LITTLE TURTLE

Little Turtle: The Rising in Ohio plunges into the brutal and relentless struggle for the Northwest Territories in the decades following the American Revolution, from 1785 to 1813. This historical novel offers a raw, immersive journey into a pivotal chapter of American history.

The nascent United States, barely out of its swaddling clothes, finds itself a collection of squabbling states, bound by a weak central authority, attempting to claim the vast Northwest Territory ceded by Britain. Against this backdrop, American pioneers like Thomas and Elara MacGregor brave the untamed wilderness, seeking new lives amidst constant threats from unseen dangers and retaliating Native American tribes.

Meanwhile, the Native American nations, including the Miami and Shawnee, led by formidable war chiefs Little Turtle and Blue Jacket, watch with growing alarm as American settlements encroach upon their ancestral lands. With a network of silent scouts, they meticulously track the movements of American forces, including the struggling expeditions of Brigadier General Josiah Harmar and the ill-fated campaign of Arthur St. Clair. The novel vividly portrays the chaos and visceral reality of 18th-century warfare, from meticulously planned ambushes and desperate last stands to the arduous logistics of supplying armies in the wilderness.

Adding to the complexity, the British, from Fort Detroit, and the Spanish, from their outposts in Louisiana, subtly maneuver for influence, often supplying arms and encouraging Native American resistance to maintain a strategic buffer against American expansion. As American commanders grapple with political interference and logistical nightmares, and Native American leaders fight with fierce determination to preserve their way of life, the lines between right and wrong blur in a desperate struggle for land and survival. Little Turtle brings to life the sacrifices, ambitions, and unyielding will to survive of all caught in this brutal conflict, where a nation was forged in blood and smoke, and the echoes of forgotten voices still whisper through the forests.