Blood and Treasure Paperback – March 15, 2022

Splendid writing, a real page turner

Alternately, the French, the British, and the Indians underestimated Daniel Boone and paid dearly for it. The pioneer and frontiersman explored what the American colonists referred to as "western Virginia colony," or by its Indian name, "Kan-ta-Kee." Settling this region, today Kentucky, West Virginia, and part of Ohio, brought early Americans in direct contact with Native tribes unwilling to share their ancestral lands. Moreover, the inevitable westward migration in the mid-1700s in quest of more space and fertile "bottomland" would result in many bloody clashes with indigenous Americans.The authors vividly describe the pioneers' fraught experience as they pushed through the Allegheny mountains. However, these seemingly fearless people endured the many threats they faced with Daniel Boone as their most capable leader. As a hunter and Indian fighter, Boone had no equal. His physical and mental toughness was legendary.For 30 years, Boone survived one brush with death after another as a “long-hunter” ranging far from home for months and sometimes years at a time. He made his living, we learn, from the sale of beaver pelts and deerskins collected on his extended hunts. In "Blood and Treasure," the authors thoroughly document Boone's adventures blazing a trail for American settlers beyond the original thirteen colonies and into prime hunting grounds and a better life. Incredibly, despite debilitating arthritis, or "rheumatic disease," he made it to age 85 before succumbing to "natural causes."Bob Drury's and Tom Clavin's work is not merely a biography of one of the more noteworthy of early Americans. No, this book is much more. The authors recount a story of American tenacity and rugged individualism in settling the western frontier. Restless and in quest of verdant farmland and a safe place to raise a family, these stalwarts braved attacks by both man and beast. Their battle against North America's original inhabitants focuses most of the authors' attention. Drury and Clavin also portray the pioneers' growing frustration with oppressive English colonial rule. There is this passage:"… it is true enough that during the summer of 1770 Boone was the personification of a budding and hungry young nation prepared to not only throw off the constricting chains of the Treaties of Hard Labor and Fort Stanwix but perhaps of Great Britain herself. He was far from alone in those notions."To be sure, Boone proved himself quite capable of forging a new life for his family in the hinterland. As a militia officer during the American Revolution, he also offered an able defense of his newfound "Bluegrass country." In 1776, Boone became a Captain in the Kentucky militia charged with fighting the Indians allied with the British. He would be captured by the Shawnee in 1778 and forcibly adopted into their tribe. However, he escaped and ably led the defense of the Kentucky settlements. Elected to three terms in the Virginia General Assembly, Boone also fought in the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782, one of the last battles of the American Revolution.Thoroughly scouring historical records, the authors illuminate key facts around our nation's inception. More importantly, "Blood and Treasure" enables readers to experience the untamed frontier and the relentlessly attacking Indians as the settlers experienced them. As well, with fairness and balance, the authors depict the plight of indigenous Americans during this period, what they refer to as "a slow-motion genocide." The Sisyphean task of preserving their ancestral lands would exact an enormous toll on the Indian warriors called into action. Quoting Simon Girty, the Wyandot Tribal Chieftain, just before the Battle of Blue Licks, the authors reveal the source of the Indians' rage:"Brothers," he began, "the Long Knives have overrun your country and usurped your hunting grounds. They have destroyed the cane, trodden down the clover, killed the deer and the buffalo, the bear and the raccoon. The beaver has been chased from his dam and forced to leave the country. Were there a voice in the trees in the forest, it would call on you to chase away these ruthless invaders who are laying it to waste."Finally, with the struggles of early American settlers providing the backdrop, Drury and Clavin capture the essence of the iconic Daniel Boone magnificently in "Blood and Treasure." Stories of extraordinary feats of courage, including the rescue of his daughter Jemima and two other girls kidnapped by an Indian war party and later romanticized in James Fenimore Cooper's "Last of the Mohicans," provide an immensely satisfying read.Boone's legend grew ever more prominent as his years on the first frontier faded into history. Yet, interestingly, after the War of Independence, he sought quiet refuge apart from the adventure he had long known. He lived out the remainder of his life modestly following one failed business venture after another. Still, he carved out a comfortable life for himself and his family, living his twilight years in Missouri. Given that he had lost two sons, a brother, and nearly a daughter, to the unforgiving wilds of the western territories, his many sacrifices over his 85 years provided much to reflect on. He doubtless contemplated the loss of both blood and treasure.The original American badass!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Daniel Boone and other frontiersmen. Its very well researched and hard to put down.

Very good read, still in progress.

Daniel Boone is such a legendary figure that it difficult to separate fact from fiction about his life. The authors do an excellent job of this in their well-written and comprehensive biography. Boone played an important role in opening up to white settlers the "Frontier" at that time, what is now West Virginia, Kentucky, and part of Ohio. Native American tribes saw this as an invasion, and this book chronicles many of the resulting encounters. Sometimes negotiation kept the peace, but too often bloody warfare erupted, as both sides fought with a savagery that is hard to understand today. Boone was often in the thick of this, and had many close calls, including being captured. Boone's bravery and skills are well described. He represented the first wave of Westward moving American settlers who would eventually reach the Pacific. The authors do a good job of balancing the story of this expansion in the 1700s with the tragic fate of the Indian tribes that were often put in a no win situation.

Living life on the frontier in 18th century, full of danger. Living in wilderness was even more so. Boon's unique set of skills, survival, hunting, gunsmithing, living off the land, Indian fighting diplomacy, leadership were augmented by unrivaled intelligence, patience, fortitude, and courage. He was truly larger than life.This is a must read book for American history buffs, as it spans pre-revolutionary frontier life, the revolution and the Lewis Clark expedition (mentioned only tangentially). Keep your iPhone handy, as there more than few esoteric words and references which is why I didn't give it a five star rating. Nevertheless it was a page turner for me.

This is about 10% Boone and 90% Indian history around the revolutionary war. Detailed to say the least, and extremely interesting.

Overall the style is very readable and interesting. Some books can be very dry especially after experiencing great books by David McCullough. This book style did a good job in adding facts but also getting to know different people on a more personal level. At times, there seemed to be significant speculation as to motives and character of certain people where I felt like I got more insight into the writers than the actual people, other times it was done very well.It seems the authors did go out of their way to make frequent use of a thesaurus and I found myself referencing a dictionary for words not often used. I learned some new words so that was fun.It was evident that the authors had great sympathy for indigenous groups in North America, who doesn’t. However, sometimes the choice of words like ‘infestation’ to describe settlers seemed dehumanizing and made things seem a little too simplistic. Other portions of the book seemed like the authors were trying hard to be objective.I've got European and Native American blood in me and to me, people are people. In reality, I’ve found that people are much the same throughout time and cultures. People have made and are still making the same mistake over and over by generalizing whole people groups.Overall, I enjoyed the read and combined its contents with facts and stories from other books I’ve read on this time period.