About the Author

The wrap-around cover illustration from my book "Benedict Arnold in the Company of Heroes" is in my photo gallery. I commissioned this illustration from the Albany, New York based artist Dahl Taylor for my book. The composition of the illustration is based on extensive research. For example, note that the bayonets are attached to the racked muskets. This detail is from the wartime portrait of Colonel Walter Stewart by Charles Willson Peale. To explain, bayonets at the time were not mass produced and each bayonet was fitted to a specific gun. I also had Mr. Taylor include my two dogs in his painting. My terrier Jackson is standing next to Benedict Arnold and Jackson's younger sister Schuyler is posed next to Arnold's aides-de-camp. I was recently surprised by a bestselling history author and friend who said that he was envious of me. He explained that he has a long-standing publisher, editor and agent who insist that he write books on subjects which sell instead of writing on topics that are of interest to him. My friend is correct; I have no fellow academics to impress, requirement to publish to maintain a tenured teaching position or pressure to make money from my books. This freedom allows me to write about whatever subject appeals to me. The offbeat subjects of my books reflect my literary independence. An example is my book "Benedict Arnold's Army." It is a narrative of the 1775 Arnold Expedition. It was a little known campaign launched during the opening months of the American Revolution to capture the walled city of Quebec from the British. The exploit is one of the most daring military events in American history. The Lewis & Clark Expedition is a walk in a National Park in comparison. The Arnold Expedition interested me from childhood and I eventually made four trips to Maine and Quebec to follow Arnold's route. My treks also gave me the opportunity to meet local historians who guided me along the trail and lead me to valuable reference sources. I have a creditable formal education but never studied history except for a couple of college elective courses on the subject. When I became interested in writing a book about the 1776 American retreat across New Jersey, I returned to college to take writing courses. The result of my effort was my first book, "The Long Retreat, the Calamitous American Defense of New Jersey, 1776." It was published in 1998, and I continued to write on other Revolutionary War topics that interested me. They include "The American Turtle Submarine" about the world's first submarine. It was designed and built by David Bushnell and used in the American Revolution. My book about the sub was originally published with the title "David Bushnell's Submarine"; George Washington's Revolutionary War aides-de-camp ("George Washington's Indispensable Men") ; the 1775 Arnold Expedition ("Benedict Arnold's Army") ; the story of

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