Posts Tagged ‘Washington’

OK – I fall on my sword!  Was that me who wrote that Gettysburg never got snow like I grew up with in New York?

Robbie - The Snow Dog. At two feet he wasn't so happy to frolic ... it was over his inquisitive little head.

The Weather Gods proved me wrong – go figure. At my house we had over twenty inches the first go-round, and expect 8-10 more.  My plow guy didn’t get to us on his huge and demanding list until Sunday night, so I’ve been snowed in … imagine that.  You’d think that would give me lots of time to blog and Facebook, but it didn’t.

I chose to use the time to tackle a long-overdue a project.  I prepared a talk (PowerPoint) for Civil War Round Tables, and anyone else who will listen, on Lincoln’s personal security – or lack thereof. I became obsessed, and when that happens and I’m creating, I go into a bubble of intense focus until I’m satisfied with what I’m writing, photographing, or otherwise creating.

Work all night, sleep until noon, then back at it again … until it’s finished.  I made it, but it took a few days until I was pleased with the end result.  It timed beautifully with the snow.

When I research, or I should say, re-research an area of history, it is always fun, because each tid bit is like a new revelation.  Even if I knew it already somewhere in the historical archives in my mind – that quiet place I call my “history cave” – it’s still like picking up a bright new penny.  During this project, it was a piece of history that to me smacks of the stuff modern thrillers are made of … a real “24″ chair-grabber in the 1860s.

Abraham Lincoln

It has been called “The Baltimore Plot,” but should have been called “The Red Ballot.”  It is the story behind the assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln in February 1861, on his journey through Baltimore to his first inauguration in Washington.  This story has spies doing exceptional and dangerous undercover work, calamitous political intrigue, heros who save the day – indeed perhaps the country – in the nick of time, a romantic angle, and the strong ring of truth that resonates into our own time.

Are you intrigued yet ?  Well you’ll have to wait.  At least until tomorrow.  Then I’ll spin the “Tale of the Red Ballot.”

I can’t speak for others who write historical fiction, but I have developed a philosophy in plot and characters.  I personally do not want to distort history, even in a novel.  As a historian, I believe that to be a disservice to history and to the reader.

Flying under the radar means to me that you try diligently not to change any major part of history by remaining below the flow of recorded events and characters.  This is especially difficult when some of your characters are real historical figures, and you are giving them life and dialogue.  It is, however, possible if you remain steadfast to that historic flow.

I try to create a group of fictional characters who carry the story as heros, villlians, or participants in the action, then I weave them in with real people of the time.  The story takes place at a level beneath the actual historical line, the radar if you will.  Ian Carlyle, for instance, isn’t a general or a major politician.  He’s a company commander or staff officer (First book in Ian Carlyle Series, Follow Me to Glory), a British observer on McClellan’s staff, or a military liaison officer at the British legation (Second book in the series, The Gettysburg Conspiracy)  - all minor positions in the big historical picture.

Latest Release by Will Hutchison

The Gettysburg Conspiracy is a perfect example of my point.  It is a story about a fictitious assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln.  We know there were such threats and attempts.  The story is thus plausible.  We know he had terrible security in Washington and when he traveled.  We know he went to Gettysburg for the address.  We know his bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon, was concerned for his safety in Gettysburg.  Thus, the story is even more plausible.

Could it have happened?  We know it fails, but how does it fail?  How does the hero foil the plot?  Who are the bad guys?  What will happen to them?

Someone much better at this than me once said something like -”fiction is drama, and drama is conflict.”  Even if you know the end, you can create drama within the tale.  After all, in most crime dramas, the bad guy inevitably gets caught.  We all know that.  The questions are who is he, how does he get caught, who catches him, and am I, the reader, invested in the characters – both good guys and bad guys.  In historical fiction you can add more questions:  Is the story historically believable?  Could it have happened?  Is the background and setting authentic and plausible?  Is the dialogue real for the historic period?

Some time as Lincoln rode back to DC from Gettysburg by train, Ward Hill Lamon might have quietly whispered to him, “Say, Abe, there was an attempt to assassinate you back there in Gettysburg.  Not to worry, we took care of it.”  Lincoln might nod his head and resume looking out the train window as it rolled east toward Washington.  Thus, below the radar of history … a minor footnote at best, yet a good story when you’re hip deep in the middle of it.

Map of Site of Gettysburg Address as drawn by the conspirators - Map by Curt Musselman

Ian Carlyle, surrounded by scenes from The Gettysburg Conspiracy - Sketch by Peter Culos