The Wordicle’s Author’s Leak presents
Jean M. Roberts and her book “Blood In The Valley.”
The revolutionary war in America was good for some and bad for others. See what the author has to say about her incredible book, Blood In The Valley.
From the author, Jean M. Roberts:
“On a warm July day, I stood on a bluff overlooking the village of Cherry Valley in Upstate New York. The land was lush with green summer grass and crops ripening in farmer’s fields. A turkey and her two chicks crossed in front of me, much to my surprise.
From my vantage point I made out the spire on the simple country church, nestled among building on the main road. Next to it was a cemetery where my ancestors are buried. Behind me, where once stood a small wooden house built of split logs was a modern house. If the current owners witnessed my trespass on their land, they didn’t comment. The land once belonged to my family who settled there in 1760.
Its hard to explain what it meant to me, standing in their footsteps, seeing what they saw so long ago. Cherry Valley is a quaint, quiet place now and was too when it was first settled. The American Revolution changed everything.
The Mohawk Valley witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Each spring, raiders swept down from Canada, attacking farms, and far-flung settlements. No one was safe. Men and boys were killed and scalped, women and young children taken as captives to Montreal or Native American Villages.
On a cold November morning, a band of Loyalist soldiers and their Iroquois allies attacked the slumbering residents of Cherry Valley. As I stood on that bluff, I tried to imagine the fear and horror of that moment. Houses torched, women and children slaughtered in their homes. Catherine Clyde and her children, who lived here on the bluff heard the sound of cannon fire and escaped into the woods where they spent a freezing night. The next morning, they made their way to the fort only to find most of their friends and neighbors dead.
This chilling tale was the impetus for my book, Blood in the Valley. When most people think of the War for Independence, they picture lines of Red Coats faced off against the Continental soldiers of the United Colonies. But this was not always the case. Often times it was civilians, like my family, who took the brunt of the war. Their farms burned, livestock stolen, their towns and villages decimated by enemy combatants. My purpose in writing, Blood in the Valley, was to tell their story and that of my ancestors.
When most people think of the War for Independence, they picture lines of Red Coats faced off against the Continental soldiers of the United Colonies. But this was not always the case.
Thank you, The Wordicle, for letting me share my story.”
Thank you so much for that touching Author’s Leak and reminder of your ancestors’ and America’s troubling times. Please support her by reading her masterfully brilliant book; Amazon links below!
Blood In The Valley on Paperback and Kindle below.
“No one was safe. Men and boys were killed and scalped, women and young children taken as captives….As I stood on that bluff, I tried to imagine the fear and horror of that moment….This chilling tale was the impetus for my book…”
Jean M. Roberts
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