The Camp Follower Affair: Mary Fraser in the Ohio Country

by Robert J. Shade

This novella is the third book in the Forbes Road Series.The advance into the Ohio Country is on!October 1764: A powerful British force crosses the Allegheny River from Fort Pitt to march against the Delaware, Mingo, and Shawnee tribes of Ohio, now in their second year of savage insurrection against British rule and colonial settlement. The expedition includes battle hardened regulars of the Royal Americans and the Black Watch, supported by tough Virginia and Maryland riflemen and provincials of the Pennsylvania Regiment. At their head is the man the tribal chiefs fear the Colonel Henry Bouquet. He is a brilliant mercenary officer who skillfully blends European and Indian tactics to make his men the match of tribal warriors. Bouquet is determined to force the warring chiefs to peace negotiations or defeat them in battle. But the colonel faces an enemy he can never The impending onset of winter weather which could trap his force in the wilds of the Ohio Country, far from its base of supply and ultimately spell disaster for the expedition.Beautiful, auburn haired Mary Fraser is a sixteen year-old orphan of the Black Watch and former lover of frontier gunsmith and rifleman Wend Eckert. Now recovered from the near fatal wound she received at the Battle of Bushy Run, the highland girl accompanies the expedition as a nurse, her heart broken because she has lost Eckert to another woman through an ugly trick of fate. Little does she know that her name will soon be linked to scandal with that of traitorous merchant and political manipulator Richard Grenough. Moreover, Mary's selfless and valiant attempt to protect Eckert's five year old son --- a captive of the Mingo Indians --- from mortal danger lands her deep in trouble with the officers of her regiment. Suddenly she finds her reputation in shambles and the future life she has labored so hard to achieve in grave jeopardy.The outcome of the campaign and Mary's fate will be decided by bloody skirmish on a narrow trail deep in the Ohio Country.

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2015

Reviews

[Richard Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is a well written book about Mary Fraser. I realize that she is a composite character but she brings a very good insight into how women were s part of the early British and Colonial forces in the Americas. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

[Peter M. Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

Spoilers. Hopefully Mary will return in later novels. I loved reading about Henry Bouquet and his campaigns. I had never heard of him until I started reading Forbes Road. I wonder if he had lived instead of dying of Yellow Fever. Would he have joined the rebellion or like Major Robert Rogers sided with the British. He is a very interesting person.

[EileenNH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this Series. Great historical fiction.

[Dana Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Novella follow up of character Mary Frasier

Enjoyable follow up of the Forbes road series revolving around the character of Mary Frasier. One wonders what will become of her.

[Skip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast reading story of Mary Fraser, a character from the previous books. If you are familiar with the Forbes Road series you will enjoy reading of the adventures of Mary. I read this book in a few hours one fine morning,and I think it is very well written. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.