and a touch of mystery. A sometime hermit and occasional vagabond who most often kicks off her shoes in Florida, Johnnie cherishes cozy family times and enjoys long road trips. Readers are invited to discover glimpses of grace and timeless truth in her stories. Connect with her at johnnie-alexander.com.

 

Sources

 

Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. New York: Penguin Press (2004). https://archive.org/details/alexanderhamilto00cher/page/38/mode/2up. (Accessed on June 29, 2025.)

 

Murphy, Brian Phillips. “Alexander Hamilton on the $10 Bill: How He Got There and Why It Matters.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/alexander-hamilton-10-bill-how-he-got-there-and-why-it-matters (Accessed on June 30, 2025.)

 

https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2017/09/a-look-at-alexander-hamiltons-saucy-religious-sentimental-poetry/

 

https://declaration.fas.harvard.edu/faq/founding-fathers-not-signers

 

https://historythings.com/the-many-written-works-of-alexander-hamilton/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Federalist_Papers

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical)

 

Photos ~ All photos are in public domain except the Hamilton poster which is categorized as “Fair Use." 

"Alexander Hamilton" ~ Portrait by John Trumbull. 

 

"Alexander Hamilton in the Uniform of the New York Artillery" ~ Portrait by Alonzo Chappel.

Portrait of Hamilton authoring the first draft of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

A 1901 illustration of Aaron Burr fatally wounding Alexander Hamilton in their 1804 duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. 

The Federalist Papers.

An advertisement for the book edition of The Federalist. 

Bonus Army Marches on Washington, DC

Summer seems to be a prime time for protests, especially in Washington, D.C. Perhaps because of vacations, when people are free to travel, yet Congress is still in session. There have been civil rights marches, March for Life events, and huge prayer rallies.

I learned recently about the Bonus Army march of 1932, one of the first large scale, veteran-led, organized protests in American history, which set the standard for non-violent advocacy.

Bonus Army marching toward the Capitol on July 5, 1932.
Library of Congress photo

Veterans of the Great War (now known as World War I) had been promised bonuses, or “adjusted compensation,” for their service. In 1924, Congress approved giving each qualified veteran an additional $1 for every day served; for overseas service, the amount was $1.25. Certificates were issued which could be redeemed for the bonus amount with compound interest in 1945.

But when the Great Depression hit, many veterans struggled to make ends meet. Unemployment rose to more than 20%. Over a quarter million families lost their homes to mortgage foreclosure.

Veterans needed cash, not paper certificates promising a future payout.

In 1932, Congress considered a bill for early payment of the bonuses, sparking hope among veterans. Originating in Portland, Oregon, several hundred veterans began to travel to the nation’s capital to urge passage of the bill. By early summer, nearly 20,000 jobless veterans from all over the country, along with their families and supporters, joined. Called the Bonus Expeditionary Force, an allusion to the war’s American Expeditionary Force, the press nicknamed it the Bonus Army.

Bonus Expeditionary Force camp on Anacostia Flats had a military-style
organization. Library of Congress Photo

The demonstrators, totaling more than 40,000 at one point, set up camps and shantytowns, mostly across the river from the Capitol, in an area called Anacostia Flats, and on Pennsylvania Avenue. They demonstrated on the Capitol grounds, urging Congress to pass a bill allowing early payment of their bonuses. The House of Representatives approved the bill, but on June 17, it failed in the Senate due to lack of money in the government coffers.

Disappointed, the veterans sang “America” and returned peacefully to their camps, vowing to stay until their situation improved. One veteran said, “If they gave me a job, I wouldn’t care about the bonus.”

The movement’s leader, Walter W. Waters, urged non-violent protest. As the summer progressed, however, skirmishes with police occurred and officials grew concerned about public order. On July 28, skirmishes turned into a brawl and two vets were wounded and later died. President Herbert Hoover then ordered the Army to “put an end to rioting and defiance of authority.”

General Douglas MacArthur directing the
evacuation of Bonus Army marchers from
Washington, D.C. July 28, 1932.
Library of Congress photo

General Douglas MacArthur, with assistance from Major Dwight D. Eisenhower and Major George S. Patton, led infantry, cavalry, and tanks to forcibly evict the demonstrators from government property. Soldiers burned the camps and used tear gas, dispersing the marchers.

Images of veterans and their families under attack by their own government shocked the nation. The resulting public relations disaster for Hoover contributed to his landslide defeat by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the presidential election that fall.

A second, smaller Bonus Army in March 1933 disbanded when most of the group accepted jobs with the newly created Civilian Conservation Corps.

Finally, in 1936, Congress overrode a veto by President Roosevelt and paid veterans their bonuses nine years early. In subsequent years, support for funding veterans’ programs continued to increase and spurred the G.I. Bill after World War II.

According to one analysis, the Bonus Army’s “unwavering spirit and unrelenting determination left an indelible mark on American history, serving as a powerful testament to the power of collective action and the importance of honoring those who serve.”

SOURCES:

Bonus Army of 1932: Life Without a Safety Net - The Washington Post 

WWI Veterans Converge on Capitol Hill - Event Date: June 17th, 1932

The Bonus March (May-July, 1932) | American Experience | Official Site | PBS

Remembering the Bonus Army | The Wolfsonian | Florida International University | FIU

Bonus Expeditionary Forces March on Washington (U.S. National Park Service)

The Forgotten March · National Parks Conservation Association

The “Bonus Army” March – U.S. Capitol Historical Society

Multi-award-winning author Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like undiscovered treasures, old houses, and gnarly trees. All three books in her Mended Vessels series, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical women, have won awards in multiple contests. She is currently working on historical romances set in her native western Kentucky in the 1930s and ‘40s. An unpublished novel, Shifting Currents, placed second in the inspirational category of the nationally recognized Maggie Awards. Learn more at www.MarieWellsCoutu.com.

Her historical short story, “All That Glistens,” was included in the 2023 Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction collection and is now available free when you sign up for Marie's newsletter here. In her newsletter, she shares about her writing, historical tidbits, recommended books, and sometimes recipes.

The Hollywood Canteen – Patriotism at Its Finest

 By Kathy Kovach

Screen image from the movie Hollywood Canteen

Hollywood may be the quintessential exposition of unrealistic romance, over-the-top gritty violence, or other-worldly fantasy, but there was one thing she got right.

Her patriotism.

Throughout the two world wars—from The Little American (July 1917) to The Fighting Sullivans (February 1944)—movies brought unbearable heartache and joyous triumphs into theaters.

Hollywood’s dedication to the troops didn’t stop when the director yelled, “That’s a wrap.” Actors, actresses, and many more in the film industry became dedicated to giving back. Whether through entertaining the troops overseas or selling war bonds, Hollywood loved her country.

One such commitment came in the form of the Hollywood Canteen, an unrelated offshoot of the Stage Door Canteen, founded by the American Theater Wing and located in New York. The west-coast variety was the brainchild of actor John Garfield after his visit to the New York site. Ineligible for active duty due to a heart condition, he felt this was a way he could serve. He ran the idea by actress Bette Davis, and the pair created a place where enlisted men and women could enjoy themselves and relax.

“Marine Dance” Actress Linda Darnell with star-struck marine, 1944.
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

After the grand opening on Saturday, October 3, 1942, entertainers, as well as those behind the scenes, volunteered their time to serve anyone in uniform, which was the only criteria for entrance. They waited tables, washed dishes, and became dance partners for the thousands who took advantage of the free service.

Screen image from the movie Hollywood Canteen

Bette Davis handed out cigarettes while Marlena Dietrich and Hedy Lamar gladly took over dish duty. Roy Rogers brought his horse Trigger on the stage and performed tricks. Teenager Shirley Temple tended bar! Not to worry, though. Absolutely no alcohol was served. In truth, if any alcohol was found on anyone, volunteers and guests alike, they would be turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department immediately. As a side note: Temple hated the non-alcoholic drink named after her. She claimed it to be a “saccharine sweet, icky drink”, and she had nothing to do with its creation. As a side to the side note: I had a Shirley Temple once when I was seven and enjoyed it immensely.

The Canteen was originally a livery stable. The makeover created a large 2000 guest capacity venue with a western theme. The sign was made of rope lettering, and wagon wheels with retrofitted kerosene lanterns became chandeliers. Celebrities donated decorations, and Cary Grant gave them a piano.

Lt. Gen. Valin, Chief of Staff, French Air Force, awards the Croix De Guerre with Palm to Col. Jimmy Stewart for exceptional services in the liberation of France. U.S. Air Force photo

On the first anniversary of its grand opening, a Wall of Honor was dedicated to pictures of actors who served in the military, including Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart.

“Through these portals pass the most beautiful uniforms in the world”  –Sign over the entrance to the Hollywood Canteen

Bette Davis was adamant that anyone in uniform, U.S. or allied forces, regardless of race, were allowed in. As a result, she was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the highest civilian award, in 1980.

Marlena Dietrich and Rita Hayward, 1942
Wikimedia Commons

As mentioned above, admission was free. In fact, everything was free, the food, drink, and entertainment. The Hollywood Canteen became so popular that a one-hour limit had to be set in place to accommodate the long lines waiting outside. Many of the guests were far from home, either training in California or preparing to be shipped overseas. Most were young, lonely, and probably scared. But the Canteen provided relief from the uncertainties of war.

In regards to opening night: “It seemed thousands of men entered the canteen that night. I had to crawl through a window to get inside.” – Bette Davis

Millionth Man Sgt. Carl Bell with Lana Turner, Deanna Durbin, and Marlena Dietrich

After almost a year, on September 15, 1943, the millionth man walked through the doors. Sgt. Carl Bell received the prestigious honor as he was escorted in by German-star-turned-American-patriot Marlena Dietrich and was bestowed a kiss from the paragon of pinup girls Betty Grable.

During the three years the Hollywood Canteen was open, it operated Monday through Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight and on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Throughout the course of a night, 300 Hollywood professionals—more than 3000 in the entire life of the canteen—volunteered in every capacity. This was spread out over two shifts.

Both the Stage Door Canteen and the Hollywood Canteen were immortalized in film. The prior released in 1943 and the latter in 1944. Not surprisingly, the movie Hollywood Canteen is billed to have starred both Bette Davis and John Garfield, the founders. In truth, a plethora of stars, many of them having taken part in the real canteen, are in the movie, some in cameos, others performing their acts. Despite the weak plot (the film concentrated more on the star power than the story line), it was nominated for three Oscars and was granted three wins from the Photoplay Awards. In the tradition of its namesake, the film earmarked 40% of ticket sales to charities benefitting U.S. servicemen. To get a taste, here is the short video, The Hollywood Canteen: The Story Behind The Movie

Jack Benny and Bob Hope
CC BY 2.0

Alas, all good things must come to an end. The Hollywood Canteen served its last customers a delicious Thanksgiving dinner on November 22, 1945 with Bob Hope and Jack Benny headlining the entertainment. At the end, the $500K surplus—mostly from the profits of two films, Thank Your Lucky Stars, 1943, and Hollywood Canteen, 1944—were donated to veterans’ relief funds. The former livery stable turned patriotic venue was eventually leveled and made into a parking lot, but the memories linger like dry-ice induced fog and Hollywood dreams.

"There are few accomplishments in my life that I am sincerely proud of. The Hollywood Canteen is one of them." – Bette Davis, 1987

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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Colonial Music and Dance

by Denise Weimer

One of the ways I’ve always enjoyed creating period setting in my historical novels is through the use of music and dance. A song can capture any mood, including that of an era or area. Most recently, I've focused on the Colonial years in my writing.

During the American Revolution, Colonists enjoyed tunes they’d brought over from their native countries. Some of them, like “Lavender’s Blue” (English, printed 1670s-80s), “The Willow Tree” (a much older tune printed in Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776), “Barbara Allen” (British or Scottish) and “The Girl I Left Behind Me” (English fife tune long known but popularized in America during the Revolution) traced back a hundred years or more. "Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier," based on the Irish folk song "Shule Aroon," became popular during the Revolution as well.

Colonists also enjoyed the music from stage musicals like The Beggar’s Opera, performed in London as early as 1728 and in the Colonies by 1750, taking home printed copies to play and sing.

The turbulent emotions of the Revolution also generated new music, like “The Rich Lady Over the Sea,” born of taxation resentment. “My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free” became the first song penned by an American, Francis Hopkinson of Philadelphia, in 1759. The verses were included in a 1788 collection of songs for his personal friend, George Washington. Hopkinson signed the Declaration of Independence for New Jersey and helped design the American flag.

Any article on American Revolution-period music would be remiss without mention of “Yankee Doodle.” The song was said to have been written by a British Army surgeon as a sarcastic critique of the motley American troops during the French and Indian War. Those troops adopted it as their own. Origins of the American version remain unclear. Some attribute it to Richard Schukburgh of New York in 1755, but apparently, proof is lacking. Rumor also has it that during the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, the British band played “The World Turned Upside Down,” while the Americans played “Yankee Doodle.”

What about dancing of the time period? If the guests were attending a formal ball, their arrival around seven p.m. would be greeted with light refreshments. Minuets began every ball and were arranged from the highest ranking couple in the room to lowest, danced in silence where the man led the dance by signaling his partner with arm movements and intense eye contact. One couple would dance while the others watched. Jigs and hornpipes from France were also popular. These included personal routines with step combinations and floor patterns adapted to the skills of a soloist or two dancers for jigs. Allemandes, rigadoons, and gavottes taught at dancing schools were choreographed to display skill. A seated supper would commence at ten. By midnight, the dancing would resume. At five a.m, the last weary guests would leave.

More casual dances included Scottish reels and country dances with couples creating long lines facing each other, danced with two or three couples at a time, then progressing, moving down the line and back up, dancing with every couple on the floor twice. The top couple often chose the dance and recited the figures.

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A mother of two young adult daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

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