“I have more than once compared [Lin-Manuel Miranda] to Shakespeare, and I do it without blushing or apologizing. Lin, in Hamilton, is doing exactly what Shakespeare did in his history plays. He’s taking the voice of the common people, elevating it to poetry—in Shakespeare’s case iambic pentameter, in Lin’s case, rap, rhyme, hip-hop, R & B—and by elevating it to poetry, ennobling the people themselves. He is bringing out what is noble about the common tongue. And that is something that nobody has done as effectively as Lin since Shakespeare. Yeah, I said it.”
—Oskar Eustis, artistic director of New York’s Public Theater
LIKE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, I FEEL AS IF I KNOW Tony Award–winner Lin-Manuel Miranda because he is that open, that passionate about his work—the emotion of his lyrics so palpable. But I have not had the honor of meeting him. Still, I feel I must thank him for his brilliant integration of genres that has revolutionized theater for audiences and artists who follow him, and how his wondrously clever, quick-paced lyrics recount so much history in such a humanizing and compelling way. I hope—just as he says he was inspired after reading Ron Chernow’s bestselling biography of Alexander Hamilton to create a musical about an historical figure—that he will take as a compliment my being intrigued enough by Peggy Schuyler’s untold story, hinted at in his staggeringly beautiful Hamilton, to research and write this novel.
It turns out Peggy was a fascinating woman.
The next bow goes to my wondrous editor, Katherine Tegen, who recognized the thirst for more in lovers of Alexander Hamilton’s story, and then entrusted me to do it. She is stunningly astute in recognizing a good story; nurturing and creative in her thinking; and loyal to those she believes in. Her sensitive and adroit editing so strengthened this narrative.
I am particularly indebted to the generosity and enthusiasm of Ian Mumpton and Danielle Funiciello, Historical Interpreters with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation at the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site in the city of Albany. They graciously responded to my constant questions with their expertise and analysis of the Revolution, sharing first-person, primary documents they’ve unearthed and their clear empathy and understanding for the Schuyler family whose lives they curate—all of which so enriched this novel. They also were kind enough to read the finished manuscript for accuracy in general and the veracity of nuanced meanings I drew from bare-bones historical facts. If you’re interested in learning more about the Schuylers, the mansion hosts tours, an active Facebook page, and a fascinating blog: http://schuylermansion.blogspot.com/.
Many thanks as well to historian Joseph F. Stoltz III at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, housed on the Mount Vernon Estate, who kindly guided my study of Philip Schuyler’s spy network and counterintelligence efforts. He seemed as pleased as I was to find proof within Mount Vernon’s collections of Moses Harris’s activities! I am also grateful to librarian Sarah Myers who patiently helped me access the founding fathers’ letters and nineteenth-century magazine articles, which added such personal immediacy and rich anecdotes.
Retired Park Ranger Larry Arnold spent hours driving me around the Saratoga battlefield and introducing me to the welcoming staff of the Schuyler House in Saratoga. Morristown National Historical Park Education Specialist Tom Winslow responded to a long list of questions with carefully culled information about the brutal winter of 1779–80 and George Washington’s encampment.
In addition to her perceptive editing comments, assistant editor Mabel Hsu braved the enormous collection of Philip Schuyler papers at the New York Public Library to collect otherwise unavailable letters I needed. There she found evidence of Richard Varick’s devoted personality, which added an unexpected and sweet supporting character to Peggy’s life. Friend and actor Michaela Kahan read the manuscript with an eye for the platability of Peggy’s real-life personality and life arc I researched and presented, given the almost urban legend–level expectations generated by fans of the musical. The unsung heroes of publishing are the production editors and copy editors, especially for a narrative dictated by historical facts and enriched with letters and direct quotes. I am so grateful for production editor Emily Rader’s and copy editor Jessica White’s painstaking, meticulous, and insightful work.
Finally, as with all the most profound and rewarding aspects of my life, my children—professional creative artists themselves—were inspiration for and integrally involved in this project—researching and guiding the novel’s characterizations, plotline, and themes, and reassuring me that I was allowed to imagine plausible scenarios which rippled out from the reams of facts that we pulled in from our wide-cast nets into the sea of Revolutionary War documents.
It was my daughter, Megan—a poetic and ingenious theater director who always manages to diaphanously accentuate the most subtle of a playwright’s messages while pulling out emotive and smart performances from her actors—who first introduced me to Hamilton. Thanks to her, we wrangled tickets to see the original cast, and I watched dumbfounded and delighted, knowing I was witnessing the transformation of theater and its possibilities. Given the fast turnaround of this project, Megan read almost as much as I did, focusing on researching the roles and challenges facing female Patriots—helping me build as much of a feminist narrative as possible within the reality of eighteenth-century life. She also lent me her nuance of vision and interpretation.
My son, Peter, an exquisite screenwriter and playwright—whose fluid, character-driven scripts always present beautifully complex and compelling personas, revealed deftly and viscerally within riveting action—helped me stay focused on Peggy’s individual journey within the wide, engrossing (and therefore distracting!) universe of the Revolution. His suggestions honed my pacing and authenticity of dialogue and helped me crystallize characters. An avid lover of history himself, Peter read and fed me material on George Washington, helping me invigorate the legendary father figure with tangible and very human traits.
Peter’s fascination with the past and ability to present it in captivating ways to modern sensibilities was echoed at a White House appearance by Chris Jackson, the actor who so beautifully originated Miranda’s George Washington: “In my high school we didn’t have a theater program. History was my drama program. I saw each and every moment in history as the most dramatic moment ever—which it was to the people who were taking part in it. Look at it from the perspective of who’s the protagonist, who’s the antagonist, what’s at stake,” he advised a teen writer invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to speak with the cast. “You might find a world there to unlock.”
I am so grateful to all who gave me the key to Peggy’s heart and life.