Kronologikus hadtörténet 3 – Újkor 1900-ig – Könyvek

BIRD : War for the West (fülszöveg)

 

"Having ended his oration Tecumseh sat down, Indian fashion, on the ground. The gesture emphasized the theme of his speech: that the land belonged to the Indians, to all Indians."

 

Harrison Bird's brisk reconstruction of the Indian campaigns in the West during the War of 1812 opens with a confrontation between the famous Shawnee chief and William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory. Tecumseh was determined to keep the Indian tribal and communal lands west of the Ohio River and south of the Great Lakes. The governor was determined to unite his sprawling territory with the new federation of states east of the Allegheny Mountains. Their meeting took place in August, 1810, but for almost twenty years these two dedicated men had pursued their destinies in the rich lands that were at stake.

While much of the action focuses on these redoubtable antagonists, War for the West covers a broader canvas: the fight for military supremacy in the Northwest Territory between the new American nation and the British-Canadian forces in the generation following the American Revolution. The climax came as part of the War of 1812, when the Americans finally prevailed over the British troops, the Canadian militia, and their Indian allies.

The book centers upon the battles and campaigns that brought the Old Northwest Territory — Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin — firmly and finally under the American flag. During the course of the action, Harrison rises from a young ensign of the U.S. Infantry to a governorship, and becomes the victor of Tippecanoe. Tecumseh becomes his people's hero and spokesman, whose dream of the United Indian Nations flashed across the western skies like the meaning of his name — shooting star — to fall untarnished at the decisive battle of Tippecanoe Creek.

Like Harrison Bird's other military histories, War for the West vividly portrays the people and events of the period, from the Indian skirmishes along the frontier and the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 to Commodore Perry's famous victory over the British fleet at Lake Erie. Moreover, it details the struggle between two strong men who fought each other for the future of their people and their nation.

 

"Combines accurate history with fast-paced narrative style. Long dead characters come to life, their trials and triumphs strike the reader with an emotional impact not found in the usual campaign history."

—Harold L. Peterson
Company of Military Historians

 

Katalógus Bird Tartalom
KATALÓGUS TARTALOM

 


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