Christian Di Spigna - Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero

This book began as a senior thesis project under the guidance of my mentor, Dr. Eric Foner, who then encouraged me to write the definitive biography of Joseph Warren. I cant thank him enough for his wisdom, encouragement, and advice over these many years.

I owe a great deal of thanks to many individuals and institutions who helped make this book possible.

I want to acknowledge Sean P. Casey and Cecile W. Gardner at the Boston Public Library; Cary Carson, Ronald Hurst, and Jeff Klee at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; Sandra Waxman at the Dedham Historical Society; Mary Warnement at the Boston Athenaeum; Timothy Salls at the New England Historic Genealogical Society; Emily Curran at Old South Meeting House; Elizabeth Bouvier at the Massachusetts Archives in Boston; Gavin W. Kleespies at the Cambridge Historical Society; Phyllis Magidson at the Museum of the City of New York; Jessica Regan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Caroline B. Carregal at the Massachusetts Medical Society; David L. Ostebur and Dominic Hall at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine; Walter H. Hunt at the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts; Catherine E. MacDonald and Jeff Mifflin at Massachusetts General Hospital; Lynn Smith at The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts; Daniel Hinchen, Anna Cook, and Sabina Beauchard at the Massachusetts Historical Society; Hilary Anderson Stelling at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library; and Elise M. Ciregna who was at Forest Hills Cemetery during my research visits. I would also like to acknowledge the helpful staffs at the Harvard University Archives, the American Antiquarian Society, the Bunker Hill Monument and Museum, and the National Archives. In particular, the Massachusetts Historical Societys entire staff were extremely helpful and welcoming hosts to me over the course of my many visits.

Individuals who also contributed and deserve thanks are Dr. Herb Sloan, whose lectures made my love of history even stronger with his impressive scholarship and dry sense of humor. The labyrinth of piled books in his office made many meetings with him all the more intriguing. Dr. Kimberley Alexander was generous with her time and extensive knowledge of eighteenth-century clothing and fashion. The late George C. Neuman spent many hours with me discussing the battle of Bunker Hill and period weapons. Forensic anthropologist for the city of New York, Dr. Bradley Adams, who had several conversations with me regarding Warrens skull, graciously indulged my questions and hypotheses. Photography historian David Silver shared his knowledge of the daguerreotype process. Peter S. Miller, local historian of Greenfield, Massachusetts, was kind enough to give me a tour around the area and show me everything Warren-related. Thanks are also due to Jack Authelet, the town historian of Foxborough, Massachusetts, for our conversations about Ebenezer Warren.

I must acknowledge the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and its many dedicated employees and volunteers for allowing me access to their time machine, which transports me back to the eighteenth-century anytime I want. Their diligent attention to scholarship has been fodder for my imagination all these years. I have learned much. Having been a volunteer was my great pleasure and good fortune.

An enormous debt of gratitude is due to scholar, author, and now friend J. L. Bell, who read this manuscript and not only gave insightful opinions and comments, but also provided me with his impressive wealth of New England knowledge. A special thank-you is due to Sharon Cotner of Colonial Williamsburgs Pasteur & Galt Apothecary Shop. Sharon has been more than kind and giving of her time over the years, and tolerated my incessant queries and visits to the shop. She is a walking encyclopedia of eighteenth-century medicine and was able to translate the hieroglyphics that was Joseph Warrens medical ledgers into a comprehensible source of valuable information.

During my research I was fortunate to discover George C. Wildrick, Joseph Warrens fifth great-grandson and Warren family historian. Over the years, our New England and Virginia excursions and endless phone conversations helped breathe life back into Warren. His wife, Teri, has been kind enough to tolerate our shenanigans, and both she and George read the manuscript and provided me much help. Marcia Stoetzel has been extraordinary in her research efforts on my behalf. She managed to uncover so many of those elusive documents and has always made herself available to assist me. Bob Stoetzel graciously suffered through our spadework. I sincerely thank them both for their years of friendship. My friends Bob and John Sherman, descendants of one of the original subscribers of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, made me feel a special connection to this project. Their encouragement has been unwavering. Christian Kebekus has always been a welcome sounding board, and his presence and assistance on various research trips made them all the more seamless and enjoyable. Jason Posner, my dear friend since our days at Columbia University, has unselfishly lent his support in numerous ways. My uncle Tony Di Spigna, ever generous with his resources, weighed in with valuable artistic insight.

J. L Bells blog, boston1775.blogspot.com, and Liz Covarts podcast, Ben Franklins World, have become my go-to destinations for intellectual stimulation. Dr. Bruce M. Venter (and of course his wife, Lynne) and Dr. Edward G. Lengel also provide insightful period scholarship with their Annual Conference of the American Revolution, right in my backyard. I sincerely thank them for their dedication and the scholarship they provide the masses.

Of the many pleasures associated with writing this book, the most meaningful has been the friendships I have developed and also strengthened throughout the course of this project.

Much gratitude is due to Crown Publishing. Many thanks to Molly Stern for allowing Warrens story to be told. Kevin Doughten, my editor, has remained true to his word and as promised has followed me down every rabbit hole in the Warrenno matter how deep or thorny the terrain. His guidance and his dedication to this project was a blessing. I honestly could not have asked any more of him. His assistant, Jon Darga, has been a valuable asset and extremely helpful throughout the process. My copyeditor Janet Biehl and production editor Ada Yonenaka have been patient, and their judicious skills and fastidious attention to detail have defied all my expectations.

My agent, Betsy Lerner, believed in this project from the very beginning and I will always be grateful to her for opening this door.

I am humbled by the outpouring of support and help I have received throughout this project, and amazed by the breadth of knowledge that others have so graciously shared with me. Any errors in scholarship must be placed on my shoulders alone.

My family has always encouraged creativity and scholarship. I was lucky to have had four generations of incredible women in my life. Although both my grandmother and my mother passed away within a year of each other at the tail end of this project, making it a bittersweet conclusion, their courage and the strength of my sister helped sweep me across the finish line. Early on and for many years since, my father, a true renaissance man in every sense, gave me the chariots of fire to propel me past many other finish lines.

To my sweet little girl, Ava Elizabeth, who displayed a wisdom, patience, and understanding far beyond her years while her daddy works on his book, always keeps me smiling. My wife, Jennifer, who has been my support network from the very beginning, your lust for life showers us all with the happiness we thrive on. You both continue to inspire me with your unconditional love that makes our journey magical, no matter the destination.