Gwen Bristow: Blending History and Fiction in 'Celia Garth'

Envision getting no sleep because fireballs were exploding right outside the door, never imagining that the cellar in in the basement would be the next safe haven for the oncoming days. Gwen Bristow has written many books about different major historical events including the Civil War and the Gold Rush, but the interesting thing was that Gwen Bristow never lived in those times yet continued to write accurate data with a fictional plot that she created. Her most famous novel, Celia Garth, was written about the Revolutionary War from the state of South Carolina; specifically in Charleston. With the correct arrangement of key details and names, important information about the war was learned as well as the women and their roles. In Celia Garth,

When the boats arrived at the docs in the Ashley River and saw who was aboard them, Celia thought to herself, “at last she saw what she was looking for, men in red coats with tan breeches and black boots” (Bristow 119). Indicating that they were a part of the British army, who had not yet landed themselves on the country yet they still had made their mark on the earth, “The smoke began to clear. It seemed that the British were not really trying to hit anything. They just wanted to announce that they were here. And the rebel guns, rumbling in reply, were merely answering, ‘We’re here too’” (Bristow 122). When the Redcoats finally came on American soil, when the Colonists were least expecting it, they began to shoot fireballs out of cannons, causing all kinds of destruction to the homes of the remaining people. Another weapon that was used during the Revolutionary War was the long rifle, which contained a spiral barren motion that allowed the ball to spin, making this one of the deadliest weapons of this time (Revolutionary War in the North and South). It could see 300 feet away and this was the weapon the British were very skilled in using, which is why Gwen Bristow made Jimmy say the comment, “‘But how they can shoot!’ Jimmy exulted. ‘Those boys can hit anything they can see’” (Bristow 127). The British brought extreme terror to the citizens and made most of them scatter just for mere