I took historical accuracy seriously when I wrote Tempest at Dawn. I not only read dozens of
books about the Constitutional Convention, but studied books on Eighteen Century
lifestyle and technology; Philadelphia, New York, and New Haven; the
international scene; and numerous biographies of the principle Framers of the
Constitution. I also made numerous visits to New Haven, New York, Mount Vernon, Montpelier, and
Philadelphia as part of my research.
The events and locations outside of the State House were as
accurate as I could portray them. Two major venues in the book were the Indian
Queen and City Tavern. (City Tavern remains intact, but alas, the Indian Queen
is long gone.) In my penchant for accuracy, I tried to lodge the delegates in
the appropriate Inns, homes, and taverns, but I couldn’t find where Roger
Sherman stayed during the convention. After looking at every source I could
find, I finally decided I would need to make something up. He was not rich, so
he would probably stay at a boarding house. I used my wife’s maiden name and
put him in a room at Mrs. Marshall’s boarding house. This was a fictional
contrivance, but not my only one. I left my other protagonist, James Madison,
at the upscale Indian Queen for the duration of the convention when he actually
moved elsewhere at some point for privacy.
