(inactive)Frontiersman: Daniel Boone and the Making of America

by Meredith Mason Brown

The name Daniel Boone conjures up the image of an illiterate, coonskin cap-wearing patriot who settled Kentucky and killed countless Indians. The scarcity of surviving autobiographical material has allowed tellers of his story to fashion a Boone of their own liking, and his myth has evolved in countless stories, biographies, novels, poems, and paintings. In this welcome book, Meredith Mason Brown separates the real Daniel Boone from the many fables that surround him, revealing a man far more complex -- and far more interesting -- than his legend.Brown traces Boone's life from his Pennsylvania childhood to his experiences in the militia and his rise as an unexcelled woodsman, explorer, and backcountry leader. In the process, we meet the authentic he didn't wear coonskin caps; he read and wrote better than many frontiersmen; he was not the first to settle Kentucky; he took no pleasure in killing Indians. At once a loner and a leader, a Quaker who became a skilled frontier fighter, Boone is a study in contradictions. Devoted to his wife and children, he nevertheless embarked on long hunts that could keep him from home for two years or more. A captain in colonial Virginia's militia, Boone later fought against the British and their Indian allies in the Revolutionary War before he moved to Missouri when it was still Spanish territory and became a Spanish civil servant. Boone did indeed kill Indians during the bloody fighting for Kentucky, but he also respected Indians, became the adopted son of a Shawnee chief, and formed lasting friendships with many Shawnees who once held him captive.During Boone's lifetime (1734--1820), America evolved from a group of colonies with fewer than a million inhabitants clustered along the Atlantic Coast to an independent nation of close to ten million reaching well beyond the Mississippi River. Frontiersman is the first biography to explore Boone's crucial role in that transformation. Hundreds of thousands of settlers entered Kentucky on the road that Boone and his axemen blazed from the Cumberland Gap to the Kentucky River. Boone's leadership in the defense of Boonesborough during a sustained Indian attack in 1778 was instrumental in preventing white settlers from fleeing Kentucky during the bloody years of the Revolution. And Boone's move to Missouri in 1799 and his exploration up the Missouri River helped encourage a flood of settlers into that region. Through his colorful chronicle of Boone's experiences, Brown paints a rich portrayal of colonial and Revolutionary America, the relations between whites and Indians, the opening and settling of the Old West, and the birth of the American national identity. Supported with copious maps, illustrations, endnotes, and a detailed chronology of Boone's life, Frontiersman provides a fresh and accurate rendering of a man most people know only as a folk hero -- and of the nation that has mythologized him for over two centuries.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History

424 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Meredith Mason Brown is a lawyer, author, and historian. The son of John Mason Brown, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Reviews

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I really enjoy reading, and enjoy all the more because Daniel Boone happens to be a surprisingly close relative of mine (a first cousin about ten times removed or so). In understanding Daniel Boone we understand some of the issues that plague early American history and even contemporary American history, where the insecurity of property rights for ordinary people remains an important theme (and one I had to deal with personally, no less). We see the problems between people and religious authorities, the insecurity of land ownership, the questions of reputation, and more. If Daniel Boone is one of the most consequential people in American history, he was by no means a wealthy man and was not the first American explorer or settler in Kentucky. The author seeks to write a history that is both fair-minded as well as laudatory and explanatory of the life of his fascinating subject. This is an example of a case where I wanted to read a book earlier than I did, as it would have helped me realize that my Boones were connected to him in a way that I did not realize before, but the author is certainly not to blame for that.

This book is almost 300 pages long and is divided chronologically into 22 chapters about the life and afterlife (of a sort) of Daniel Boone. The book begins with a preface and chronology and then begins in media res about Boone in old age (1), as well as the Quaker background of the Boones in Pennsylvania (2) and Boone's early lesson in how not to fight Indians (3) at Braddock's defeat. There is a discussion of his search for a good wife (4), his going on long hunts (5), and his first hunts in Kentucky (6). After that comes a discussion of Boone's opening up of the wilderness (7) in Kentucky, the building of the Wilderness road and Boonesborough (8), and an introduction to Kentucky as a contested space during the American Revolution (9). There is a discussion of the capture and rescue of the girls (10), the capture (11) and escape (12) of Boone himself from the Shawnee, the siege of Boonesborough (13), the battle of the Blue Licks (14), as well as relations between whites and Indians in the immediate period after the Revolution (15). The author explores issues of land speculation (16), Boone's status as a living legend with a shrinking fortune due to legal actions (17), and Boone's travel to (18), and life in (19) Missouri. The author then discusses Boone's last days (20) and his historical reputation (21) before ending with a coda (22), acknowledgements, notes, a bibliographical note, and an index.

There is something deeply poignant about Daniel Boone and his life. While he and I spring from different sides of the same family, mine which stayed mostly at home within Pennsylvania for generations (where I was born, actually), Daniel Boone wandered far and wide. He sought a freedom from some of the burdens of authority, but where he went, he blazed trails (literally and figuratively) for others to follow, and they did. By virtue of his ability to hunt, he drew other people who hunted the same animals to local extinction. His abilities to deal with the local native population encouraged others to come as well and lead to the demographic overwhelming of that population, which in turn brought the squabbles over title and property ownership that kept him poor and led him to travel yet again further into the wilderness. He was never able to find the success that his achievements deserved, and even after he died he remains a figure of mystery and complexity.

[Sherry Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biographies of Daniel Boone are a dime a dozen. Brown's biography is unique in that it widens the focus. While other biographies are interested in Boone the hero, Boone the natural man, Boone the trailblazer, Boone the myth (either to enhance or bust), Brown is interested in Boone in the social context. He covers everything that is known or claimed about Boone but he also discusses the Boone's place in the economic and political history of the time. He is better than most on the complex politics of the border wars with the indigenous nations. Boone was caught up in forces he probably didn't fully understand himself. Who does understand his/her own time? The great irony of his life is that his skill as a scout and hunter opened the territory to forces that destroyed the way of life he loved. Brown's book defines these forces in clear, readable prose. He also provides a very useful annotated bibliography.

[Dan Dundon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up I recall Daniel Boone was the subject of many works that made him out to be one of the foremost Indian fighters in the country. It was good to read a more accurate account by Meredith Mason Brown who painted a full picture of this interesting American.
I found it particularly helpful that the author gave context to Boone's exploits by telling the reader about the overall history occurring at the time. For example, many readers probably don't consider the impact of the Revolutionary War on Daniel Boone because he is so frequently associated with Indian wars. But after reading this work, I have a much clearer understanding of the role of the British is arming the Indians during the country's struggle for independence.
In some respects the work is also a sad commentary on a man who although born in Pennsylvania continued to move farther and farther west in an effort to get away from more established settlements. Like the Indians he sometimes fought, Boone kept moving westward until both were eventually part of our past.

[Karen Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

No coonskin cap

This book gave a very full, documented journey into the life of the bigger than life, frontiersman, Daniel Boone. Affirming some of the legends but disputing others (no coonskin cap), I could only realize what immense determination and strength Boone possessed. Literally blazing new trails, he led the expansion of the country into wilderness that kept moving further westward. Honest and inspiring, this biography is a great read.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good biography that is both scholarly and well-written. Although the subtitle of “making of America” is a bit sensational it still an excellent read for historians, general readers, and those interested in literary Kentuckiana.

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched - the numerous notes at the end are from original documents of the time. Well written, also. I believe I have a better feel for the early history of Kentucky (where I now live) and a much better understanding of Daniel Boone himself.

[Paul Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed account of Daniel Boone's life experiences. Easy read.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educational and entertaining. I learned a great deal about the man. It separated fact from fiction in a fun way..

[Catharine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up on this because it reads like a slightly belligerent hagiography.

[Jim Swike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would learn about Daniel Boone's entire life. This book spent too much time in his young life. Maybe you will feel differently. Enjoy!

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh--both the writing and the man. Boone isn't half as fun or a quarter as noble as his legend. He turns out to be a big game hunter who was a steady, generally well-respected man. But while he said he loved his family, he also spent years and years away from home. Even his participation in the settlement of Kentucky was done by flouting the law that said it was protected Indian land. So much for him being a hero. Oh well.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers Daniel Boone's life from his youth unitl his death. It shows the human side of Daniel.

It also shows the strength and fortitude of the settlers. They didn't just walk into Kentucky. It took many attempts and many deaths and they endured many hardships. The book is really heavy on people and places and at times seems overwhelming trying to keep everyone straight.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good..if you have never read anything on Boone this is a good starting point.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, informative, a bit textbook-like, but lots of good stuff in there.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explores life on the frontier, especially Boone's role in the land which would become the state of Kentucky.

[Bernie Ohare]

Love the early connection to Pa.