1824: The Arkansas War

Buy 1824: The Arkansas War here, one of 494 Arkansas History books offered for sale at discount prices here in the history books section at R bookshop. There are currently 73802 history books in our history books section, and over 1,000,000 books listed in our book store. We greatly appreciate your patronage at R bookshop and look forward to offering you a large selection of great books at discount prices now and in the future. Thank you for shopping at R Bookshop!

You Are Here: Home > History Books > Arkansas History > Item 36

	1824: The Arkansas War
	by Eric Flint Sales Rank: 99846	~~List Price: $7.99~~ $7.99 At Amazon on 6-20-2008.

*Features* Cover Type: Mass Market Paperback with 493 pages Published by: Del Rey; Reprint edition November 27, 2007 Written in: English ISBN 10 Number: 0345465709 ISBN 13 Number: 978-0345465702 Book Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches Weighs: 8.8 ounces *From Publishers Weekly* In Flint's skillful, provocative sequel to his alternative history, 1812: The Rivers of War (2005), the "Confederacy of the Arkansas" is thriving on the alliance of its Native American and African-American citizens. The independent nation puzzles Northerners but affronts slavery-bound Southerners, who are determined to put these inferior races in their place. Having finagled his way into the White House, a cynical, self-assured Henry Clay launches an invasion of the upstart country, while brawling frontiersman Andrew Jackson and New England intellectual John Quincy Adams become unlikely allies in a new political party based on individual rights. Flint deftly juggles historical details and asks important questions: if America had confronted its institutionalized racism earlier, could our Civil War have been prevented? And can enlightening firsthand experience overcome prejudice? (Nov. 28) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Booklist Starred Review The sequel to 1812: The Rivers of War (2005) is Flint's finest and may become his most controversial book. Ten years after 1812's events, the Cherokees and Patrick Driscoll in Arkansas are attracting a steady stream of African Americans, both fugitive slaves and freedmen, fleeing a deteriorating racial climate. When a filibustering expedition runs into the well-drilled Arkansas army and its Indian allies, it gets a bloody nose. To cement the southern bloc that won him the presidency in the House of Representatives, Henry Clay launches a formal invasion of Arkansas. But rivals Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams form a new party to oppose the war and improve the condition of freedmen, while Arkansas, with the aid of superbly drawn historical figures, such as Sam Houston, and equally compelling fictional ones, such as teenaged African American captain Sheffield Parker, holds its own. Add tragedy in the murder of Houston's wife and comedy in Parker's gentlemanly crush on the daughter of a Kentucky senator and his mulatto common-law wife, and it is hard to think of a more powerful alternate-history novel since Harry Turtledove's The Guns of the South (1992). If Flint skates along the thin edge of plausibility, he credibly depicts a U.S. in which, given something like the war of 1824, nationalism might indeed have triumphed over sectionalist defense of slavery. A winner from start to finish. Roland Green Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. *Reader Reviews* This review is from: 1824: The Arkansas War (Hardcover) 1824: The Arkansas War (2006) is the second in the American Frontier series, following 1812: The Rivers of War. In the previous volume, the British crossed the river and attacked Morgan's Line on the west bank. After initial success, they are defeated by Houston's infantry, the Cherokees and Driscol's battery. The untried freeman of the Iron Battalion stood against everything the British threw at them. Pakenham realized that Jackson would have slaughtered his men on Chalmette field and soon returned the troops to their ships. Shortly thereafter, news of the peace treaty ended the current hostilities. In this novel, some time later, a Creole grandee had one of Driscol's freemen castrated for drawing the attention of a quadroon demoiselle. So Driscol mustered the Iron Battalion and led them into the French quarter, where they hung every slavecatcher in the vicinity. Then Driscol ordered the death of the high-handed grandee. When the Louisiana militia came to put down the "servile insurrection", Driscol had them raked with grapeshot; this massacre was later called the Battle of Algiers. Then Driscol led the withdrawal of free blacks to the Arkansas territory. There he joined with the Indians in that region and formed a mixed confederation. Now Patrick Driscol is the "Laird" of the Arkansas Chiefdom, which is the strongest province in the new republic. The capital of this confederation is New Antrim, also called Little Rock by the Indians and Driscoltown by the blacks. This confederation welcomes settlers of any race, including runaway slaves. The politicians in the Southern states are strident in their demands that this practice be stopped, but the slaves, freemen, Indians and even whites keep migrating to Arkansas. Sam Houston was appointed as the special commissioner for Indian affairs shortly after the war ended and has been the son-in-law of President Monroe since 1819. As the Hero of the Capitol, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Washington, but he married Maria Hester Monroe after a nationally famous whirlwind courtship. She had been only seventeen at the time, yet he had been only twenty-six years old himself. Houston had been somewhat of a womanizer prior to the marriage but settled down afterwards. He even cut down on his drinking at home, especially after the birth of their son. Of course, he still drank in the taverns and on his many trips to Arkansas and other Indian areas. Richard Mentor Johnson is a Kentucky Senator and a good friend of Andrew Jackson. Johnson is also notorious for living with a black woman and having two acknowledged daughters with her. Houston drops by to visit their farm on his way to the Hermitage. After telling Johnson some disappointing news, Houston offers an Army escort for Miss Julia and his daughters in their travel to a school in New Antrim. Houston later asks Lieutenant-Colonel Zachary Taylor to provide this escort. As an old friend of the family, Taylor takes the duty himself rather than delegating it. Upon reaching Memphis, Taylor finds the situation on the Mississippi River to be bad enough that he is reluctant to continue. He tries to talk Miss Julia into staying in Memphis, but she refuses. Her offer to inscribe his dispatches to Washington finally settles the matter and they continue on to New Antrim. In this story, General Winfield Scott provides a briefing on Arkansas River fortifications to President Monroe and Secretary of State Adams. Then they discuss the probable results of the forthcoming election in the United States. The consensus of the meeting is that no candidate will obtain a majority in the Electoral College. Since Henry Clay is Speaker of the House of Representatives, he will surely win any vote in that chamber. This evaluation gives them a lot to think about. Meanwhile, Robert Crittenden comes into some extra funds and buys guns for his "army" of freebooters in New Orleans. They travel north up the Mississippi, torturing and killing any Indians that they find. Then Crittenden reaches the fort at Arkansas Post. This story also tells of the return of former British Major General Robert Ross to North America for a visit with his old enemy Patrick Driscol. This time Ross brings his wife and eldest son with him. They are warmly welcomed in New Antrim. This story also tells of the flight of a group of freemen expelled from Baltimore under the exclusion act. This group runs into a band of slavecatchers, who welcome the opportunity to burn their papers and sell them as slaves. But then John Brown and his brothers happen on the scene and make a strong impression on the slavecatchers. The surviving slavers run for their lives. John Brown also makes a strong impression on the young black Sheffield Parker. The Parker family continues on to New Antrim, where Sheff and his Uncle Jem become soldiers in the Arkansas army. John Brown refuses to join any army -- too much cursing -- but he is willing to settle by the junction of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers and to shoot any slavecatchers that come along. After Henry Clay is sworn in as President, his administration's agenda is dictated mostly by the Southern states. John C. Calhoun becomes the Secretary of War and promptly orders the US Army to invade the Arkansas Confederacy. Since Driscol has been expecting this war for several years, the invasion is not quite as easy as the Clay administration expects. Young Sheff Parker emerges as a hero in this conflict. This novel starts out with violence and works its way up to war. Yet this invasion up the Arkansas River is much smaller and shorter than the Civil War in our timeline. Still, the next volume may well relate a continuing and more widespread war. Highly recommended for Flint fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the American frontier during the early nineteenth century, with many of the heroes and villains of that era, yet without the Trail of Tears. -Arthur W. Jordin Comment \| \| (Report this) Back To Top
1824: The Arkansas War Available from Amazon Price: $7.99 Updated on 6-20-2008.

NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.

We offer 1824: The Arkansas War and other related Arkansas History Books here at Rbookshop.com. To view more books about Arkansas History please use the previous and next buttons near the top of this page.