Background to Glory [Paperback]

John Bakeless (Author), James P. Ronda (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1992

George Rogers Clark came out of Virginia to lead a frontier militia during the Revolutionary War. Fighting against the British and the Indians in the Illinois country, he scored impressive victories at Kaskaskia and Vincennes. His eventful life is brought to the fore in Background to Glory by John Bakeless, the author of Daniel Boone: Master of the Wilderness, also a Bison Book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In a new introduction, James Ronda judiciously assesses Clark's place in American history. A professor of history at the University of Tulsa, Ronda is the author of the widely acclaimed Lewis and Clark among the Indians (1984) and Astoria and Empire (1990).

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261055
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261051
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,891,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars George Rogers Clark, December 27, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Background to Glory (Paperback)

It looks, especially through Bakeless's eyes, as if George Rogers Clark got a bum deal near the end of his life: not only did he have to have his leg amputated after it was burned in an "accident" (he might have been drunk), but he was slandered by James Wilkerson which not only cost him his commission but his reputation as well.

Born in Virginia, Clark started out as a surveyor in the Ohio Valley. Traveling to Kentucky he became aware of British intrigue in that area and Illinois, much of it emanating from Detroit and involving compelling the Indians to harass the American settlers. Clark reported this to the Virginia authorities, who in 1777 sanctioned him to raise a small militia to fight the enemy in the Old Northwest. In the summer of 1778, he and his men were victorious at the British stronghold of Kaskaskia and then turned their attention to capturing Vincennes. In a brilliant and daring mid-winter march across the swamps of Illinois, Clark surprised the reinforcements at Vincennes (Fort Sackville) and captured the place. He hoped to move against Detroit next, but had to give it up when supplies ran low. But the Americans had won control of the Old Northwest.

Life was an anitclimax for Clark after the war until his "accident" and dispute with Wilkerson. Just about broke after that, he lived near Louisville until he died in 1818.

Bakeless captures the man well, but has a tendency to overstate Clark's position. There was also a dark side to Clark, stemming from his frontier culture, most notable in his hatred for the Indians. Personal habits, especially his drinking, are mentioned by Bakeless, but are downplayed. Clark was instrumental in securing the Old Northwest for America, but his military successes there were not the sole reasons for that conquest: diplomacy also played a big role. There's no doubt that Clark was the hero of Vincennes, but he was not, as Bakeless at times portrays him, as the sole hero of the Old Northwest. Regardless, Clark didn't get what he deserved at the end, and 100 years later the people of Vincennes raised a monument to him that still stands overlooking the Wabash where old Fort Sackville stood. Bakeless's biography is okay, but not the definitive work on Clark.