Thomas James Fleming (July 5, 1927 – July 23, 2017) was an American historian and

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

ist and the author of over forty nonfiction and fiction titles. His work reflects a particular interest on the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, with titles such as ''Liberty! The American Revolution And The Future Of America, Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the History of America'' and ''Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge''.

Biography

A native of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, Fleming graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School in 1945 and from

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

in 1950, serving a year in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

before he started college. While in the navy, he served aboard the . Fleming served as president of the Society of American Historians and the PEN American Center. Fleming also spent ten years as chairman of the New York American Revolution Round Table and was an Honorary Member of the New York State

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

from 1975. He lived in New York with his wife, Alice, a writer of books for young people. Fleming published books about various events and figures of the

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

era. He also wrote about other periods of American history, and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer". Fleming died at his home in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.

Controversy over Haitian History

Thomas Fleming caused controversy when writing, on History News Network, about Haitian history, and describing president Dessalines as a "very angry black man". In a piece written by Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall about Haitian History in the aftermath of Jean-Rolph-Trouillot's ''Silencing the Past'', she comments on the different depiction of Dessalines and Thomas Jefferson in the article: "Haitian slaves were savage barbarians, while slaveowners’ crimes remained shrouded in silence."

Bibliography

Histories

* *''Now We Are Enemies'' *''Beat the Last Drum: The Siege of Yorktown 1781'' *''One Small Candle: The Pilgrims' First Year In America''. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1963. * *''The Perils of Peace: America’s Struggle to Survive After Yorktown'' *''The Irish-American Chronicle'' *''The New Dealers’ War: FDR and the War Within World War II'' ** *''Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and the Future of America'' *''Liberty! The American Revolution'' * *''The Man from Monticello: An Intimate Life of Thomas Jefferson'' *''The Man Who Dared the Lightning: A New Look at Benjamin Franklin'' *''Benjamin Franklin: A Life in His Own Words'' (ed.) *''The Forgotten Victory: The Battle for New Jersey–1780'' *''The First Stroke: Lexington, Concord, and the Beginning of the American Revolution'' *''West Point: The Men and Times of the U.S. Military Academy'' *''1776: Year of Illusions'' *''The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers'' *''George Washington: The General'' from ''Profiles in Leadership'' (ed. Walter Isaacson) * * *''The Strategy of Victory: How George Washington Won the American Revolution.'' New York: Da Capo Press, 2017. . OCLC 1008913772

Novels

*''Liberty Tavern'' *''Dreams of Glory'' *''The Spoils of War'' *''Rulers of the City'' *''A Passionate Girl'' *''Promises to Keep'' *''Remember The Morning'' *''The Wages of Fame'' * *''The Secret Trial of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

'' *''The Officers’ Wives'' *''Time and Tide'' *''Over There'' *''Loyalties: A Novel of World War II'' *''All Good Men'' *''The God of Love''

References

Sources

*''Who's Who in America'' *''Contemporary Authors'', v. 7–8 *''Contemporary Literary Criticism'', v. 37 *'' B.U. Bridge'' newspaper, Volume 5, No. 4, 28 September 2001

External links

Thomas Fleming's home page

The American Revolution Center

The American Revolution Round Table (New York)

The Society of American Historians
*
''Booknotes'' interview with Fleming on ''The New Dealers' War'', August 26, 2001.

''In Depth'' interview with Fleming, January 4, 2004 Fleming's Presentation
at the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and research library for the study of military history located in a state-of-the art facility in Kenosha, WI. The institution was founded in 2003, ...

on June 6, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Thomas 1927 births 2017 deaths American military historians American historical novelists Historians of the American Revolution Writers from Jersey City, New Jersey 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American historians 21st-century American historians American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New Jersey Fordham University alumni St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni American male non-fiction writers United States Navy sailors Historians from New Jersey