The Caldwell Letter

It is June, of 1776, a young man in Burlington, NJ, thinks that by secretly carrying information across the Delaware River, from Burlington, to Bristol, and sharing it with the commander of the local militia posted there, that he is doing his part for the cause of liberty. Most of what he carries, is no more than rumor, and local gossip, but on the night of June 6th, he has something worthwhile. A Provincial Congress is to convene at Burlington.
A Congress not called at the behest of the Royal Governor, but a Congress convened by patriots in direct opposition to the call of the governor for a meeting of the Assembly. A Congress that will attempt to depose the Royal Governor William Franklin. A Royal Governor appointed by King George III.
What would be the King's response to such an action? Will he dispatch loyalist militia to rescue the Governor, and return him to power? Will regular troops be sent to arrest the delegates to the Congress? If he does either, will the patriotic militias on both sides of the river be called up?
While delivering this information, and discussing its importance, it is learned that a letter has been recovered, a letter that may well be of vital importance to the defense of New York City. A letter that it is felt must be delivered directly into the hands of General George Washington, who is in that city in anticipation of an attack there by British forces under the command of General William Howe. The responsibility for the delivery of this letter falls to this reluctant, uncertain young man.
He must get from Burlington to New York. Once there, he must get an audience with General Washington, who has no knowledge of the existence of the letter, or of the young man who carries it, and he must convince the General of the authenticity of the letter, and of the value of its contents. It will require him to take risks, to trust in others, and to begin to believe in himself. It will also require that he leave his home, and those he loves, especially a particular young lady.
However, before he goes, he must find a way to learn what is happening inside the Provincial Congress, and report that information to his contact across the river. How is he to gain access to their closed sessions? What will become of him if he is found out? Is he simply a courier, or is he now a spy?

The Caldwell Letter, is a work of historical fiction, which means that it is an imagined story set in a time and place of actual historical significance. There is no evidence that any such document like the Caldwell letter existed in 1776. However, many of the people, places, and events that appear in this story did exist.
The delegates to the Burlington Provincial Congress, and the congress itself, are historically accurate, and the text that is in italics describing their deliberations, are taken verbatim from the minutes of their sessions. There was a Grubbs Tavern on High Street in Burlington, and the proprietor was in fact a man named Joseph Ferguson, though there is no evidence that he had a son named Caleb. Caleb's sweetheart Kathleen Neale, is fictional, however, her father John Neale, was a well-respected businessman in Burlington, who owned a pottery.
Wiliam Hannon, was my great-great grandfather's name, but his actions are fictional, Michael Simmons, is the name of a very dear friend who lives in the present, and Ed "Red" Berry, is a creation of my imagination, as is their teamster business. However, the roads they travel, and the places they visit are historically accurate, as our many of the people they encounter.
General George Washington is of course a historical figure, as is his man/servant William Lee. The officers who are part of Washington's inner circle are historically accurate, as are many of the officers who command his troops. However, their actions and words are not, but are written to make for an interesting story.