The Wilderness War: A Narrative by Allan W. Eckert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been on our home library shelves for a long time, and this was the last of the Eckert narratives I read.
I enjoyed the readable style of Eckert, and there are more than 400 amplification notes for more detail. Eight pages of principal sources and ten pages of index make this suitable reading for a student of history who may need to clarify information for papers. This is the story of a forty-year time period 1740-1780, set mainly in upstate New York and Pennsylvania; a story that begins with the birth of Thayendanegea, known also as Chief Joseph Brant and ends with the report to Congress by Major General John Sullivan about "the greatest expedition ever to be mounted against the Indians of North America to this time."
I recommend this book to mature students of history for Eckert includes depictions of violence and torture.

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A Sorrow in Our Heart by Allan W. Eckert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been part of my home library for twenty years, and I have now read four of the five books by Allan W. Eckert on my history shelves.

Eckert writes this biography of Tecumseh in his historical narrative form so that it almost reads as if it were a 678-page novel. Or it would, if 678-page novels also included 97 pages of Amplification Notes, 11 pages of Principal Sources, 6 pages of Source Codes, 29 pages of Bibliography, and 18 pages of Index. This gives you an idea of the documented research Eckert did for this narrative.
A drawback for this casual reader of history is my stumbling over the names of Tecumseh's Indian contemporaries.

I recommend this book for mature readers of history for a great deal of graphic violence occurred during the life of this Shawnee warrior and leader of Indians from many tribes.



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The Conquerors, a Narrative by Allan W. Eckert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Conquerors has been on my history shelf as part of Allan W. Eckert's "The Winning of America" series.
As with other books written by Eckert, the historical narrative is well-documented and well-explained with his Amplification Notes.
This is the story of Pontiac's uprising, the siege of Fort Detroit, and attacks on traders and settlers who lived in present-day New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Ohio during the years of 1758-1769.
I recommend it to adult readers with the warning it details horrible violence.

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Wilderness Empire by Allan W. Eckert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I rate this book with 5 stars for the work that Eckert has done in writing his series, "The Winning of America." He takes historical facts and builds a narrative so that I may understand the people and their choices that explains the French, the English and the Indians from July 23, 1715-July 11, 1774. In addition to the narrative, Eckert provides his Principal Sources, Chapter Notes, List of Indian Characters, and an Index.

The main character is the Irishman William Johnson who came to America for a job as the agent of his uncle and who was adopted into the Mohawk tribe as a full member and a member of the Iroquois League. The setting is the land west of the Hudson River and along the Great Lakes. These lands will become what we know as New York, western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.

I rate this book V for Violence for Eckert describes what happens to captives taken during raids and battles. He describes the battle injuries which maimed and killed officers and chiefs. It can also have a U rating for Unhealthy for there were many fevers and dysentery. It is not a book to be read while you eat your lunch.

This is an excellent book for adult students of history.


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The Frontiersmen by Allan W. Eckert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Frontiersmen provides the factual history of the opening for white settlers of territories that would become the states of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana in the United States of America in a readable narrative form. Limiting the history to the lifespan of Simon Kenton gives this book a focus and still allows stories about Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Simon Girty, Tecumseh, the Prophet and Blue Jacket to be told. Military adventures of Arthur St. Clair, Mad Anthony Wayne, William Henry Harrison, and Oliver Hazard Perry are included. The book provides maps, chapter lists, list of Indian characters, glossary of Shawnee words and phrases, and an index.

While it is an enjoyable read, it also requires a lot of effort to recall all the persons mentioned in the scenes. A good index is helpful.



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