Dick Steward

John Smith T was a legendary entrepreneur in Tennessee and Missouri between the 1790s and his death in 1836. He struggled for material gain against Sam Houston, Moses Austin, Andrew Jackson and many others. He led at least one filibustering expedition into what is today Texas to provoke a rebellion against Spain. He was marginally involved in the Aaron Burr conspiracy. But at least in legend, his greatest feats were as a duellist. He was very well known to authors and readers trying to creat an American folk identity both before and after the American Civil War, but his fortunes as a cultural icon fell on hard times about 1900 and have never recovered. Since Smith T left no cache of personal papers, the author has a difficult time sorting fact from fiction concerning his subject's life. But his choices seem sound so that Steward with this book has made an important contribution to our knowledge about the Mississippi Valley frontier some two centuries ago.… (mehr)