The tale of these seven years as Elijah becomes a man, has as its backdrop the exciting American revolution; our fight for liberty and independence. The account shows the beginnings of the Secret Service and the Central Intelligence Agency. Tallmadge and Elijah become very much a part of the Culper spy ring set up by General Washington. A secret message would run full circle, if you will, from Oyster Bay to New York City by courier, by horseback out to Setauket, and by whaleboat across the Long Island Sound to Connecticut. The saga of Nathan Hale is told as seen through the eyes of those who knew him and it was the Culper spy ring that first uncovered the plot which exposed and brought disgrace to Benedict Arnold. The narrative tells of George Washingtons frustration as he keeps hope for freedom alive as he repeatedly evades contact with the British until his initial victories at Trenton and Princeton. This is the story of the most important American war as seen through the eyes of a young boy from Setauket as he grows to manhood. His fears, anxieties, troubles, memories, and battles for the young republic culminate with Elijah receiving the Purple Heart designed and awarded by General Washington.
Gene Ligotti was educated at Adelphi University and received his doctorate at New York University. Due to suff ering with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, he had to give up his successful thirty year practice of dentistry in Huntington, NY. He began writing as merely something to do, but it soon became a driving force. As a freelance writer he wrote a monthly column about the history of the villages in the Catskill Mountains and of the romantic Hudson River. His acclaimed articles on dentistry have been printed in various dental journals. Ligotti lives in Smithtown, New York, with his wife, Corbina, where they can be close to their daughters, Gina and Lisa and their grandchildren; grandson, Gino and twin granddaughters, Gabrielle and Juliette.