The shelves of the Frontier Partisans Library will groan this year under substantial tomes. War On The Turtle’s Back is due out in a few days, and we just got word that a volume that will pair well with it will follow by early summer. Noted frontier artist/historian Gary Zaboly’s The Bushfighters: The Unsung Rangers, from Georgia to Nova Scotia, 1754-1764 is in the finishing stages of production. It’s a spendy one, but it will surely be worth every plew. The first volume in this series, on Rogers Rangers is a beauty. Zaboly’s friend and fellow Ranger historian Timothy Todish sent up the smoke signal:
This is Volume II of a series that began with To Distress the French and Their Allies: Rogers’ Rangers, 1755–1763 by Tim J. Todish. Since Rogers’ companies are skillfully covered with fresh research and insights in that book, this new volume is devoted primarily to the many other Ranger companies—independent, short-term provincial, or frontier volunteers—that served in, during the same time period. However, considering their frequent collaborations with their provincial or militia counterparts, Rogers’ Rangers necessarily reappear frequently in this volume.
The epic sweep of this book offers, for the first time, the largely unwritten narrative stories of the unsung, pre-Revolutionary Rangers, both white and Native American, from Britain’s 14colonies (including Nova Scotia). Many of these irregulars began as untested amateurs, but with time and trial they became so proficient in unconventional warfare that they began inflicting consequential defeats on their French and Indian foes.This complex, well-sourced and illustrated history relies heavily on the Rangers’ own scouting reports, journals, letters and memoirs, and on the testimonies of those who campaigned with, or against them. It endeavors to fill in the gaps of earlier works by highlighting how the scouts, expeditions, and battles waged in the crucible of forest warfare also molded them for the later conflict with Great Britain.
While this book’s primary focus is the Ranger experience between 1754 and 1764 in the final French and Indian War and the nearly concurrent Cherokee and Pontiac Wars, it also traces the origins and evolution of Anglo-American ranging from the early days of each colony, from King Philip’s War through the numerous English-Indigenous conflicts in the 1600s and 1700s, as well as the earlier French and Indian wars—King William’s, Queen Anne’s, and King George’s.
Trade paperback 8.5ʺ x 11ʺ, 552 pages, 26 maps and fort plans, 47 other illustrations (paintings, photographs, and drawings, including 9 full-color paintings by the author)
$49.95, ISBN 979-8-9995144-0-0, published by Black Dome Press
Matthew says
Two podcasts for you. One is a conversation with Jack Carr on Richard Connell’s famous adventure story The Most Dangerous Game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUEmkrSfwu0
The other is an interview of a Mexican journalist about the cartels. It’s by Michael Franzese whose main claim was being in the Mafia…so take that in account if you want to watch this. Mostly, its about the cartels and how the corruption in Mexico is so bad they’ve sorta merged with the federal and local governments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6yJdlXBbSo
JimC says
I’m gonna jump on that Most Dangerous Game pod in a few minutes. Thanks.
Matthew says
It’s a good one.
David Wrolson says
Have you (or anybody here) read Parkman’s magnum opus on the French and English wars in North America?-I kind of have them on my TBR list-but not sure.
JimC says
Many, many years ago. I think you would find Parkman compelling — as literature as much as history.