The Left Behinds and the iPhone That Saved George Washington (27 page)

FOUNDING DOCUMENTS

The
Washington Crossing Historic Park
hosts an annual memorial re-creation of Washington Crossing the Delaware River. A dress rehearsal of the Crossing occurs in early December, and the “official” Crossing occurs each Christmas Day at approximately 1:00 pm. Located at 1112 River Road in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit
ushistory.​org/​washingtoncrossing
.

Living history programs about the Revolutionary War are ongoing at the
Old Barracks Museum
, located at 101 Barrack Street, in Trenton, New Jersey. For more information, visit
barracks.​org
.

There is a reenactment of the
Battle of Monmouth
each June in Tennent, New Jersey. Sponsored by the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield, Inc. For more information, visit
friendsofmonmouth.​org/​index.​html
.

Reenactment and living history events take place annually at
Fort Ticonderoga
in New York. Reenactments have included the 1775 Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, American Soldiers Retreat by Bateaux to Ticonderoga, and the 1777 Capture of Fort Ticonderoga. For more information, visit
fortticonderoga.​org
.

A reenactment of the
Battle of Great Bridge
is held annually on the first Saturday in December at the Great Bridge in Chesapeake, Virginia. For more information, visit
virginia.​org/​Listings/​Events/​BattleofGreatBridge
.

A
Revolutionary War Reenactment Festival
takes place each fall at Mount Harmon in Earleville, Maryland. For more information, visit
mountharmon.​org/​events.​html
.

The
Brigade of the American Revolution
is a nonprofit organization that reenacts the life and time period of soldiers of the Revolutionary War. For more information and a list of events, visit
brigade.​org
.

The
Continental Line, Inc
. is a nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania that reenacts events from the Revolutionary War. For more information and a list of events, visit
continentalline.​org
.

The
Northwest Territory Alliance
(NWTA) is a Midwest-based nonprofit reenactment organization. For more information and a list of events, visit
nwta.​com
.

Thank you to Brian DeFiore, the best agent in town, and to Phoebe Yeh, the best editor in town. I was on the outside looking in for a long time—a
very
long time—until the stars aligned and I got a double dose of tremendous good luck. I simply can’t imagine this book without the combined efforts of Brian and Phoebe.

At Crown Books for Young Readers, thanks to Rachel Weinick for her kind assistance, to the copyediting team of Nancy Elgin and Alison Kolani, who didn’t let me get away with anything, and to Ken Crossland and C. F. Payne for the cover design and art.

Thanks to my sons, Thomas and Charlie, for accompanying me on our excursions and for listening to long-winded history lessons at the dinner table. Thanks to my mother, Ginny Potter, whose efforts on her daily newspaper column (called “The Potter’s Wheel”) provided the genesis for my earliest literary aspirations. Thanks to my brother, Bruce Potter, who helped when it was needed the most, and for whom no idea is too outlandish. Thanks also to my late aunt Elizabeth Potter and my cousin Susan McVicar for critical support along the way. To Chuck Amsterdam for the laughs every Monday at lunch, and to Alan Shoemake, friend and photographer, for doing the best with what he had.

Thanks most especially to my wife, Cindy, who has been with me on this journey from the start. I don’t think she ever doubted the outcome, even when I did.