Around the Fire Book & Author Blog. With Randy Overbeck and the "Founding Mothers."

This year we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States independence. Otherwise called the Semiquincentennial. I was fascinated by recent NPR broadcasts about the Revolution, particularly in NYC and Brooklyn, where I was born. You hear a lot about the Boston Massacre, Valley Forge,  and Philadelphia, but there is so much more. We hear about the Founding Fathers and occasionally Betsy Ross. Today's guest has dug deeper and brings us what I'd like to call the Founding Mothers, so Randy, take it away, and thank you for educating and entertaining us.

WOMEN IN THE REVOLUTION
History is written by the victors…most of the time by men.
So it is hardly surprising that women are given little mention in the telling of the founding of our nation. If students are taught about any women famous for this time, they may have learned about Betsy Ross, who’s given credit for sewing the first flag for the new country. Or if they had a particularly insightful history teacher, they may have learned how Abigail Adams, devoted wife of John Adams, became the advisor and confidant of this revolutionary and second president. But that’s about it.
The truth is, we know very little about the role women played in the American Revolution, in part because men were recording the events. Of course, women were holding down the homestead, working the farm and raising the children, while their husbands were gone for months or even years fighting battles. But historians are confident women did more, much more. And scholars have been able to uncover details about a few. 
One of the most remarkable tales is of Deborah Sampson. Deborah enlisted late in the fight (1782) and did so as a man, Robert Shurtliff. She served in the Massachusetts 4th Regiment for about seventeen months. She cut her hair, bound her chest, and adopted male mannerisms so she could pass muster. She performed camp duties, guard duty, and marched with her unit, fighting in some frontier skirmishes. She was only discovered when she was wounded, a musket ball in her thigh. She received an honorable discharge and even a military pension—though that took her twenty years of petitioning. Quite a woman.
Another woman in the historical records was Margaret Corbin. Margaret, or Molly as she was called, performed a role that many a wife and girlfriend did. She accompanied her husband, John Corbin, an artilleryman, from camp to camp and battle to battle. She assisted her husband, carrying supplies, caring for the wounded, and even helping to load and fire a cannon. Her story is recorded because she was beside her husband in the battle at Ft. Washington, one of the most disastrous battles for the patriots. The colonial army  of about 3000 was attacked by 8000 British and Hessian troops. All colonials were killed, wounded, or captured. Margaret’s husband was killed in the action, and accounts tell of how she took her husband’s place at the cannon. In the end, she was captured and later released in a prisoner exchange. She, too, was awarded a military pension.
And then there is 355. 
We don’t know her name, only her number. 355 was a member of the Culper Ring, George Washington’s super spy ring. Her number comes up in recovered correspondence between agents in the ring, so we know some of the secrets she helped uncover, like the British scheme to flood the colonies with counterfeit Continental currency. Without a name or background details, historians have argued about her identity, positing several theories. Although they cannot agree on her social status or how she gained access to the secrets, they remained certain that her actions contributed to winning the war. That’s why I chose to give her flesh and blood as my title character, ABIGAIL TRENCH, in my new historical thriller, launched this month (6/9/26), published and distributed by Diversion Books and Simon & Schuster.
As a long-time educator, I spent much of my career working with women and have developed a true respect for the great work they do as teachers, making a difference in children’s lives, often with no one noticing. 
Much like my Abigail Trench of 1776. 
Women seldom get the credit they deserve. It was true in 1776 and is still true now, though not as much. My new novel, ABGAIL TRENCH, A NOVEL OF WASHINGTON’S SPY RING, is my homage to consequential women who change lives, sacrifice their own needs for others, and make life better, whether anyone ever notices or not. With the national celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this summer, now would be a great time to check out my story of 355. You can get all the details here. https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/books/abigail-trench

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Abigail Trench
by
Randy Overbeck

Historical Espionage Thriller
Releases
June 9, 2026


A Novel of Washington's Spy Ring 
A vivid, propulsive Revolutionary-era thriller with the spy-craft verve of the streaming hit TURN: Washington’s Spies and the electricity of 1776’s New York that Hamilton lovers will recognize, this story is inspired by the lone female operative in Washington’s spy ring.
In occupied New York, a schoolteacher with everything to lose turns information into a weapon, threading between Redcoats and rebels as plots against Washington gather steam.
After rogue Redcoats assault her and strip her family’s Long Island farm, Abigail Trench fights to survive in New York City—tutoring in a high-ranking British officer’s Water Street household by day, navigating taverns, informants, and soldiers by night. Through Abigail’s keen eyes—and a counter-narrative following a principled British major—the novel renders the moral gray zones of occupation with gritty intimacy. As rumors swirl of a strike at General Washington, Abigail’s vantage inside upper-crust parlors and rough waterfront rooms makes her an ideal courier—and a target.
This historical thriller delivers high tension, textured world-building, and a captivating heroine who put it all on the line for freedom.

Get your copy at one of these retailers
books2read.com/Abigail-Trent

​Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, bestselling author, popular podcaster and speaker in much demand. After serving children for almost four decades as teacher, college prof and school leader, he used those experiences and skills to craft captivating mysteries, thrillers and historical suspense. His novels have earned more than a dozen national awards including Thriller of the Year, Best Book Award, the Gold Award and Mystery of the Year and have garnered hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub. 
His newest novel, ABIGAIL TRENCH, is a historical suspense about the Revolutionary War, released June, 2026 by Diversion Books and distributed by Simon and Schuster. 
Dr. Overbeck is also the host of the popular podcast, Great Stories about Great Storytellers, which reveals the little known backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and ranks among the top 50% of all podcasts in the US. When he is not writing or podcasting, he is in much demand as a speaker, sharing informative and entertaining programs to more than 300 groups all over the country.

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