Rob and I had the opportunity to visit Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata, PA. They had a special tour devoted to the happenings and history at the Cloister during the Revolutionary War. I learned Ephrata was one of the fifteen field hospitals established by General Washington for wounded and ill troops while he was encamped at Valley Forge.
My information was incorrect that soldiers were brought directly from the Battle of Brandywine to Ephrata in early September 1777. Records show that soldiers did not arrive until December 1777. Two hundred fifty to two hundred eighty Continental soldiers were taken to the Cloister. Many had wounds, and many more had communicable diseases. “Camp Fever” was a type of Typhus that was deadly, not only to the soldiers, but also to the people of the Cloister. The soldiers stayed until June of 1778. Of the few hundred soldiers, only fifty-six – fifty-eight died.
This changes the timeline in the Elen Chronicles book, but as I ponder it, it’s a very good thing. It gives more time and more interaction for Elen and the Continental Army.
I SO want to reveal some of the plot in Ephrata, but it would be a huge spoiler for the forthcoming book.
There’s more research forthcoming. It’s 57 days until James and I board the plane for Scotland as I write this. Right now, I’m only imagining where Elen will wander in the North-Eastern part of Scotland. I have glimmers of this part of the book’s plot, but am anxious to see how my imagination fits in with the reality in Scotland.
