The Quakeress Spy

# The Quakeress Spy: A Romance of 1780

By William Henry Howland. This dime novel, published by Beadle and Company in 1868, dramatizes the American Revolutionary War through events set in Burlington, New Jersey. The narrative depicts British occupation forces and American resistance, centered on Miriam Doane, an impassioned Quaker heiress defending her rebel brothers, and Lydia Darrach, a Philadelphia Quaker woman of historical note. The story involves espionage and military intelligence, with British officers including Major André plotting the capture of American agent McLane. Lucy De Normandie plays the harp while caught between loyalist and patriot pressures. The plot explores divided allegiances during the conflict, with Miriam's passionate defense of the revolutionary cause against the coldly loyalist widow Langstaff and her British military guests, including a chaplain and Irish captain. The narrative emphasizes personal drama alongside historical events of the Revolutionary period.