Customer Reviews

Gateway to Empire

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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Gateway to Empire

I recently finished reading all six books in Allan Eckert's Winning of America Series.

My advice is to read them in the order they were written, which, except for the first book, is the sequence the actual events occurred. This will help put events regarding the westward expansion of America, in context. If you read The Frontiersmen first, you'll likely be "hooked" on this series.

The six books were written in this order, with the number of pages in the hardcover versions:

The Frontiersmen; 626 pages, March 1770 to October 1813
Wilderness Empire; 653 pages, June 1730 to December 1760
The Conquerors; 720 pages, July 1759 to December 1764
The Wilderness War; 496 pages, July 1763 to September 1779
Gateway to Empire; 688 pages, April 1769 to August 1812
Twilight of Empire; 587 pages, January 1801 to August 1832

The amount of detailed research conducted by Eckert in order to write even one of these historically accurate, and detailed accounts, was incredible. That he did that six times over is simply astounding. We collectively owe him a debt of gratitude for documenting how American leaders "used trickery, warfare, purchase, theft, and treaty" to acquire virtually all Indian lands east of the Mississippi.

There is some story duplication between Frontiersmen and Gateway to Empire, since they cover nearly the same time-frame and a primary figure in both books is Tecumseh (the brilliant Shawnee war chief). However, each book focuses on events occurring in different parts of the country.

In spite of how good this series is, here is a word of caution: to accurately describe what actually happened, some chapters contain graphic depictions of horrific acts of violence. E.g., even though my wife reads several books per week and is an American history buff, she was unable to get through even one of these Indian stories. It was too much for her to read about mutilation and other brutality perpetrated by the Indians on "whites" and other Indians, and by some whites on Indians. (Actually, by the time I was half-way through the series, I was skimming over some particularly gruesome paragraphs.) If reading about such things won't give you nightmares, these books are terrific history lessons and great stories.

Even though many people of the era considered them savages, these stories have instances of Indians showing kindness, friendship, and great respect, towards some whites. In Gateway to Empire, for example, several Indian chiefs protected a white trader and his family from certain death after hostilities broke out, because he had been a trusted friend of theirs for many years.

For those wanting to better understand where Eckert got such information, there are hundreds of referenced "amplification notes" and a detailed index, in each book.

Allan Eckert does wonders with history. He writes about the people who make history, not just events that happened. This series, "Winning of America", is outstanding!

This book isn't as strong as some of Eckert's others, but as a part of his series, (and for a book that was previously out of print) I'd strongly recommend it.

I had read Frontiersmen, Tecumseh and Dark and Bloody River, and preferred them easily to this book, but still enjoyed it, and have re-read it many times.

Gateway to Empire is a super excellent story and at the same time historically accurate. It should be required reading and a subject of student discussion in the public schools.I am sure we would be unpleasantly surprised by our students ignorance of how this country was won. Also it does not take sides between the Whites and the Indians. It just provides the facts and lets one make up ones own mind. As author Eckert says- There were villains and heroes on both sides. Eckert is to be applauded loudly for his hard work and research. He also has a great deal of writing talent. In spite of the authors neutrality,I suspect he, as I, come down on the side of the Indians,although there is no doubt they were brutal savages. Regards,J.W.Robinson

I read this entire series years ago when first published,and have returned intermittently to individual volumes.This is history on the grand scale with vividly drawn characters, dramatic storylines and an epic, almost Homeric sense of historic unfolding. Even the footnotes are fascinating as he details the sites of many of these events some of which I visited with a sense of wonderment that it really happened here.I always felt it to be the American analog of Jan Morris' "Pax Britannica",the still revered and equally evenhanded classic of Britain's colonial history. My only regret is that unlike "Pax britannica" I did not purchase the boxed set when available.

This book lets you in on the dealings of Tecumseh with more details. The records of the decisions of the military commanding officers are astounding. As I was reading the events I wanted to kick somebody for getting so many people killed.

I only rate this book a 4, because the first book in the series, "The Frontiersman" is the best, and I rated it a 5. But really, this book is great reading.