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BOOK REVIEWS
by Peter Betz
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Lowenthal, Larry. Marinus Willett, Defender of the Northern Frontier. Fleischmanns,
N.Y., Purple Mountain Press, 2000. 104p. Index, Notes, Illus. $15.00
There are several older historical biographies of Marinus Willett, but all of them are much longer and are also out of print. Lowenthal’s new book, while not lengthy, is both factual and entertainingly written and provides all the essential information most readers will ever wish to have regarding Willett’s life in general and his career as a soldier-hero of the Revolutionary Mohawk Valley. The author selected relevant photo-reproductions
which aid the reader in understanding the contemporary scene. The Notes are also supportive and the index workable. The book falls down only in the quality of several of the reproductions, but this is always a problem with relatively low-priced printings and should not detract from an otherwise informative product.
Simcoe, John Graves. A Journal of the Operations of the Queen’s Rangers. North
Stratford, N.H. Ayer Co., Inc., 1999. 328p., Appendix, no Index. $27.00
This is Ayer’s latest “Eye Witness to the American Revolution” Series entry and is a reproduction of Simcoe’s Military Journal, first published in New York by Bartlett and Welford in 1844. It makes available at long last a text that was heretofore very expensive and hard to obtain and which anyone interested in the Loyalists and their military operations will wish to possess.
Sheriff, Carol. The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862. N.Y., Hill & Wang, 1996. 251p., No Index. $21.00
Sheriff does not engage in yet another retelling of the political struggle fought to build 'the big ditch' but rather focuses on the human dimension of the revolutionary changes the Erie brought about: long distance mobility, market and trade expansion, reorganization of the workforce, government intervention in economic development and the canal as the primary funding source for immigrant workers. The author documents the social and cultural responses of men, women and children, businessmen, workers and politicians, and explains how the Erie created America’s first real ‘tourist class.’
The Chapter Notes are helpful and the Index is very functional. This is one of the few books written that dwells on what the Erie Canal did to and for the people of both New York State and the nation, and as such is a refreshing change from the standard canal history.
Anderson, Fred.
Crucible of War: The Seven Year’s War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766. N.Y., Knopf, 2000., 862p. Bibl., Index. $40.00
The author in this very long but thorough work skillfully interweaves tales of those in high places with stories of Indians, unscrupulous traders, conniving politicians and all the other diverse characters who thronged upon the stage of this maelstrom of power struggles, national rivalries and cultural implosions. Militarily, Anderson sees this conflict as a training ground for those officers who would soon lead us in our quest for independence, and sociologically he views it as a ‘great awakening’ for Americans in general who had always thought of themselves as British-American citizens until they encountered pompous British soldiers who introduced them to all the negative aspects of the British class system. Not strictly a military history, Anderson has attempted to cover all aspects of British, French, Indian and American contemporary participation and although this is a tall order, he has done this very well.
Starbuck, David R.
The Great Warpath: British Military Sites from Albany to Crown Point. Hanover, N.H., Univ. Press of New England., 1999. 205p., Glossary, Index
$19.95
This is the story of recent archaeological fieldwork at various locations along this important military corridor in which very little excavation has been undertaken until quite recently. Enhanced by 150 good photographs and drawings, the author/archaeologist interprets the artifacts to recreate the life and hardships of colonial soldiers. The author’s direct literary style helps the reader gain an understanding of basic archaeological techniques; thus the book helps the layperson learn the hows and whys of archaeology as much as it informs them of its product. The book also includes a chapter on under water technique dealing with the “Lost Fleet” of 1758.
Shannon, Timothy J.
Indians & Colonists at the Crossroads of Empire: The Albany Congress of 1754.
Cornell Univ. Press, 2000. 268p., maps, Bibl, Index.. $39.95
This is a serious examination of the Albany Congress and its significance, a subject often written about in scholarly periodicals but not examined in book form for the last forty-five years. It is co-sponsored by the N.Y. Historical Association and is a book that any future student of either 18th century Iroquois history or of the life and influence of Sir William Johnson will hereafter have to consider required reading. Although it was only a by-product of the event, the book shows how William Johnson, King Hendrick, and his other Iroquoian supporters skillfully used the conference to convince Johnson’s white governmental contemporaries of his lasting influence and power in the management of Indian relations, thereby overwhelming any remaining skeptics who did not believe Johnson ‘s connection with the Iroquois was that important.
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