The Frontiersmen

A Narrative

By: Allan W. Eckert

Narrated by: Kevin Foley

The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America from crimes committed back east. In the beautiful but deadly country that would one day come to be known as West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, more often than not they left their bones to bleach beside forest paths or on the banks of the Ohio River, victims of Indians who claimed the vast virgin territory and strove to turn back the growing tide of whites.

These frontiersmen are the subjects of Allan W. Eckert's dramatic history. Against the background of such names as George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, Arthur St. Clair, Anthony Wayne, Simon Girty, and William Henry Harrison, Eckert has re-created the life of one of America's most outstanding heroes, Simon Kenton. Kenton's role in opening the Northwest Territory to settlement more than rivaled that of his friend Daniel Boone. By his 18th birthday, Kenton had already won frontier renown as woodsman, fighter, and scout. His incredible physical strength and endurance, his great dignity and innate kindness made him the ideal prototype of the frontier hero.

Yet there is another story to The Frontiersmen. It is equally the story of one of history's greatest leaders, whose misfortune was to be born to a doomed cause and a dying race. Tecumseh, the brilliant Shawnee chief, welded together by the sheer force of his intellect and charisma an incredible Indian confederacy that came desperately close to breaking the thrust of the white man's westward expansion. Like Kenton, Tecumseh was the paragon of his people's virtues, and the story of his life, in Eckert's hands, reveals most profoundly the grandeur and the tragedy of the American Indian.

©2001 Jesse Stuart Foundation (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Historian-novelist Eckert has fashioned an epic narrative history of the struggle for dominance of the Ohio River Valley that makes compelling reading." ( Publishers Weekly)

Superb

I read this book as a young man back in 1980. As a Native American raised in Southeast Ohio, it was/is my Old Testament. It formed me. This audio version reaffirmed all of those impressions.

Excellent!

I have read the Frontiersmen probably 10 times. As a radio professional for almost 30 years, some narrations can sometimes feel “over the top.”

Listening to Kevin Foley made the experience come alive in a way I have never experienced. It in some ways felt like in was watching “Tecumseh,” but focusing on Simon Kenton, Tecumseh, and Blue Jacket.

Foley is a fantastic narrator and I will recommend anything he does!

History Facts told in a great story!

I love the way the author told the story of how a few pioneers affected the lives of so many.

A MUST for Midwesterners

This book plunges the listener into the world of a very young United States, providing a careful glimpse at our nations early heritage while thoroughly expounding the settlement of the Midwest. Eckert has done a wonder in unfolding the life of Simon Kenton. This serves as a phenomenal biography of early American history, leaving the listener in deep introspection concerning the issues of the time. If you love Ohio, you must listen to this!

Simply Awesome!

I was saddened for this amazing audio book to be finished, as there seems to be few so filled with factual detail and riveting story alike.