Picture of author.

Francis Parkman (1823–1893)

Author of The Oregon Trail

145+ Works 5,083 Members 42 Reviews 8 Favorited

About the Author

Early in his youth, this Boston-born historian was infected with what he called (in language offensive to today's readers) "Injuns on the brain." For the rest of his life, he dedicated himself to writing what he had called at the age of 18 "a history of the American forest." In 1846, following the show more completion of his studies at Harvard College, he set out in company with a cousin on an expedition from St. Louis over the Oregon Trail to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, a journey that brought him into close contact with the Lakota Indians. Back in Boston, he turned the journal that he had kept on the trail into a series of sketches that were published in the Knickerbocker Magazine and afterwards as a book, The California and Oregon Trail, Being Sketches of Prairie and Rocky Mountain Life (1849), now better known by the abbreviated title of a later revised edition, The Oregon Trail. By this time, Parkman had well underway the historical work that would occupy him during the rest of his life, an account of the French and English in North America, the first installment of which was his History of the Conspiracy of Pontiac and the War of the North American Tribes against the English Colonies, published in 1851. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Reproduction Number LC-USZ61-97

Series

Works by Francis Parkman

The Oregon Trail (1849) 2,056 copies
Montcalm and Wolfe (1884) 378 copies
The Oregon Trail (1849) 112 copies
The Old Regime in Canada (1902) 53 copies
A half-century of conflict (1892) 47 copies
Francis Parkman's works (1898) 15 copies
The Parkman Reader (1955) 9 copies
The Seven years War (1968) 5 copies
The Journals of Francis Parkman, Volume I (1947) — Author — 4 copies
Vassall Morton (2012) 4 copies
Oregon Trail in Slipcase (2008) 3 copies
Rivals for America (2010) 2 copies
Works of Francis Parkman (2013) 2 copies
The Oregon Trail (1944) 1 copy
The book of roses (2010) 1 copy

Associated Works

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

I’m not sure where or when I got this 1899 edition, but it has been sitting on my bookshelf now for quite a few years. I’m not really a history buff, but I was thinking this read would add to my knowledge of Acadian history, from whom I descend. But, as it turns out, this book mentioned only one instance of the Acadian people, and, of course, it was biased and incomplete: “In the next century [1690], some of the people of Acadia were torn from their homes by order of a British commander. The act was harsh and violent, and the innocent were involved with the guilty; but many of the sufferers had provoked their fate, and deserved it." (p. 190)

I didn’t find this read interesting at all and would have given it a one star, but I did give it the extra star because the author did not write in a pretentious manner at all. I could actually understand what I was reading. And hey, I did learn a thing or two.

This history was more about several governors, mainly Governor Frontenac, and Quebec and their relationships with the Indians and warring for territory against the new colony governors of New York and Massachusetts around the Great Lakes, and a little bit about their struggle for New England territory, especially Maine.

To remember Frontenac, he must have personally been a real ass. He and his wife never lived together. He showed up unannouced one evening in front of friends and asked for her company that evening, but she ran off crying and went into hysterics. She couldn't be consoled and they had to send for holy water to exorcise her.

She stayed back in the homeland country while he governed over Quebec in New France. When he died in 1698, he requested his heart be sent back to her in a silver box, but she refused it. She stated that if she couldn't have his heart in life, then what makes him think she wanted it in death?

He was a selfish and greedy governor, although respected by the natives. He befriended the natives and provided them with whiskey, arms and ammo in exchange for first rights to pelt trading, all in secrecy to advance his own coffers. The clergy and priests despised him. If anyone were to ever go against him and his words, they were thrown into prison, sometimes for months. He didn't care who you were. He quarreled with everyone so much that the king finally recalled him back to France for a few years. But, he was eventually sent back to governor over Quebec again to regain control and stability that had been lost while he was gone. It was this kind of ruling and experienced personality that was needed to win the battle over Quebec against the British from Massachusetts of the new colony. He regained a lot of respect, except, of course, from the clergies and priests. They just never got along because he was constantly in their business trying to tell them how to run things.

I guess old Frontenac was getting up there in age towards the end and still fighting wars. At one point, the Indian warriors actually carried him in a chair to fight a war, and, at the same time, the governor of Montreal, Callieres, disabled with gout, was mounted on a horse and carried to war. (p. 412) Now, imagine that! You sure wouldn't see that today.

The wars couldn’t have been won without the Indians. The Abenakis, a loose term for many tribes, sided with the French. And the Iroquois, the largest tribe and most untrustworthy and savage carnivores, sided mostly with the British. All tribes would usually be loyal to the one who continuously offered the largest purse of arms, ammunition, clothing and food to go into battle with them. They had no loyalty to any one nation because, truthfully, the French and the British, both used, lied to and abused their relationship with all the Indian tribes.

The author chose to center most of the reader’s attention on the abuse done by the French, but we know this went both ways. As the newly Christianized French Indians pillaged, tortured, scalped, chopped up and ate their prisoners of war, mainly avenging the Iroquois’s, a Canadian writer wrote, “It was the commission of Canada to propagate Christianity and civilization.” It was all political! It was all about claiming new territories! It was all a means to an end. This went both ways. The French as well as the new British colony leaders were very persuasive.

One thing to keep in mind, the French had the support of their king back on the homeland, whereas, the new colonies who had separated from their king did not have the financial support of money or troops to go around lavishing all the tribes with monetary gifts and starting all these little wars like the French in Canada. Each state, especially Massachusetts, had to decide if it was worth more debt to go into war. In the battle for Quebec, Massachusetts sent a letter back to the British King, asking for financial and troop support since this battle would impact not only the new colony but also would prop up the British territory. They refused. Massachusetts ended up losing 50,000 pounds in this lost battle for Quebec. They returned home and their soldiers and sailors wanted their pay. And for the first time in history, paper currency was issued by the state of Massachusetts.

At other times, the British king would send over troops preparing for battle somewhere up along the St. Lawrence River and into Canada or Nova Scotia and ask that each colony submit a certain number of troops to help with their battle. Most of the time, troops would be rounded up, but maybe not in the numbers that were asked for. The people of the colonies didn’t want to be bothered with wars that were not their own and didn’t involve them. It was almost impossible to round up funds and troops until necessity forced them. But, a few of the upper states, such as New York, Massachusetts and Maine, the states that were almost always in self-defense against attacks, would usually comply and pitch in a few men because their future might depend on the support of the British king at some point.

In the end, shortly after Frontenac’s death in 1698, leaders of all the tribes were gathered together to pledge a truce and peace to each other. All tribes were to bring their prisoners of war captured over the years and set them free. They all complied except the Iroquois, who showed up empty handed and promised to set them free when they returned home. They ate, drank, and partied with all the leaders. The French governor shook hands on this promise, but the Iroquois never set free one single captive and never again gained the confidences of the French.
… (more)
 
Flagged
MissysBookshelf | 3 other reviews | Aug 27, 2023 |
I’m not sure where or when I got this 1899 edition, but it has been sitting on my bookshelf now for quite a few years. I’m not really a history buff, but I was thinking this read would add to my knowledge of Acadian history, from which I descend. But, as it turns out, this book mentioned only one instance of the Acadian people, and, of course, it was biased and incomplete: “In the next century [1690], some of the people of Acadia were torn from their homes by order of a British commander. The act was harsh and violent, and the innocent were involved with the guilty; but many of the sufferers had provoked their fate, and deserved it." (p. 190)

I didn’t find this book interesting at all and would have given it a one star, but I did give it the extra star because the author did not write in a pretentious manner at all. I could actually understand what I was reading.

This history was more about several governors, mainly Governor Frontenac, and Quebec and their relationships with the Indians and warring for territory against the new colony governors of New York and Massachusetts around the Great Lakes, and a little bit about their struggle for New England territory, especially Maine.

To remember Frontenac, he must have personally been a real ass. He and his wife never lived together. He showed up unannouced one evening in front of friends and asked for her company that evening, but she ran off crying and went into hysterics. She couldn't be consoled and they had to send for holy water to exorcise her.

She stayed back in the homeland country while he governed over Quebec in New France. When he died in 1698, he requested his heart be sent back to her in a silver box, but she refused it. She stated that if she couldn't have his heart in life, then what makes him think she wanted it in death?

He was a selfish and greedy governor, although respected by the natives. He befriended the natives and provided them with whiskey, arms and ammo in exchange for first rights to pelt trading, all in secrecy to advance his own coffers. The clergy and priests despised him. If anyone were to ever go against him and his words, they were thrown into prison, sometimes for months. He didn't care who you were. He quarreled with everyone so much that the king finally recalled him back to France for a few years. But, he was eventually sent back to governor over Quebec again to regain control and stability that had been lost while he was gone. It was this kind of ruling and experienced personality that was needed to win the battle over Quebec against the British from Massachusetts of the new colony. He regained a lot of respect, except, of course, from the clergies and priests. They just never got along because he was constantly in their business trying to tell them how to run things.

I guess old Frontenac was getting up there in age towards the end and still fighting wars. At one point, the Indian warriors actually carried him in a chair to fight a war, and, at the same time, the governor of Montreal, Callieres, disabled with gout, was mounted on a horse and carried to war. (p. 412) Now, imagine that! You sure wouldn't see that today.

The wars couldn’t have been won without the Indians. The Abenakis, a loose term for many tribes, sided with the French. And the Iroquois, the largest tribe and most untrustworthy and savage carnivores, sided mostly with the British. All tribes would usually be loyal to the one who continuously offered the largest purse of arms, ammunition, clothing and food to go into battle with them. They had no loyalty to any one nation because, truthfully, the French and the British, both used, lied to and abused their relationship with all the Indian tribes.

The author chose to center most of the reader’s attention on the abuse done by the French, but we know this went both ways. As the newly Christianized French Indians pillaged, tortured, scalped, chopped up and ate their prisoners of war, mainly avenging the Iroquois’s, a Canadian writer wrote, “It was the commission of Canada to propagate Christianity and civilization.” It was all political! It was all about claiming new territories! It was all a means to an end. This went both ways. The French as well as the new British colony leaders were very persuasive.

One thing to keep in mind, the French had the support of their king back on the homeland, whereas, the new colonies who had separated from their king did not have the financial support of money or troops to go around lavishing all the tribes with monetary gifts and starting all these little wars like the French in Canada. Each state, especially Massachusetts, had to decide if it was worth more debt to go into war. In the battle for Quebec, Massachusetts sent a letter back to the British King, asking for financial and troop support since this battle would impact not only the new colony but also would prop up the British territory. They refused. Massachusetts ended up losing 50,000 pounds in this lost battle for Quebec. They returned home and their soldiers and sailors wanted their pay. And for the first time in history, paper currency was issued by the state of Massachusetts.

At other times, the British king would send over troops preparing for battle somewhere up along the St. Lawrence River and into Canada or Nova Scotia and ask that each colony submit a certain number of troops to help with their battle. Most of the time, troops would be rounded up, but maybe not in the numbers that were asked for. The people of the colonies didn’t want to be bothered with wars that were not their own and didn’t involve them. It was almost impossible to round up funds and troops until necessity forced them. But, a few of the upper states, such as New York, Massachusetts and Maine, the states that were almost always in self-defense against attacks, would usually comply and pitch in a few men because their future might depend on the support of the British king at some point.

In the end, shortly after Frontenac’s death in 1698, leaders of all the tribes were gathered together to pledge a truce and peace to each other. All tribes were to bring their prisoners of war captured over the years and set them free. They all complied except the Iroquois, who showed up empty handed and promised to set them free when they returned home. They ate, drank, and partied with all the leaders. The French governor shook hands on this promise, but the Iroquois never set free one single captive and never again gained the confidences of the French.
… (more)
 
Flagged
MissysBookshelf | 3 other reviews | Aug 27, 2023 |
9 volume set. $100. Conspiracy of Pontiac and Indian War Vol I & II, Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV, The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century, LaSalle and the Discovery of the GREAT WEST,Montcalm and Wolfe Vol I and II, The Pioneers of France in the New World, The Old Regime in Canada.
 
Flagged
susangeib | Aug 24, 2023 |
 
Flagged
CynthiaAdler | 20 other reviews | Aug 30, 2021 |

Lists

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
145
Also by
5
Members
5,083
Popularity
#4,919
Rating
3.9
Reviews
42
ISBNs
341
Languages
4
Favorited
8

Charts & Graphs