Books with author J. L. Bell

With a Clash Between American Rebels and Royal Authorities Heating Up, Radicals Smuggled Cannon Out of Boston—and the British Came Looking for Them In the early spring of 1775, on a farm in Concord, Massachusetts, British army spies located four brass cannon belonging to Boston’s colonial militia that had gone missing months before. British general Thomas Gage had been searching for them, both to stymie New England’s growing rebellion and to erase the embarrassment of having let cannon disappear from armories under redcoat guard. Anxious to regain those weapons, he drew up plans for his troops to march nineteen miles into unfriendly territory. The Massachusetts Patriots, meanwhile, prepared to thwart the general’s mission. There was one goal Gage and his enemies shared: for different reasons, they all wanted to keep the stolen cannon as secret as possible. Both sides succeeded well enough that the full story has never appeared until now.The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War by historian J. L. Bell reveals a new dimension to the start of America’s War for Independence by tracing the spark of its first battle back to little-known events beginning in September 1774. The author relates how radical Patriots secured those four cannon and smuggled them out of Boston, and how Gage sent out spies and search parties to track them down. Drawing on archives in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, the book creates a lively, original, and deeply documented picture of a society perched on the brink of war.

With a Clash Between American Rebels and Royal Authorities Heating Up, Radicals Smuggled Cannon Out of Boston—and the British Came Looking for ThemIn the early spring of 1775, on a farm in Concord, Massachusetts, British army spies located four brass cannon belonging to Boston’s colonial militia that had gone missing months before. British general Thomas Gage had been searching for them, both to stymie New England’s growing rebellion and to erase the embarrassment of having let cannon disappear from armories under redcoat guard. Anxious to regain those weapons, he drew up plans for his troops to march nineteen miles into unfriendly territory. The Massachusetts Patriots, meanwhile, prepared to thwart the general’s mission. There was one goal Gage and his enemies shared: for different reasons, they all wanted to keep the stolen cannon as secret as possible. Both sides succeeded well enough that the full story has never appeared until now.The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War by historian J. L. Bell reveals a new dimension to the start of America’s War for Independence by tracing the spark of its first battle back to little-known events beginning in September 1774. The author relates how radical Patriots secured those four cannon and smuggled them out of Boston, and how Gage sent out spies and search parties to track them down. Drawing on archives in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, the book creates a lively, original, and deeply documented picture of a society perched on the brink of war.

Elizabeth “Libby” Byers moved west to Colorado with her husband during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859. William Byers, was founder and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News, Colorado’s first newspaper. Elizabeth was notable as a civic leader in her own right and described herself as part of the “advance guard of civilization” in the boom town of Denver City. The Byers saw Denver grow from a boom-and-bust town into the thriving state capital of Colorado. She faced many challenges as she was burned out of one home and flooded out of another, but she also found humor in the hardship. “There is much that is pathetic in a pioneer’s life, and much that is awfully funny,” she wrote in her memoir. “We often laughed through tears.” Elizabeth Byers: Denver Pioneer is Number 19 in the Now You Know Bio series from Filter Press. J.v.L. Bell is also the author of two mysteries: The Lucky Hat Mine and Denver City Justice.

Elizabeth “Libby” Byers moved west to Colorado with her husband during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859. William Byers, was founder and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News, Colorado’s first newspaper. Elizabeth was notable as a civic leader in her own right and described herself as part of the “advance guard of civilization” in the boom town of Denver City. The Byers saw Denver grow from a boom-and-bust town into the thriving state capital of Colorado. She faced many challenges as she was burned out of one home and flooded out of another, but she also found humor in the hardship. “There is much that is pathetic in a pioneer’s life, and much that is awfully funny,” she wrote in her memoir. “We often laughed through tears.” Elizabeth Byers: Denver Pioneer is Number 19 in the Now You Know Bio series from Filter Press. J.v.L. Bell is also the author of two mysteries: The Lucky Hat Mine and Denver City Justice.