New Page #33!
Pop quiz, Bea! Think fast.
As always, VOTE to preview the next page!
Margaret Gage is a subject of fascination amongst history buffs, particularly for this incident: Was she, or was she not a double agent?– acting as both the Royal Governor’s wife and Dr. Warren’s spy?
Allegedly General Gage told no one about his plans to take the powder from Concord except his beautiful, beloved bride, the American-born, Margaret Kemble Gage. And yet, somehow Dr. Warren found out and was able orchestrate the midnight rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes as they rode through the countryside alarming the local militias of the British Army’s forthcoming march. If Mrs. Gage, the only one to know about the plot, did not leak the information, who did? More scurrilously, as the legend goes, after Lexington and Concord, General Gage sent his wife and children off to England, and she was estranged from her husband forevermore.
Portrait of Margaret Gage, secret double agent? by John Singleton Copley
It’s the type of story we writers love- romance, betrayal, intrigue!- and many have jumped on it. As with the story of the Murray Women, I’ve tried to blend beloved historical legend with more researched doubts in The Dreamer. As always, be entertained here… but also be inspired to go do your own homework. Split the fact from the fiction and have fun with your own investigations!
(Being an historian is a bit like being Indiana Jones. Without the nazis shooting at you, of course…)
This all makes for a wildly entertaining story, but let’s look at the circumstances a bit. Boston was hardly a great place to raise a family at this point in history, much less so if you’re the despised despot known as the Royal Governor– and now the even more loathed variety– a military Governor. Boston had been cut off from commerce for over a year as punishment for the Destruction of the Tea. (You know, the “Boston Tea Party”?) It was a merchant sea town, and no imports and no exports crippled the already downed economy. Tensions were high, which we’ve been talking about. Food and money were low, and now, after this incident, war had finally started.
After the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Americans besieged Boston. With the British Army bottled up in the city, disease broke out and living conditions grew even more unbearable. Fast forward two months and you have Bunker Hill, where the British army suffered 1,000 casualties in a single afternoon.
Possibly, just possibly, Mrs. Gage’s “exile” to London was instead an act of mercy on behalf of her husband. I don’t have children myself, but I imagine if I did, I wouldn’t want them living in such a hostile, war-torn environment.
If you don’t already read J.L. Bell’s blog Boston 1775, you need to. He is skeptical of beloved legend of Mrs. Gage as Double Agent, and you should read his two great articles about Margaret Gage and whether or not she was estranged from General Gage after this incident.
Interestingly enough, Dr. Warren did have a network of spies he relied on for intelligence. While researching his biography, Dr. Sam Forman discovered several veiled references to such people hidden in Warren’s medical logs.
But was Mrs. Gage among them? What do you think?
To learn more, read these books. Buy them via these links and percentage of your purchase will support The Dreamer!
I LOVE the way you tied M. Gage into this. And fit Bea in so well. So perfect and sweet.
And I love the VI. Young-er Alan is so awesomely cute. Still innocent to a level but still Alan. Cute. cute. cute.
Agreed! I love the idea of Margaret and Bea having tea and discussing covert operations.
I, too, love this! Also Margaret is my “Historical Lady of the Day” today (I’ve been trying to do one for the month of March, but I keep forgetting…)
Dun dun DUUUNNNNN!!!!! I love that last panel so much! And the art just makes it look like I can touch them…awesome, and torturous at the same time…!
Off topic, I’ve put in for April 7th off for the meetup!!!!!!! *fingers crossed*
You’d better come!!
Haha! I’m trying!!! I may end up hitching a ride with a couple of CAP boys but I’m trying!!!
Well you have to be there because I owe you a Nathan Plushy don’t I?
hehehe! Yess…..and I owe you a drawing too! =D
I figured Margaret Gage would fit in well. :)
(guys i am so sorry i called her a teacher…..now she’s gonna start giving us homework…. )
Oh, Alan….you’re so adorably stupid. Why do you think she mixed herself up in this?
I think panel 7 might be my favorite panel of Bea ever. It’s just so…. SO, y’know?
Anyway, I like that bit about a liaison between Maggage and Joseph, although i doubt it, given the era and timing. As for the telling….I don’t know, but given my ten minutes of research I’m so far inclined to think it was more oneof the ubiquitous servants who heard him.
And do we have an official date for the meet, cause I need to get the day off like real soon.
INCENTIVE CAPTION!!!
Alan: “No, Bella….I will only have sex with you when we’re married.”
Beatrice: “Well, that’s perfect, but who’s Bella?”
Alan: “I think it’s from a fanfic Caera and Half Moon are writing, just go with it.”
Beatrice: “….okay.”
I personally like the idea of the wife of a top military commander providing top-secret information to the other side, but that would probably be too much to hope for. Well, anyway, I agree with you about panel 7. That look on Bea’s face as she says that line is just so CUTE and fetching! Totally Bea-ish!
Your “ten minutes of research,” lol. That… Brent, 10 minutes of internet research doesn’t even begin to count. Have I taught you guys nothing???!
p.s. Anime Boston is 6-8th. I sent an email to the Artist Alley director to see what time the official “Dreamer Meet Up” panel is but chances are they don’t know this early.
OK, I got an answer! Our panel is at 5:30 on Saturday. That’s always subject to change, as these things are at conventions. But that’s our slot and hopefully it won’t change.
Awww! Sad Bea is sad! Poor thing.
I love how there’s still a bit of give-and-take in this – it’s clear that Bea and Alan trust each other to an extent (enough for Bea to tell Alan about this), but not enough to really believe the other person’s being honest or doesn’t have some sort of ulterior motive. They’ve been sidestepping each other through this whole conversation.
I don’t think they’re used to being this vulnerable. I mean, he’s standing in his pajamas and she’s just committed treason. Their relationship has officially gone to the next level, lol!
Hee!
Like Indiana Jones…but with less nazis AND less snakes. :) You forgot that part. :P
Lovely page. I’m in the same boat with the people loving the 7th panel. :)
Hmm. True. I’ve never run into a snake in my research. *knock on wood*
Maybe we can count the snake on the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag.
*high-five* good call! There’s also Ben Franklin’s “Join or Die” illustration that is a snake.
Awesome page!! And there is something I need to tell Alan that he looks just adorable in a nightgown *giggles stupidly*
ha ha, I wonder if Bea agrees.
Great Twist in the Story Lora, I’m eager to see their love develop in his memories and equally eager to see how Alan is doing. Also as a side note, as you are a few layers deep in dreamland, I love how you’ve convinced us that Bea has the ability to see other characters’ dreams through her own dreams … or is she dreaming…?
Lovely page as usual Lora. *1,775 thumbs up* :)
Welllll… I will be leaving the 21st century soon myself; just like Bea. I will be traveling to Guilford Courthouse for a Revolutionary War reenactment for the weekend. I should be leaving within two hours. (!) I am soo execited! :D
Oooh! Have fun.
Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double.
Also, dude…she just cleaned up your place. WTF?
LOL. She was helping him pack!
The VI is soooo cute I can hardly stand it. *squeee*
Just KISS her already!
^_^
I wouldn’t be surprised if an irate, blunderbuss-toting Mr. Whaley suddenly burst through the doorway at that particular moment!
I somehow have the sense that the first kiss after Alan rescued her was the first kiss ever. I mean, forward thinking or not, it was still pretty bad form to kiss anyone not your wife/fiancee, especially when one of you isn’t wearing pants.
I would expect there to be some sort of really tense almost-kiss moment, and then something or someone interrupts them. That would lead nicely into the intensity and desperation behind the kiss in Bea’s first 1776 dream.
Oh, John & Abigail talk about much kissing before they were engaged. This was the Colonial era, not to be mistaken with the much more uptight “chaperones only” Victorian era. One in four brides went to the alter pregnant at this time.
Can I say that on this blog…? ha! Well, there you have it.
In any event, yes, I can’t imagine her parents would be thrilled!
Somehow I think BOTH sets of parents would be disapproving of Bea and Alan being together right now, although obviously not for all the same reasons!
First Joseph’s feet, now Alan’s knees! Are you trying to kill me, Lora?
They’re a little big knobby aren’t they?
Probably not as knobby as, say, Hamilton’s would be. (I’m sure they got that way from all the years of crawling around on Joseph’s floors.)
I love seeing Bea younger! It really fleshes out the line in Alan’s letter, “…a man named Alan Warren who loved you desperately when you were a child.” Even though she’s still Bea, she’s so /young/!
It kind of makes you wonder what would’ve happened if Bea’s “ability” had started about the time when the 18th century version first “met” Alan. When she would’ve been old enough to figure out what’s happening but too young to realize she should keep it to herself. We all know how chatty little kids can be. Both sets of parents would’ve most likely chalked it up to her having a very vivid imagination at first, but over time they’d have decided she might need “help”. The 21st century Whaley’s would’ve probably taken little Bea to a child psychiatrist. I hate to think what could’ve happened in the 18th century, though! Probably something involving leeches!
Or much, much worse. Reform for caring for the mentally ill happened in the 1800′s.
My point exactly! The thought of little Bea going through that hell gives me the creeps! As for my comment about leeches, didn’t people used to think you could actually “bleed” the madness out with such methods? Or would they have stopped doing it by the 18th century? Even so, I can sort of understand why people of that time would think Bea was crazy. Just imagine a child of seven or eight trying to describe the modern world to them. They might just be able to comprehend airplanes, cars, submarines, and even space travel, but once Bea started mentioning stuff like “Smurfs”, “Ninja Turtles”, and “Sailor Moon”, well, what would YOU think?