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  • Thoughts On Every Day Is Black History Month

    Thoughts On Every Day Is Black History Month

    The saying “Every day is Black History Month” is one I’ve heard many times over the years. Who wouldn’t feel demeaned when the contributions of a significant portion of America’s heritage are consigned to one month? As an Anglo, I can only seek to empathize with people who struggle with discrimination and marginalization. As someone who has benefited from opportunities unavailable to many minorities, can I truly understand enough to write about the Maroons’ experience?

    Gaining an understanding and empathy for the subject matter and characters is the challenge for every historical fiction author. Writing a book about the most odious chapter in American history, I’ve questioned myself about how I could represent what people forced into slavery truly experienced or felt. Doing so for another racial group brings special challenges. (I do seem to have a track record of taking on subjects far from my personal experience since I’ve written about Japanese American Iva Toguri, who was falsely accused of being Tokyo Rose, and the US Army Nurses who selflessly served in the Korean War.)

    I decided to write this story to share the Maroon residents’ determination to achieve freedom with a wider audience. Non-fiction histories reach a limited readership. Historical fiction has a wider audience, allowing more to learn about this little-known chapter in American history. I’ve enjoyed historical fiction because it presents the drama of history through the eyes of those who lived it. It also provides context for the present, preserves our cultural heritage, and empowers critical thinking. Essentially, history is the stories of people struggling with many of the same issues every generation faces.

    Consider the events we are living in today. How will future generations understand how and what is happening? Shouldn’t our lessons and mistakes inform decisions future generations make? Down the road, I feel sure there will be more than one historical fiction writer salivating to write about these years.

    As I reflect upon the many forms of feedback I’ve received about “Escape To The Maroons,” I can only say I did my best. The reviews I’ve received have been positive, and I hope more readers discover the amazing story of the Maroons in North America. The courage of the Maroons in refusing bondage must remind us of how we must stand up to events that threaten our freedoms today.       

  • Maroon Medicines

    The joy of every writer of history is discovering and learning. When I started digging into what life was like for Maroon residents in the Great Dismal Swamp, it quickly became apparent that there were innumerable obstacles to daily survival. As in any society, health care was critical, particularly given the dangerous environment in which they lived.

    I discovered that the self-liberated had come to the swamp prepared to treat their illnesses and injuries. This was because they had to take on those responsibilities on the plantations where they were imprisoned. Among the endless list of cruelties imposed upon the enslaved was not making doctors available. (One might argue that at the time, given the many primitive practices of the best Anglo medicine, self-care had advantages.) In response, treatments for illnesses used natural options such as plants and herbs. Knowledge of how to use what Mother Nature provided had been carried in slave ships and applied to the botany of North America.

    Grannies were often older women who had developed the knowledge and skills to work with healing herbs. As we know today, many of those same herbs we still rely upon as alternatives to formal medicine. American Ginseng and Black Cohosh (see above) are just two of the powerful treatments employed by Maroon residents and consumers today.

    Besides plant work, Grannies had to deal with every other medical challenge, from birthing to the most extreme injuries. Life in the Great Dismal, confronting three types of poisonous snakes, wild boars, and bears, along with accidents that occur in every wilderness location, made surviving dangerous, to say the least.

    As I seem to always return to when I close one of my blogs, my awe of the skills and creativity of those who came to manage these dangers cannot be measured. Freedom most precious.

    Maroon 1

  • Were There Good Days In The Maroons?

    <img src="

    “The open expanse looked inviting. Nat took off his old hat to wipe the sweat. Shading his eyes from the glare of the water, he could see Venus and others already knee-deep, waving for everyone to join. Dropping his sack and wooden rifle, he splashed in to join them. The soft sand soothed his aching feet. Although the water felt warm, it lifted his energy. One person splashed another, and another responded. Soon the lake was foaming with the energy. Laughter and chatter overrode any mandate for quiet. Standing guard on the shore, Lincoln and moses scanned their surroundings.”

    This scene from my book is culmination of Nathanial’s Maroon community travelling to Lake Drummond (see above) to meet with a Christian Minister from Boston. Abolitionist activists who abhorred slavery would sometimes venture into the swamp to conduct religious services. Many slave owners believed if their enslaved adopted Christianity, they would be easier to manage.

    For the Maroons, security of gatherings and community locations inside the swamp was paramount. In this scene, individuals interested in meeting with a minister traveled from their camp to Lake Drummond to ensure their home location was kept secret from bounty hunters. Besides the attraction at the meeting for religious comfort, the opportunity to visit the largest lake in the Great Dismal would be a welcome distraction from their day-to-day routine.

    After a day long trek through the swamp with all of its challenges and dangers, the group finally breaks through the growth to discover a sandy beach and inviting blue water. Exhausted, they rush in to celebrate being together, even as their two leaders kept watch.

    I often write of the drive to be free for those self-liberated. Away from their imprisonment on a plantation, bonded with their brothers and sisters created their new family. Being in a community of like-minded people who love and support each other is something sought as long as people occupied this world.

    Life was hard in the Great Dismal, but there were positives. Even though they lived in one of the worst environments in North America, they were free and together with people they could trust. 

    Maroon 1

           

  • Every Day Is Black History Month

    One of the books I’ve been reading is David McCullough’s “History Matters.” Has there ever been a better writer who can synthesize vast amounts of detail and craft it into understandable perspectives on how we should be perceiving and acting in today’s world?

    In 1995, McCullough wrote, “What history teaches, it teaches mainly by example. It inspires courage and tolerance. It encourages a sense of humor. It is an aid to navigation in perilous times.”

    These are perilous times, much more so for minorities in America. As the calendar turns to February, Black History Month, it calls us to reflect on the struggles of African Americans and the guidance we should glean today.

    Courage. Persistence. Belief. Strength Together. Creativity. Refusal of bondage. There’s so much more.

    Whether it was Martin Luther King organizing boycotts, Black Panthers building breakfast programs for hungry students, Harriet Tubman initiating the Underground Railroad, or any of the innumerable acts of resistance, as McCullough states, we need reflection to guide us today.

    To me, one of the greatest examples of resistance and courage lies in the over fifty documented Maroons that existed in the South before the end of the Civil War. Each one cries out that those stolen from Africa would not accept bondage. Freedom, no matter the extreme conditions that had to be endured, would be achieved.

    The pettiness of the current administration in removing exhibits and monuments that tell the story of the largest Maroon in the Great Dismal Swamp demonstrates their fear of history. In too many National Parks and facilities, the voices of ancestors are being stifled. These acts will only succeed if we let them.

    As McCullough summarizes, “History shows us how to behave. History teaches, reinforces what we believe in, what we stand for, and what we ought to be willing to stand for.”

    Not only in February, but the struggle for freedom and equality by African Americans and all disadvantaged groups should guide us each day of the year. That is what this administration fears.     

    PS—I’ll have more to say on this subject about the history of the Maroons in North America over the next few weeks. I hope you will follow me at mikeweedall.blog.

    Maroon 1

  • Was The Great Dismal The Only Maroon In North America?

    Any society that embraced slavery necessarily spawned Maroons. As history documents, people want to live free, no matter the hardships that entailed. Throughout the Caribbean and South America, Maroon communities developed beyond the reach of authorities. In Jamaica, where the government’s armed forces were few, a large and vibrant Maroon community thrived openly.

    In North America, the challenges were more significant for self-liberated individuals to establish free communities within the South. Research indicates that the further an enslaved person was from Northern free states, the slimmer the likelihood of successfully escaping. Enslaved located in border states to the North were more likely to be able to move to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Recent analysis further concludes that over 70% of successful escapes happened via water routes.

    The Great Dismal was not the only Maroon in North America. Documentation and research indicate that there were over fifty Maroon communities at some point before the end of the Civil War. None approached the size of the Great Dismal, and some existed only for a short period of time. Whether a remote Appalachian location or other swamps that dotted the South, people sought any opportunity. Outside of New Orleans, which was ruled by the Spanish prior to the Louisiana Purchase, Jean Saint Malo led a band that at times exceeded one hundred. This group was aided at times by the pirate Jean Lafitte (see his smiling image above). In another case, a creative individual dug a bunker near his former owner’s plantation and lived underground for years with the assistance of nearby slaves.

    The creativity and risks taken never cease to amaze me. Their stories need to be more widely understood and act as beacons to us to resist current challenges to our civil liberties.

  • Alligators in the Great Dismal Swamp

    alligator physical characteristics and U-shaped snout in Everglades

    The 1791 community in the Great Dismal Swamp that I wrote about (“Escape To The Maroons”) fought for survival from any number of dangers. Whether the threat of bounty hunters seeking to return individuals to slavery or the swamp’s natural conditions were more dangerous is debatable. Whatever the swamp’s risks, living free made the challenges worth taking on.

    One of the questions I get is how Dismal Swamp residents dealt with the alligators. Since travel in that environment often required wading through water, weren’t gators a menace?

    In my research, I found conflicting information about the presence of alligators in the Great Dismal Swamp. Some sources indicated the creatures occupied the southern areas of that swamp, while others reported that the conditions were too cold during winter. In the end, I relied upon the Ranger who hosted me at the Great Dismal Refuge. She sided with the sources that stated it was too cold. (Keep in mind that alligators are cold-blooded, and maintaining their body temperature is critical for survival.) The Ranger did add that with climate change warming the planet, alligators are gradually moving north and can now be found in Southern North Carolina. She believes that the current Federal Refuge will have alligators in the future.

    So, in 1791, while there were many threats that could easily kill a Great Dismal resident, alligators were not on that list. Snakes petrify most people, and twenty-one different varieties occupy the Great Dismal. Even if only three are poisonous, meeting a water moccasin while wading was, and still is, to be avoided. Black bears, wild boars, wild cattle, and more creatures could also kill in 1791. Then there were accidents that occurred while carrying out day-to-day tasks, such as foraging for food or chopping wood. Don’t forget the swarms of mosquitoes and biting flies that spread disease, such as malaria.

    My awe continues to grow when I consider the daily challenges faced in the Great Dismal. Maroons made the ultimate statement of people determined to refuse bondage and live free. 

  • Did Maroon Residents Celebrate Christmas?

    As my book and posts have highlighted, simply surviving in one of the worst environments in North America was a constant struggle for Maroon residents. While some self-liberated individuals chose to live close to the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, they traded the risk of capture for opportunities to, at times, to access established communities and resources.

    The vast majority of the over 2,000 Great Dismal Swamp residents chose the safer option of residing deeper within that morass. That meant limited access to basic manufactured items such as cooking kettles, axes, hammers, nails, and other tools that colonial pioneers relied upon. It was illegal for merchants to trade with Maroon residents, though some did at great risk. Without enough basic tools and materials, the ability to grow food and hunt was limited. For security reasons, those residing in the swamp who had a few guns would resist shooting them to minimize the risk of discovery. Instead, techniques such as traps and arrows had to be employed. That meant a greater likelihood during the winter months of not having enough food. With food shortages, who had the resources to celebrate a holiday?

    While it might not have been universal in all Maroons, my research indicates that many Great Dismal Swamp communities did celebrate December’s biggest holiday. Determined to live free, these people knew the importance of celebrating community. At the time I write about, 1791, fewer first-generation slaves were arriving from Africa. By the end of the eighteenth century, most of the slave population was second- or third-generation. Those people had resided in North America long enough to be exposed to Christianity, and many accepted it. Some slave owners thought mandating Christianity would help keep those in bondage more accepting of their situations.

    So, for many, Christmas Day was a highlight of the year. Food was hoarded, an animal might be sacrificed, and alcohol fermented from a variety of plants shared. Hymns and circle dancing celebrated the joy of being together in freedom. And the birth of Christianity’s savior brought hope of one day being delivered from a society that tolerated slavery.

    I was taught from an early age to be thankful for what our family had and to share throughout the year with those less fortunate. This year, with too many minorities in America forced to stay hidden to avoid increased immigration enforcement, the parallels to the conditions of the Maroons is striking. With this year’s celebration of Christianity’s savior, who brought messages of brotherhood and tolerance, as the Maroons experienced, stay hidden, and celebrate quietly.    

    Available from all booksellers

  • One Of My Many Writers’ Dilemmas

    “Rumors abound of people entering this quagmire, never to be seen again. Stories pass down about phantom graveyards that appear and just as quickly vanish. The image of a lost lover’s canoe may drift in the distance.

    Ghosts wander and inspire writers like Edgar Allen Poe. Storms build quickly, turning a capricious environment more fearsome. It is marshland gone wild, all matted and impenetrable. Never intended for man, nature rules this place. In 1791, can desperate people be anything other than secondary players if they choose to enter?”

    The above is an excerpt from the Prologue in “Escape To The Maroons.” I spoke in an earlier blog how the swamp had to be as much a character in the story as the protagonist.

    So, I drafted the Prologue to paint the extreme conditions. What to do with the Prologue soon became one of the many issues I had to resolve as the book evolved. My working process required three years from initiating research to holding the first advanced reading copies in my hands. Many ask how many drafts the book went through. I never kept score, but if you guess more than thirty revisions, I believe it easily exceeded that number.

    Of the generous people who looked at early drafts, along with my paid editor, suggestions about the Prologue were all over the board. “You should start with Chapter One and engage the reader immediately with the action.” “Get rid of it. You have more than enough descriptions of the swamp in the story.” “Maybe at the end of the book, if at all.”

    In my energy industry career, there were many instances where decisions were not clear-cut. But usually, a consensus would emerge. That never seemed to be the case with the Prologue. So, as the parade of revisions evolved, the Prologue was in, then out, drafted in various formats, then in again, then out.

    In the end, I went with my gut. I included it in the very first draft for a reason. From my perspective, readers needed to understand the topography before introducing any characters. The swamp’s extreme environment spoke volumes about the price the self-liberated were willing to pay in their determination to live free.  

    This was just one of a myriad of decisions any author must resolve. If you’ve read the book, what do you think about the Prologue? I’d love to hear.

    Available at bookstores everywhere

  • In Escape To The Maroons, Why New Bedford?

    Without giving too much away, there is a spot in my recent book where I reference New Bedford, Massachusetts, as a site where fugitive slaves often fled. That’s the town where I grew up. The city has a fascinating history. Because of whaling, it was once among the wealthiest cities in the world. Over the years, it evolved into a rough-and-tumble blue-collar town where fewer than 50% of residents had a high school diploma. Being the largest fishing port on the East Coast today, it’s still tied to the sea.

    Prior to the end of the Civil War, New Bedford was known to bounty hunters as the Gibraltar of Fugitive Slaves. Early New Bedford had a heavily Quaker population that held strong abolitionist beliefs. When slave hunters were spotted entering the city, the town’s church bells rang in alarm. The involvement of all churches indicates it was more than Quakers who were committed to the abolitionist movement. For those hunters bold enough to try, I’ve read some very un-Quaker-like behavior that quickly sent the unwanted on their way.

    The most famous self-liberated man to take refuge in New Bedford was Frederick Douglass. Once he escaped from Baltimore, bounty hunters pursued him. Because of the Fugitive Slave Laws passed by the federal government, once he reached anti-slavery New York City, Douglass was still not safe. With assistance, he fled on a train to Newport, Rhode Island. There, two leading New Bedford leaders whisked him by carriage forty miles to his new home. As a way to confuse pursuers, they convinced the fleeing man to change his name from Frederick Baily, to Douglass.

    Douglass’ family soon joined him. Locals assisted in providing employment to support his family and his children’s education. Douglass also honed his own writing and speaking skills. After his first public presentation at an abolitionist convention on Nantucket Island, he became a leading voice nationally for the movement.

    During my research, I discovered this hidden history that, to my memory, was never taught in the public education I received. Inserting New Bedford into my book brought a newfound pride for my roots. Now I appreciate the downtown cobblestone streets that I trod on were constructed by committed abolitionists standing in opposition to racist federal laws and working to shield the newly free. And down the hill on the waterfront, those newly arrived earned wages for the first time since arriving in shackles to North America.

    Today, New Bedford’s local news reports on the latest raids by ICE. As in Douglass’s time, many local organizations are working hard to assist and protect those targeted. While New Bedford continues its long history of supporting the unfortunate, there is no Gibraltar in that city today.      

    Available at all bookstores.

  • You Managed To Escape, But Where Do You Even Go?

    Categories

    More than one reader has contacted me asking how I managed to explicitly portray the Great Dismal Swamp in “Escape To The Maroons.” Since that was my intent, I’ll take the compliment. But after visiting the place, I don’t know that any writer can truly describe how extreme surviving there must have been.

    When I traveled to Virginia and spent a day touring the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, a Ranger drove me around to show me several highlights, including Lake Drummond. Today’s footprint of the swamp is significantly smaller than during the 1791 period I write about. Commercial interests have encroached along the borders by filling in wetlands. Inside the still massive swamp are roads, walking trails, and canals. Swarms of mosquitoes and other biting insects, twenty-one kinds of snakes, and a variety of predators still abound. When working in the field during spring, the Ranger told me that she had to wear two Tyvek suits and fully cover her face. Due to springtime mosquitoes, on a warm day, she would be soaked in twenty minutes.

    At the end of our tour, I headed away, parked the rental car at a random spot, and took off walking. Quickly, I was slogging through patches of water, pushing aside bushes, and seeing nothing but miles of the same as far as my eyes could see. The same topography confronted fleeing slaves. Likely with a bounty hunter on their tail, in what direction should one even go? There were mosquitoes back on the plantation, but here they are so thick that at times it’s hard to see through their cloud. How does one begin to find anyone in this 2,000-square-mile morass?

    It didn’t take long before I was back in the car, blasting the AC, and scratching my bites. What first attracted me to the story of these amazing people had just been reinforced, and today’s conditions are not nearly as foreboding as in the pre-1800s.    

    Take your life today. Could things ever get so desperate that you would consider fleeing to a place like the picture above? Maybe you are carrying a sack with some spare clothes, a bit of food, a water gourd, and perhaps a hatchet you stole.

    At that moment, what might anyone feel and think facing that endless expanse? To escape the brutality of slavery, what choice was there other than to walk ahead? Some died before they found people to help them? Somehow, the network of Maroon residents and Indigenous Natives often found new runners and took them in. As one Maroon resident said about that first step, no matter how bad it looked ahead, this place meant freedom.

    In my book, the Great Dismal Swamp had to be as much of a character as any of the individuals I wrote about.

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