"How much of this book is true?" Summary

The authors try to stick to history as much as possible in writing this story. The setting and many of the characters and events are true. There really was a Meeker family in Redding, although theirs is not the story in this book. The encampment in Redding; the actions of General Putnam, Colonel Read and Tom Warrups; and the mysterious behavior of William Heron were all real events. The lives and deaths of many of the characters, including Jerry Sanford and Ned, were written here as they were recorded.

The Meeker family and other characters are fictitious, but the authors try to make them as real as possible. They use modern language to make the story easier to read and because it is difficult to know exactly how people...