Nathan Boone and the American Frontier

Rating:
Summary: The Original Son of the Pioneer
Review: While Daniel Boone has become an icon of the American frontier experience and a celebrated pathmarker of America's westward movement, in this informative and entertaining book R. Douglas Hurt makes the case that Boone's youngest son, Nathan, deserves a place there as well. Born in Kentucky in 1781, Nathan Boone learned the skills of the hunter and woodsman from his father and developed both an affinity and an aptitude for the environment very early. He continued his father's wanderlust by moving westward to Missouri as a young man and remaining on the outposts of the United States throughout his life. In so doing, he earned a livelihood as a hunter, trapper, guide, surveyor, and military officer.

The central feature of Nathan Boone's life, and the core of this biography, was his military service. During the War of 1812 he led a company of rangers on campaigns in the Old Northwest. In 1832, at the age of 51, he organized his own company of Missouri Rangers for the Black Hawk War. This time, at the end of the conflict Nathan Boone transferred to the regular army's dragoons at Fort Leavenworth. He remained on active duty from 1833 until forced to take a final leave of absence in 1848. He maintained his commission, even if not on active duty, until 1853 when health finally prompted his resignation. Serving under Stephen Watts Kearny on the Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma frontier suited Boone just fine. He also acquitted himself well as a captain in the dragoons and was called upon to lead several expeditions during his active service to patrol the region. He did not, however, accompany Kearny's Army of the West in its invasion of New Mexico and California in 1846, remaining behind on garrison duty in Oklahoma.

This is a straightforward and competent biography. Capably researched and written, it rescues from nearly complete obscurity a figure of moderate significance in the American West in the mid-nineteenth century. Proceeding chronologically, it also excels at describing the role of the army on the frontier in those periods when war was not taking place. As such it is a welcome addition to the historical literature. It is also a worthwhile addition to the "Missouri Biography Series" in which it appears.