Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier
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- Author：Bob Drury
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Summary
The Instant New York Times Besteller
National Bestseller
"[The] authors’ finest work to date。" — Wall Street Journal
The explosive true saga of the legendary figure Daniel Boone and the bloody struggle for America's frontier by two bestselling authors at the height of their writing power--Bob Drury and Tom Clavin。
It is the mid-eighteenth century， and in the 13 colonies founded by Great Britain， anxious colonists desperate to conquer and settle North America’s “First Frontier” beyond the Appalachian Mountains commence a series of bloody battles。 These violent conflicts are waged against the Native American tribes whose lands they covet， the French， and finally against the mother country itself in an American Revolution destined to reverberate around the world。
This is the setting of Blood and Treasure， and the guide to this epic narrative is America’s first and arguably greatest pathfinder， Daniel Boone—not the coonskin cap-wearing caricature of popular culture but the flesh-and-blood frontiersman and Revolutionary War hero whose explorations into the forested frontier beyond the great mountains would become the stuff of legend。 Now， thanks to painstaking research by two award-winning authors， the story of the brutal birth of the United States is told through the eyes of both the ordinary and larger-than-life men and women， white and red， who witnessed it。
This fast-paced and fiery narrative， fueled by contemporary diaries and journals， newspaper reports， and eyewitness accounts， is a stirring chronicle of the conflict over America’s “First Frontier” that places the reader at the center of this remarkable epoch and its gripping tales of courage and sacrifice。
National Bestseller
"[The] authors’ finest work to date。" — Wall Street Journal
The explosive true saga of the legendary figure Daniel Boone and the bloody struggle for America's frontier by two bestselling authors at the height of their writing power--Bob Drury and Tom Clavin。
It is the mid-eighteenth century， and in the 13 colonies founded by Great Britain， anxious colonists desperate to conquer and settle North America’s “First Frontier” beyond the Appalachian Mountains commence a series of bloody battles。 These violent conflicts are waged against the Native American tribes whose lands they covet， the French， and finally against the mother country itself in an American Revolution destined to reverberate around the world。
This is the setting of Blood and Treasure， and the guide to this epic narrative is America’s first and arguably greatest pathfinder， Daniel Boone—not the coonskin cap-wearing caricature of popular culture but the flesh-and-blood frontiersman and Revolutionary War hero whose explorations into the forested frontier beyond the great mountains would become the stuff of legend。 Now， thanks to painstaking research by two award-winning authors， the story of the brutal birth of the United States is told through the eyes of both the ordinary and larger-than-life men and women， white and red， who witnessed it。
This fast-paced and fiery narrative， fueled by contemporary diaries and journals， newspaper reports， and eyewitness accounts， is a stirring chronicle of the conflict over America’s “First Frontier” that places the reader at the center of this remarkable epoch and its gripping tales of courage and sacrifice。
Reviews
Bill Riggs
，
Daniel Boone’s role in the bloody struggle of America’s original 13 colonies to cross the country’s first frontier - the Appalachian Mountains。 Full of information not typically known， the true exploits of America’s most famous frontiersman， the role the British played in organizing the various Indian tribes against the colonists and just how brutal and unforgiving life was on the edge of America’s frontier。 A very engaging and enthralling look at a pivotal moment in our country’s history。
Larry Roberts
，
Well written and very informative， a pleasure to read and learn about a little covered part of the Revolutionary War。
Patricia Kitto
，
Daniel Boone was a man，Yes， a big man！With an eye like an eagleAnd as tall as a mountain was he！The Daniel Boone of Blood and Treasure is a far cry from the caricature of the old TV series。 The book’s impeccable research reveals him to be brave， ambitious， callous， determined， smart， resourceful， and a tad bit cray cray！ The hardships he， his family， and fellow pioneers suffered to open up the frontier west of the Applalachains to white settlers is hard to fathom。 And there’s no sugar coating th Daniel Boone was a man，Yes， a big man！With an eye like an eagleAnd as tall as a mountain was he！The Daniel Boone of Blood and Treasure is a far cry from the caricature of the old TV series。 The book’s impeccable research reveals him to be brave， ambitious， callous， determined， smart， resourceful， and a tad bit cray cray！ The hardships he， his family， and fellow pioneers suffered to open up the frontier west of the Applalachains to white settlers is hard to fathom。 And there’s no sugar coating the effect Daniel Boone and his ilk had on the Native Americans， which is also hard to fathom。 I learned a lot about pre-Revolutionary America as well as Boone’s role in the Revolutionary War and the Virginia General Assembly。 And while the focus is Daniel Boone， the book provides background and biographies of the other prominent players in his story， both Native American and British， which I found unnecessarily distracting at times。So， Daniel Boone was a man - and while he isn't the man of legend as the theme song suggests， I have a better understanding of him and the times in which he lived after reading this book。 4 1/4 stars。 。。。more
Laurel Bradshaw
，
Not for the faint of heart - the "blood" in the title says it all。 You know what you're in for， when the prologue opens with the gruesome torture and murder of Daniel Boone's 16-year-old son。 You might also think the authors display a certain amount of glee at all the mayhem that accompanies the clash of cultures， and the white man's determination to push ever farther westward。 But there was plenty of savagery on both sides， and you can't "whitewash" the reality away。 To be fair， the authors pre Not for the faint of heart - the "blood" in the title says it all。 You know what you're in for， when the prologue opens with the gruesome torture and murder of Daniel Boone's 16-year-old son。 You might also think the authors display a certain amount of glee at all the mayhem that accompanies the clash of cultures， and the white man's determination to push ever farther westward。 But there was plenty of savagery on both sides， and you can't "whitewash" the reality away。 To be fair， the authors present a balanced account from both sides， going into quite a lot of detail about the underlying political situation， and the machinations of both Britain and Spain in using the native Americans against the colonists in their power struggles。 We also get the backstory of Boone's family first settling in Pennsylvania， and then migrating to the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina。 My own ancestors went from Pennsylvania and Maryland to the Yadkin Valley， and followed Boone and his sons into Kentucky and then Missouri。 I would have liked more scholarly detail - this is more of a popular introduction perhaps， rather than a biography per se。 A very good overall history and it presents Daniel Boone as he was - the man， not the legend。My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reading e-copy of the book。 I may update my review， once I have seen a print copy （my hold at the library should be available soon） and can assess whether there are maps and illustrations。 The ARC had a lot of typos and formatting errors which I hope have been corrected in the final publication。Book description: It is the mid-eighteenth century， and in the 13 colonies founded by Great Britain， anxious colonists desperate to conquer and settle North America’s “First Frontier” beyond the Appalachian Mountains commence a series of bloody battles。 These violent conflicts are waged against the Native American tribes whose lands they covet， the French， and finally against the mother country itself in an American Revolution destined to reverberate around the world。 This is the setting of Blood and Treasure， and the guide to this epic narrative is America’s first and arguably greatest pathfinder， Daniel Boone―not the coonskin cap-wearing caricature of popular culture but the flesh-and-blood frontiersman and Revolutionary War hero whose explorations into the forested frontier beyond the great mountains would become the stuff of legend。 Now， thanks to painstaking research by two award-winning authors， the story of the brutal birth of the United States is told through the eyes of both the ordinary and larger-than-life men and women， white and red， who witnessed it。 。。。more
Lesley
，
Fabulous bit of historyI never considered ready about Daniel Boone， even though I was born and raised in Kentucky。 My knowledge was limited to the standard Kentucky elementary school curriculum of the time: Daniel Boone 'discovered' Kentucky。 After reading this book， I realize as a history lover he was so much more。 The authors did a fabulous job in researching ， constructing and presenting a full picture over Boone's lifetime。 I also thoroughly enjoyed understanding how the battles with native Fabulous bit of historyI never considered ready about Daniel Boone， even though I was born and raised in Kentucky。 My knowledge was limited to the standard Kentucky elementary school curriculum of the time: Daniel Boone 'discovered' Kentucky。 After reading this book， I realize as a history lover he was so much more。 The authors did a fabulous job in researching ， constructing and presenting a full picture over Boone's lifetime。 I also thoroughly enjoyed understanding how the battles with native Americans and the plundering of the land coincided with the American Revolution。 This was a thorough accounting。 Kudos to the authors。 。。。more
J。K。 Grice
，
I've always wanted to learn more about history regarding the Indian wars prior to the American Revolution。 I thought based on what I did know， I considered it to be a fascinating period of change。 So， when I saw BLOOD AND TREASURE on the shelves at Target， I was compelled to pick it up and further my education。 I was familiar with one of the authors， Tom Clavin， having read one of his excellent books on the Wild West called， Tombstone: The Earp Brothers， Doc Holliday， and the Vendetta Ride from I've always wanted to learn more about history regarding the Indian wars prior to the American Revolution。 I thought based on what I did know， I considered it to be a fascinating period of change。 So， when I saw BLOOD AND TREASURE on the shelves at Target， I was compelled to pick it up and further my education。 I was familiar with one of the authors， Tom Clavin， having read one of his excellent books on the Wild West called， Tombstone: The Earp Brothers， Doc Holliday， and the Vendetta Ride from Hell。 In BLOOD & TREASURE， I did learn a GREAT deal！ The life history of Daniel Boone and his adventures alone was very captivating。 I really liked how the authors wove his story into the fabric of Colonial expansion and the wars between the Native Americans， the British， and the French。 Of course， in its simplest terms， this is a history of white expansion into Native lands to take control and ownership at all costs。 The British were after more farm ground and areas that were rich in fur trapping。 They wanted to "purchase" thousands of square miles of Native land because they looked upon the indigenous people as ignorant and savage。 Interestingly enough， the French were more respectful of Native ways， and often lived among their allied tribes。 Nonetheless， they maintained ulterior motives for the fur trade and land control as well。 Certain tribes， like the Iroquois， were allied with Britain， and the Huron tribe among others was allied with France。 From 1754-1782， There were bloody battles filled with carnage and cruelty between the Red man and the White man。 After the 13 original colonies were established， the "frontier" was expanding into present day North Carolina， Virginia， Kentucky， Ohio， and Illinois。 Before 1776， colonists fought for westward expansion for the Crown， but after independence was reached， the new Americans fought against the Redcoats with the help of their Indian allies。 One fact that stuck with me the most was how much fighting there was AFTER the colonists severed political ties with Great Britain and the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776。 The Revolutionary War battles did not end until 1782， and the official end of the war finally came in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris。 At times， there were a lot of figures coming and going in this book， which made it a little confusing in certain chapters。 Also， the authors seemed to be a bit in love with their vocabulary， so keep a dictionary handy。 Overall however， I am extremely glad I read BLOOD & TREASURE。 "My footsteps have often been mixed with blood。 Two darling brothers and a son I have lost by savage hands。 But now I live in peace and safety in this delightful country which I have seen purchased with a vast expense of blood and treasure。"~DANIEL BOONE 。。。more
Roger Randolph
，
Good book but have a dictionary handy。
Lou
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting book in regards to the expansion of the Early US。 Great information on Daniel Boone。Great narrative on the early pre-United States。 The many moves of Daniel Boone。 Insight on Boonesbourough， the Cumberland Gap。 Terrific for any individaul interested in the EarlyAmerica。
Callie Hornbuckle
，
Definitely appreciated the cohesive picture of Daniel Boone from what is available in the historical record。 I have to say， though， that the writing style wasn't my cup of tea。 A lot of passive voice and unnecessarily convoluted sentence structure。 There was also a good bit of self-consciousness and awkwardness in the way the tensions between Americans and indigenous were portrayed。 I know it's a complex topic， but I'm not convinced they found the right tone。 But overall， I walked away with more Definitely appreciated the cohesive picture of Daniel Boone from what is available in the historical record。 I have to say， though， that the writing style wasn't my cup of tea。 A lot of passive voice and unnecessarily convoluted sentence structure。 There was also a good bit of self-consciousness and awkwardness in the way the tensions between Americans and indigenous were portrayed。 I know it's a complex topic， but I'm not convinced they found the right tone。 But overall， I walked away with more knowledge of Boone and the （gruesome） conflicts of the time and appreciated the read。 。。。more
Peter
，
Not much new here。 （Counting the times “myriad” employed by authors helps pass time。） Not Clavin’s nor the duo’s best。
Christan
，
A fascinating narrative of the life and legend of Daniel Boone。 Equally as interesting as Allan W。 Eckert’s， The Frontiersman， I felt a personal connection to the Ohio locales in the book。 I grew up in Chillicothe， Ohio， the tribal center of the Shawnee Nation。 I spent countless hours roaming the woods， streams and mounds。 I’ve found arrowheads in my Grandfather’s plowed fields and imagined the spirits of the past in the autumnal breezes。 Highly recommended。
Roger T。
，
Well-written book， but not sure that it is entirely 'non-fiction'。 Well-written book， but not sure that it is entirely 'non-fiction'。 。。。more
Betsy
，
while I did learn a lot （and I mean a lot！） about Daniel Boone， settling KY， and the wars with various， numerous native American Indians， after the 1st several pages I found I needed to read the book with a dictionary at hand to look up all the big words used 。。 yes authors， you obviously have a very robust vocubulary， more so than me （who thought mine was pretty darn good！） but did you have to throw in all those hardly ever used， never ever seen in print before words page after page？ I'll give while I did learn a lot （and I mean a lot！） about Daniel Boone， settling KY， and the wars with various， numerous native American Indians， after the 1st several pages I found I needed to read the book with a dictionary at hand to look up all the big words used 。。 yes authors， you obviously have a very robust vocubulary， more so than me （who thought mine was pretty darn good！） but did you have to throw in all those hardly ever used， never ever seen in print before words page after page？ I'll give you the ones that are pertinent to the "time" and "genre" of the book， but you guys went way overboard！！！ 。。。more
Eric
，
I have to guess that there are historians who will tear this one apart for telling the story of indigenous and immigrant Americans in a way that reflects in the slightest way possible as favorable for the European immigrants。 Actually I think there are plenty of scallywags that manifest on both sides in the warring that goes on in the early decades of the USA。 I wonder at the use of the word "treasure" for Boone as he seems to have continually made money by his skills as a hunter and then gone b I have to guess that there are historians who will tear this one apart for telling the story of indigenous and immigrant Americans in a way that reflects in the slightest way possible as favorable for the European immigrants。 Actually I think there are plenty of scallywags that manifest on both sides in the warring that goes on in the early decades of the USA。 I wonder at the use of the word "treasure" for Boone as he seems to have continually made money by his skills as a hunter and then gone bust very quickly - probably a good thing he did not go into finance in his many endeavors。 。。。more
Laurel
，
3。5 stars。Realistic， sometimes stomach churning， account of the violent settling of the colonies and later Kentucky。。。 not a watered down version of US history， instead facts of bloodshed， betrayal and merciless massacres and ambushes on both sides of the settlers and the natives。 Boone survived like 7 lifetimes， maybe he was a cat。。。 Boone's real life is so much more interesting than any ol'movie could ever represent。 And the fates of some of his children。。。eep！ 3。5 stars。Realistic， sometimes stomach churning， account of the violent settling of the colonies and later Kentucky。。。 not a watered down version of US history， instead facts of bloodshed， betrayal and merciless massacres and ambushes on both sides of the settlers and the natives。 Boone survived like 7 lifetimes， maybe he was a cat。。。 Boone's real life is so much more interesting than any ol'movie could ever represent。 And the fates of some of his children。。。eep！ 。。。more
angel sudberry
，
One of the best books ever。 Boone was flawed but I am a real admirer of him。
Frank
，
An excellent historical history of the beginnings of the United States through the eyes of Daniel Boone and his explorations into North America's "First Frontier" beyond the Appalachian Mountains。 The conflicts with the Native Americans that are depicted in this novel are not for the faint at heart。 An excellent historical history of the beginnings of the United States through the eyes of Daniel Boone and his explorations into North America's "First Frontier" beyond the Appalachian Mountains。 The conflicts with the Native Americans that are depicted in this novel are not for the faint at heart。 。。。more
Gary D Karch
，
Historical & EnlighteningA broad and compelling account of both characters and events which helped found our nation and push westward to the Mississippi。 The roles played by indigenous people in our War of Independence were very enlightening as were the conflicts between Whites and Indians and the encroachments which pushed the Native American Population & Buffalo to their current states of existence。 The cruelty of British Colonialists was repeated in Australia， India， South Africa & other coun Historical & EnlighteningA broad and compelling account of both characters and events which helped found our nation and push westward to the Mississippi。 The roles played by indigenous people in our War of Independence were very enlightening as were the conflicts between Whites and Indians and the encroachments which pushed the Native American Population & Buffalo to their current states of existence。 The cruelty of British Colonialists was repeated in Australia， India， South Africa & other countries worldwide and one gets the impression from this example alone that Royal standing as Lords， Dukes， Earls & Barons gave many airs of superiority and imbued in them disregard， disrespect and dehumanization of other races。 Bounties for scalps and blankets infected with Smallpox are just 2 examples of tactics used by the British to accomplish their colonial aspirations。 。。。more
Austin
，
Fascinating exploration of a near mythical figure that I did not know much about other than name recognition。 The author does a fantastic job depicting life on the frontier during colonial times。 His description of the battles between settlers， Native Americans and British colonials are a stark reminder of the cost of Americans quest for freedom and rugged individualism。
Scott Martin
，
（Audiobook） （3。5 stars） A solid overview of the life of Daniel Boone and his interaction with the various American tribes that he encountered and dealt with during the formative years of the American nation， from the French-Indian Wars to the start of the 19th century。 It cuts through much of the legends associated with Daniel Boone and attempts to offer insight into the life of those Boone interacted with， from the British/Americans to the respective native tribes。 However， the work can sometim （Audiobook） （3。5 stars） A solid overview of the life of Daniel Boone and his interaction with the various American tribes that he encountered and dealt with during the formative years of the American nation， from the French-Indian Wars to the start of the 19th century。 It cuts through much of the legends associated with Daniel Boone and attempts to offer insight into the life of those Boone interacted with， from the British/Americans to the respective native tribes。 However， the work can sometimes spin off into tangents that are sometimes helpful， but can detract from the Boone narrative。 This is not quite a biography and not quite a history。 More a combination， which is not bad， but perhaps not as great as it could be。 The rating is the same for audiobook as it is for e-copy/hard copy。 。。。more
Kailey
，
This book was very interesting！ I feel like I learned a lot from it。
Urey Patrick
，
My biggest criticism of this book is that much of it reads more like a novel for young adults than a historical work。。。 the authors take liberties， imputing emotions， thoughts， motivations to individuals to spice up the narrative that are more characteristic of a work of fiction than one of history。 "Ever alert for Indian sign， he husbanded his little remaining powder and shot judiciously， taking care to use his balls on only the biggest buck elk and deer that would render the most meat。""He did My biggest criticism of this book is that much of it reads more like a novel for young adults than a historical work。。。 the authors take liberties， imputing emotions， thoughts， motivations to individuals to spice up the narrative that are more characteristic of a work of fiction than one of history。 "Ever alert for Indian sign， he husbanded his little remaining powder and shot judiciously， taking care to use his balls on only the biggest buck elk and deer that would render the most meat。""He did what he could to carry on Boone's legacy， but there were few men in the borderlands capable of shouldering that burden。""。。。 Col。 Richard Callaway still had a drudging score to settle。 Not only had Callaway continued to seethe at what he considered Boone's impertinence during the rescue of his kidnapped daughters， he blamed Boone for the captivity of two of his nephews。。。 From Callaway's point of view， who knew what fiendish treatment the sullen and defeated Blackfish had in store for them upon his return to the Ohio Country？"That said， there is a lot of history in this book - much of it little known or recognized these days。 Specifically， the authors write knowledgeably of the various and diverse Native American tribes and communities， their interactions with the ever expanding white settlers， the customs and habits of frontier dwellers， and the ever present violence between the frontier settlers and various groupings of Native Americans - the horrific nature of the violence on both sides is made clear。。。 torture， massacres， mutilations were common。 The combatants were ruthless and merciless， on both sides。 The violence was far more wide spread and the casualty count far higher than conventional wisdom （born largely of neglect and ignorance of the period） would have us believe。 The authors overlay the greater events of the day， the French & Indian War， the Revolution， Braddock's defeat， etc。 to put the frontier experience into perspective。 Daniel Boone is the narrative thread running though the period， although he is often absent from the historical story being told。 There are many other perhaps unknown historical figures that the authors introduce and follow throughout - Indian leaders， other frontiersmen， militia leaders， companions and associates of Boone and of other recognized figures。 The history is good - it is informative and often revelatory。。。 if you don't mind the penchant to sensationalize and impute motivations of individual thoughts and actions （the action novel character driven approach） then this is an excellent history of a brief and relatively unrecognized era of early American life。 。。。more
Lynn
，
Outstanding History This is a fascinating history of Daniels Boone and Virginia frontier he lived in。 It wasn’t yet Kentucky。 The book contains a lot of history I wasn’t aware of and provides a lot more insight and details to history that I knew。 Daniel Boone was pretty much a TV or cartoon character to most of my life。 I’ve read one historical book before this one about him and I’m a maxed at how important he was to American history。 A very moving book。
MH
，
Interesting account of Daniel Boone and his role in establishing Kentucky and exploring what was then a frontier。 Boone was pretty BA。 The book also discusses the bigger picture of the revolution， but does this without losing focus on Boone。
Mark Ennis
，
A TRUE EPIC ABOUT DANIEL BOONE AND THE FIGHT FOR THE AMERICA'S FRONTIER。 A MUST READ。 A TRUE EPIC ABOUT DANIEL BOONE AND THE FIGHT FOR THE AMERICA'S FRONTIER。 A MUST READ。 。。。more
Glenn Shirley
，
Started out well but quickly bogged down。 Has some interesting footnotes。
John Powell
，
Outstanding
Lance Hillsinger
，
Like many books， the back cover of Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier has quotes from book reviewers。 The review from the Dallas Morning News said Daniel Boone and the Fight for American’s First Frontier was “filled with an overabundance of details。” In a nutshell， this reviewer has the same opinion。 The authors Bob Drury and Tom Calvin provided a great deal of detail。 Drury and Calvin certainly did their research。 However， like many authors， Drury and Like many books， the back cover of Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier has quotes from book reviewers。 The review from the Dallas Morning News said Daniel Boone and the Fight for American’s First Frontier was “filled with an overabundance of details。” In a nutshell， this reviewer has the same opinion。 The authors Bob Drury and Tom Calvin provided a great deal of detail。 Drury and Calvin certainly did their research。 However， like many authors， Drury and Calvin got to know their subject too well。 To them， every little historical fact is a part of the story; while technically true， too much detail can overwhelm the reader。 Further， in Boone’s time， commonly used words， like canebrake， are unfamiliar to the modern reader。 Through their research， such words became familiar to the authors， but the authors seem to forget such words are unfamiliar to the modern reader。 Another criticism is the front cover。。 The subtitle is more accurate。 There is no treasure， not at least in the common sense of the word。 （Because of how the book cover is designed， your author initially thought Blood and Treasure referred to the authors' previous book。t While there is too much detail and a misleading front cover， much of the narrative is informative and dramatic。 Boone was first and foremost a frontiersman but also a military leader。 The authors show that， if it were not for Daniel Boone， the course of history could have been significantly altered。tSo， despite the excessive detail and that the book cover is only half-right （there is plenty of blood， but no treasure）， Drury and Calvin’s book deserves four stars。 。。。more
Bob Henry
，
I generally enjoyed this book but would have liked it better if I had a greater appreciation for such sesquipedalian works。 There is a of of detail specific to Daniel Boone which I appreciated， but as for the contemporaneous setting much of it can be found in the Narratives of America series by Alan Eckert which is more easily read。 Still， I would heartily recommend Blood and Treasure to anyone interested in this critical period of American expansion， and it's refreshing to encounter a work that I generally enjoyed this book but would have liked it better if I had a greater appreciation for such sesquipedalian works。 There is a of of detail specific to Daniel Boone which I appreciated， but as for the contemporaneous setting much of it can be found in the Narratives of America series by Alan Eckert which is more easily read。 Still， I would heartily recommend Blood and Treasure to anyone interested in this critical period of American expansion， and it's refreshing to encounter a work that treats both sides of the conflicts with such evenhandedness。 。。。more
Nancy Kennedy
，