CORRECTIONS TO PREVIOUS BOOKS

Try as we might, we can never quite get it right. All works are in progress. The end of any book project is always somewhat arbitrary, determined at least in part by the author’s patience. Once the book is exposed to public scrutiny, mistakes are observed — here are some from Ray’s Revolution books. If you see more, please let him know so he can post them on this site and correct in future printings.

Founders:
* Thomas Young did not inject Ethan Allen with a smallpox vaccine; that was not done till the late 1790s. Instead, he inoculated Allen with a small dose of the actual smallpox (variola) virus to induce a mild case of the disease. (25)
* The gallery in the Massachusetts State House assembly chamber was not “upstairs,” an entirely separate story, but rather a raised platform. (57)
* The first Massachusetts Bay Charter was in 1629, not 1621. (Page 152)
* Charlestown, Massachusetts, is misspelled “Charleston” on pages 176, 178, and 201. The genesis of this mistake is interesting. Charleston, South Carolina, is mentioned frequently in the book, since it was home to one my lead characters, Henry Laurens. Before the Revolution, Charleston was called “Charles Town” or “Charlestown,” and to establish historical authenticity, I went with contemporary usage in the early going. After that, in my draft, I found myself switching back and forth between contemporary and modern spelling. For clarity, I finally settled on the modern spelling for subsequent usages. To make sure I didn't miss any, I clicked “change all” on my computer — “Charlestown” to “Charleston” — and the Massachusetts town was swept up in the net! Then, because “Charleston, Massachusetts” never appeared in the index, the mistake remained undetected.
* Paul Revere landed of course on the Charlestown shore, not the Cambridge shore as misstated on page 179. (It was the Regulars who landed on the Cambridge shore.) This is a serious error, for it masks the critical role Charlestown’s patriots played in the alarm.
* Clarification: Dunmore’s Proclamation was written on November 7, 1775, but published a week later. For historical purposes, the date of its publication is more significant. (219, 220, 223)
* In chapter 12 (296): “Like Pennsylvania, each of the other states needed to develop a new constitution.” Although this is correct in spirit, it is technically incorrect. All states did have to decide how they would govern themselves in the future, but Connecticut and Rhode Island, which were charter colonies rather than royal colonies, chose to stick with their old forms, which had included basic structures for self-rule.
* Hamilton wrote his remarkable September 3, 1780, letter from Liberty Pole, New Jersey, as stated on page 361, not Liberty Tree, as appears on 360.

Founding Myths:
* In chapter 3 (61): “Samuel Adams was not a member of the Sons of Liberty …” This is misleading and perhaps inaccurate. There are two meanings to “Sons of Liberty” in Boston. The label can refer to the group meeting in John Marston’s tavern in the late 1760s (and possibly earlier or later as well), or in a generic sense to all of Boston’s most active patriots. Generally, in common usage, the later sense is intended. We do not have any membership list for the Marston’s tavern group, although we do know from extent letters written by active participants that they had “members” and “committees.” Samuel Adams is not among the handful of known members, but that in no way establishes that he was not active in that group. Since at least 45 people were, it seems likely that he was among them. See Founders (59) and the correspondence between the “Sons of Liberty from the Town of Boston” to John Wilkes, Massachusetts Historical Society, Proceedings, 47:190-211.
* In the fall of 1774, John and Samuel Adams were delegates to the First Continental Congress, not the Second Continental Congress (139).
* Patriots dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor, not 742 chests (69).
* “Jefferson’s image has suffered of late because he fathered children with his slave, Sally Hemings.” (108) This sentence, as it stands, is misleading. We do not actually know that Thomas Jefferson was the father of Hemings’s children. DNA evidence is consistent with that hypothesis, but it does not prove conclusively that Thomas was the Jefferson whose DNA seems to have emerged centuries later in the Hemings’ line. Likewise, oral testimony coming through Hemings’s descendents, although suggestive, can in no way be deemed conclusive. My point is that Jefferson’s image has suffered since many people now believe in the Jefferson-Hemings connection. I am discussing here perceptions, not facts.
* On page 120, Virginia slave holders included Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and James Madison - not James Wilson.

First American Revolution:
According to Revolutionary historian John Bell, John Howe’s spy report (195-196) is dubious. It did not appear until 1827, and it may have been conjured to please an American audience. Much of this material, however, duplicates the report by Captain Brown and Ensign D’Bernicre, which is definitely authentic. (See footnote 66, 251-252.)

People’s History of the American Revolution:
* In the hardback edition, most slaves with only one name were not listed in the index. This has been corrected in the paperback edition.
* The hardback edition (p. 9) stated there were as many religious pacifists as there were soldiers in the Continental Army. This is incorrect, although there were about 80,000 people who belonged to pacifistic religious sects.
* The myth that “Sam” Adams (should be “Samuel”) issued the “signal” for the Boston Tea Party is implied, although not explicitly stated (cloth, 18; paper, 22).See Founding Myths, chapter 3.
* The number of slaves who fled to the British from Washington and Jefferson needs to be revised (cloth, 262; paper, 331). See Founding Myths 185 and 319-320.
* Some of the sources for the numerous stories of common people could bear closer scrutiny. Tales appearing in 19th century local histories should be properly deconstructed.

Two Peoples, One Place.
On page 67, the pictures of L. K. Wood and Josiah Gregg should be reversed. The left image is of Gregg, the right of Wood.

More Tree Talk:
The takeover of the Pacific Lumber Company by MAXXAM was in 1985, not 1986 (171).