Westfield native Jim Stempel knows more about New Jersey now than when he lived there.
However, with key locales named Spanktown, Samptown and Quibbletown, Stempel's New Jersey bears little resemblance to today's Garden State.
"It was a totally different New Jersey back then," he said. "It was a completely different map."
Now a resident of Maryland, Stempel recently returned to his home state in spirit to write his new book: "The Enemy Harassed: Washington's New Jersey Campaign of 1777." Set for release on March 21, it is a story of violence, fortitude and survival, he said. It is also one of an agrarian society, ideologically torn and living amid nearly constant strife.
