Interview with Jeffrey Keenan, author of Benning's War - Page 2

What was the idea that inspired you to write a book?

A chapter in Rise And Fight Again - about the American Revolution
- described the Massacre at the Waxhaws. It was sad and interesting, and I tried
to find more information about it. It occurred to me that a magazine might like
an article about the event. But the article never felt right, the short story
was too weak, and the next thing I knew I was writing a novel.

Benning's War is about Isaac Benning, a young man who went to war
to find 'glory' and found bloodshed and misery instead. The story begins with
his experience at the Battle of the Waxhaws, and follows his adventures afterward.
It's an adventure tale, a romance, a story of growth.

Do you wish you led the life of one of your characters?

No! The 1780's were a very hard time in which to live. But I do wish I had
the strengths of my main characters.

Life for a soldier in the eighteenth century was hard. Extremely hard. Men
rarely had enough to eat, and often went days without food. They would forage
the areas around them for anything edible, and often were marching through places
already stripped of food and game. Supplying the troops was difficult and beset
with problems - transport was hard to come by, money was in short supply, and
suppliers were corrupt. To find a cornfield was like reaching heaven. Soldiers
would eagerly eat green corn, drink molasses, and eat unripe apples.

Tents were sometimes available to troops, but sleeping in the open was probably
the norm for militias. They would wrap themselves in a blanket for warmth and
sleep with their muskets in their arms.

Clothing was truly 'rag-tag' and led to mocking comments from the British and
Loyalists. Even the French were appalled at the aspect of an army without proper
uniforms, but the sight of these lean, tall, hard American men impressed the
French a good deal.

These men had no shoes, or wrapped their feet in rags. And they still went
forward to fight for their freedom. It amazes me. I could not do it. To give
an idea of the conditions of these fighting men, let me paraphrase the words
of an observer following the battle of Trenton. "You could have followed
the Americans by the bloody footprints they left in the snow."

Article Author: Parker Owens

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