©2000, Cumberland House,  234 pages in paperback.

Much history has been made by common folks.  In the mid- l890s, two friends, Roosevelt and Lodge, researched American history and compiled the twenty-six accounts contained in this volume.  They do not provide the reader with a biography of any of these men.  Instead, they focus on the heroic actions of each at critical times in the development of our nation.

The authors take us with Daniel Boone on his dangerous journeys into the frontier of Kentucky.  There he endured Indian attacks, imprisonment, and the kidnaping of his daughter and two of her friends.  He faced countless crises with sound thought, firmness, and perseverance.  Many do not realize that as Kentucky began to be increasingly settled, Boone pushed further westward into Missouri prior to his death.

Much of the book is devoted to bravery that was exemplified in the American War for Independence, the War of l8l2, and the War Between the States.  In these accounts we learn of the importance of the Battles of Trenton and Bennington, the battle of Cedar Creek, and the opening up of Mobile Bay.  In each of these the faithfulness and fortitude of a host of unnamed, common men were used by God as instruments for victory.  Perhaps because the War Between the States had occurred only thirty years earlier, eleven of the accounts are devoted to incidents and individuals from that war. Both authors lived in the north and wrote from a northern perspective.  Nevertheless, they respected the gallantry and commitment of southerners who fought for a cause they believed to be right.  A chapter is devoted to Stonewall Jackson and his God-honoring death.

The authors keenly realized in their own day that many exploits and brave deeds were being forgotten and thus lost to future generations.  They desired that posterity remember history as far more than dates and dead people.  These accounts are full of action and accolades for men who acted courageously without bravado.  They provide impetus to the reader to learn of the youth and early adult years of these Americans who were willing to live and die to obtain the success of their causes.

 Review ©2006 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia