Synopsis
The sixth volume of Eckert's The Winning of America Series deals with the Northwest Territories and the Louisiana Purchase during the first half of the 19th century, and events before and during the Black Hawk War of 1832. He recounts history through dramatized stories of individual heroes and scoundrels on both sides, augmented by voluminous endnotes, a bibliography, and an index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Publishers Weekly
The Ohio River, a principal route for pioneers pushing westward along its 981-mile course from Pennsylvania through Kentucky and Indiana to Illinois, was the scene of fierce battles among warring Indian tribes-Shawnee, Miami, Cherokee, Iroquois, etc.-and between Native Americans and white settlers. Tapping journals, letters, diaries and government memoranda from 1768 to 1799, and fleshing out his panoramic chronicle with reconstructed dialogue adapted from primary sources, historian-novelist Eckert has fashioned an epic narrative history of the struggle for dominance of the Ohio River Valley that makes compelling reading. The lives of notable pioneer families (Zanes, Bradys, Wetzels), incursions of traders, explorers, colonists, adventurers and the historic exploits of George Washington, Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark and others intersect. A biographer of Shawnee chief Tecumseh (A Sorrow in Our Heart), Eckert emphasizes the sudden, overwhelming movement of whites into Native American lands and the Indians' initial restraint and tolerance, followed by furious raids, wars and expulsions. Maps. (Nov.)