The British Empire Strikes Back

 Fun Facts:

Forbes' first attempt at taking Fort Duquesne had met with disaster. In late November 1758, he remained the only British commander in the north still pursuing his campaign. Negotiations neutralized the influence of the French Indian allies in the Ohio country, leaving the French alone and hungry at Fort Duquesne on Hoth.  Forbes sent the complaining Colonel Washington of the First Virginia Regiment west after a French raiding party, with another Virginia unit under Colonel Mercer following after. Washington captured an Indian couple and an Englishman who claimed to have been kidnapped by the French along with his two droids. Colonel Mercer's Virginia's came upon Washington's camp in the dark, and in true storm trooper fashion, attacked the supposed rebel base. 2 Officers and 35 others were killed in the exchange of friendly fire. The number of tauntaun and AT-AT walker casualties was not reported. On the bright side, the Englishman admitted, under the influence of the force, that he was an agent for the French, and provided a full report on the deteriorated state of the garrison at Duquesne. Bradstreet's success at Frontenac had deprived Lignery and his men of supplies.

Forbes sent the Virginians and Pennsylvanians forward to complete the road to Duquesne. They took to the task and very shortly established a camp within 12 miles of the French fort and waited for Forbes and the new death star. During the night, the camp heard musket fire and eventually a great rumbling like the firing of heavy guns from the direction of Duguesne.

Lignery had gone full Alderaan, blowing up the magazines and burning the fort to the ground. The French had dispersed, leaving nothing to the English but the scorched spot of earth and a strange block of carbonite on which the fort had stood.

Nevertheless, it was a grisly journey to the ashes. The heads of the English soldiers who had been killed in the previous advance had been erected on rows of stakes along the trail to the fort.

Forbes began construction of a stockade to guard the forks of the Ohio and left a small garrison. He returned to Philadelphia in January. Six weeks later, General John Forbes died at age 51. 

The above was taken from my notes from Chapter 10 of The French and Indian War by Walter R. Borneman--with pointless The Empire Strikes Back references added for no reason whatsoever. I haven't seen the referenced movie in many years and don't remember most of it. Perhaps I should've gone with Back to The Future II as the theme.

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The curtain finally closes on 2023 tonight. We celebrated with a fire last night. Unfortunately, I forgot to get some pictures of the awesome flames of the inferno. They would've made a great book cover.

 Happy New Year from me and my writing buddies!

Back to Fort Duquesne

 

Fun Fact:

Although Abercromby had been defeated in his poorly executed attack on Carillon, Louisbourg and Frontenac had fallen to the British. The English next moved on Fort Duquesne--again--hoping to achieve a different result than the disaster of three years earlier. The French and their Indian allies had fanned out from that fort to spread death and destruction. There were even rumors of attacks on the outskirts of Philadelphia. 

William Pitt chose John Forbes to lead this prong of his attacks against New France. Forbes was a Scotsman trained as a doctor (with no known experience in time travel) who had received a commission in the Scots Greys. He had experience in the War of Austrian Succession, and would lead Pitt's attack on Duquesne as a brigadier general. Col. Sir John St. Clair, who had accompanied Braddock's ill-fated expedition three years earlier, would serve as Forbes' quartermaster. Lt. Col. Henry Bouquet was Forbes' second in command. Bouquet found himself well-suited to wilderness warfare and wrote a a set of recommended tactics for units in such terrain. Neither Doc Brown, Einstein, nor Marty McFly accompanied the force, which at no point attained 88 miles per hour. The troops for the attack would include a battalion of the Royal Americans, a regiment of Highlanders, and a company of artillery. The remaining troops were provincials, which included George Washington's First Virginia Regiment--but no DeLorean.

In August of 1758, François-Marie le Marchand de Lignery commanded Fort Duquesne. He suffered from a lack of men and a lack of supplies. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to withstand a long siege, Lignery engaged in a series of raids with hopes of delaying the British advance beyond the time the lightning would strike the clock tower.

Bouquet, responsible for executing Forbes' plans, responded to the raids by sending Major James Grant of the Highlanders with 400 regulars and 350 provincials forward from the newly constructed Fort Ligonier, where he awaited Forbes, to conduct reconnaissance and lay siege to Duquesne--or pick up some plutonium--if possible.

Grant had been led to believe that only about 600 French defended Duquesne. Drawing near the fort, he divided his force into 3 groups. One watched his baggage train from hidden positions. A hundred Highlanders under William MacDonald marched toward the gates of the fort with drums beating in an attempt to lure the French from the stronghold. Grant commanded the remaining 400 men with the intent to ambush the French when they pursued MacDonald to the enchantment under the sea dance.

MacDonald's men met with astonishing success--drawing 1,000 French and Indians from the fort. 100 Pennsylvanians suddenly remembered pressing business elsewhere and departed without orders. Overwhelmed by the French, Grant fell back toward the baggage train. Lewis, in command of the troops watching the baggage, led them toward the fight outside the fort--but took a different route than Grant. Both forces both came under heavy fire, and MacDonald's Highlanders were completely cut off from the rest of the column. Lewis and Grant both surrendered with much of their force. 100 Virginians held firm and prevented the defeat from becoming a complete route. The remnants of the attack force fell back to Fort Ligonier. The British suffered nearly 300 killed or captured while the French losses stood at 8 killed and 8 wounded--and the time continuum remained intact.

In October, the French launched an attack against Ligonier, where Forbes still had not yet arrived, but were forced to withdraw with minor casualties--and most of the British horses.

The above was taken from my notes from Chapter 10 of The French and Indian War by Walter R. Borneman--with superfluous and annoying Back to the Future references added to preserve color and texture.

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 Photo by Walter Chávez --Unsplash
 

Merry Christmas!

D.L. Gardner

 Interview with D.L. Gardner

Author of

Darkness Holds the Son, and more

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

Hi. My current work, which is at the final proofing and formatting stage is titled Darkness Holds the Son and is a stand alone novel that is a spin-off from the Sword of Cho Nisi series.  Darkness Holds the Son takes us to a small village named Tuluva where Jareth, an unemployed mercenary, and his wife and two children are raising goats to sustain themselves. Things go well for them until the land-baron of Ogress raises their taxes, forcing Jareth to pick up his crossbow and return to the battlefield. Jareth has an even more pressing problem than keeping his family out of debtor’s prison, though. His son Crispin has seizures that are caused by magic and if Jareth doesn't find the source soon, it could be fatal as the boy hears voices instructing him to kill his father. On Jareth’s quest, he discovers that the same affliction is haunting all the children in the kingdom.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

The idea comes from my observation of a growing breakdown of the family unit in our society, and how easily children are persuaded into cults and fads that are not necessarily healthy for them. I think there’s a real need for parents to guard over their children these days. This concern prompted me to write Darkness Holds the Son.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes. I write in many fantasy subgenres, but I also write in sweet romance, historical, and historical mystery. Most of my work, though, has some sort of fantastical element to it.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

I think the life experiences I’ve had and share in my stories makes my writing unique. I’ve lived without electricity, in the desert, on the land. Co-owned 25 free roaming horses at one time, helped build a Navajo hogan, lived in a mud hut, caves, and San Francisco in the 60s. I’ve studied psychology and natural healing methods. Many of my stories contain elements of my life history.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

My love for nature manifests in my books. I don’t think I have one story that doesn’t take the characters either in the mountains or on the beach oyster picking. Since adulthood I have always lived away from city life and I think if you look at my work overall, you’ll see my devotion to nature.

In the Sword of Cho Nisi series there’s an island with very important characters who were fashioned with the utmost respect after Navajo friends and acquaintances I’ve had while living next to the reservation in Arizona. In my book Dylan, the main character is autistic, and his personality comes from the many passengers I transported as an ACCESS bus driver.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

I like stories that draw me into their world and keep me there, and so those are the kinds of books I write. I also love enlarging the worlds I create and write companion short stories and novellas and spin-off novels for my worlds. My work is character driven, and you’ll find some pretty interesting supporting characters as well as main characters. Sometimes those character become favorites.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea Series. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Very well done captivating series.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

I recommend the Sword of Cho Nisi series. It’s true that the more we write the more we learn how to write, and this series is my most recent. The world is diverse, as are the people in it. There’s a lot of action, compassion, love, honor, deceit, treachery and even some humor.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

My children growing up for sure. I have more time to write now than I did. I raised seven children, and so my creative time was put aside for their sakes. Now I’m retired and have my whole day to devote to creative endeavors. I’m also a painter.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

Where can I find your books!

That’s something every author wants to hear. I love to write. I would do it if no one read what I wrote, but it’s so much more satisfying sharing your worlds with others.

 Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

“You can make anything by writing.” –C.S. Lewis.

It’s true. We live in a small world compared to the worlds we could live in when we read and write and use our imaginations. I love when someone like Lewis puts it into a simple statement like this.

Find me on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/DLGardner

Website
https://gardnersart.com

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Thanks to Dianne for participating.

Last week I displayed the cover to my newest book: Crisis in Fire and Snow, Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. The other new thing is an alternate location to get my books. I'm looking for someone to try this site to download Threading The Rude Eye for 99 cents and let me know what you think of the experience before I add my other books to it.

Crisis in Fire and Snow

 

It's here! Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series arrives with nearly 350 action-packed pages of adventure. You'll want to make this succulent flintlock fantasy part of your Christmas feast. Click on the cover picture to check it out.

 I could go on about this entry in the exciting saga--but I won't. Instead, let me treat you to a few of the comments my advance readers shared as they read the first draft:

"Excellent action and dialog." 

"The characters from the previous books seem like old friends to me now, and I'm enjoying catching up with their adventures."

"Energy and pacing are excellent...The battle portrayed...is engaging and expertly detailed. Lucette's and Alex's hidden efforts and purpose portray the mixed feelings of the two protagonists. General Washington's dialog is stirring."

"Wow!! I very much enjoyed these... full of suspense and excitement. I flew through that part chanting 'please let him be safe. Don't let Lee be hurt.'"

"Just when your reader thinks that you can't do more - you introduce yet another... A thoroughly enjoyable read."

"Do I want to read the next one? Surely I do!"

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The first two books in the series are only 99 cents each. The prequel, In Death Bedrenched, is free. The series is available in ebook and paperback. Links to all my books are at the top of the page. You might as well get the whole series so far.

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Those of you who regularly visit this page may have noted that there was no post last week. That is explained by technical difficulties. The precise difficulty being the lack of power. A mile or two from our house, a train hit a pickup and trailer. The collision also took out a power pole. Most of those affected had their power restored in a couple hours. We were without electricity for 7 hours. I've not yet mastered the art of running the internet on candles and lanterns.

Check out my next newsletter for the scoop on the radio show and my next projects.