Rattlesnake Colonel


Book Description

Thomas Cresap’s life serves as a primer on Colonial American history. In addition to being at the forefront of the contentious border conflicts between the colonies of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, he played a part in the French and Indian War, Pontiac’s Rebellion, and the American Revolution as an officer in the Maryland militia. Cresap was an active member of the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly, the Committee of Observation, the Sons of Liberty, and the Ohio Company of Virginia. Few individuals did more, over such a long period of time, to further America’s westward expansion into the Ohio Valley than Thomas Cresap, and his personal relationships with many of the most influential men of his time helped shape the frontier. Despite all his positive contributions, Cresap was not always held in high regard by everyone. In Pennsylvania he was considered a quarrelsome and lawless ruffian known as the “Maryland Monster,” and many in the British army discounted Cresap as a “Rattlesnake Colonel.” However, settlers in Western Maryland regarded Cresap as a folk hero, and the Six Nations of the Iroquois affectionately called him “Big Spoon” for his generosity. In reality, Cresap was many things, including a frontiersman, soldier, trailblazer, ferryman, land speculator, trader, surveyor, politician, patriot, husband, and father. Drawn from Colonial land records, legislative proceedings, journals, and personal correspondence, Rattlesnake Colonel chronicles Thomas Cresap’s controversial life and narrates the complicated political and military conflicts of eighteenth-century Colonial America in a comprehensive yet understandable way.




Rattlesnakes


Book Description




Notes and Queries


Book Description




The First Frontier


Book Description










The Athenæum


Book Description




The Athenaeum


Book Description




The DeVine Devils


Book Description

"...a dizzying adventure. One that deals with life, death, humor, loss, prejudice, love, and of course, music. I very simply loved it." - Eric Church It's the 1800's, a time when the Wild West earned its name. Young brothers Audie and Shane DeVine have settled into life with their missionary father at an Apache camp when they barely escape a brutal massacre by the US Army. Swearing vengeance, they spend the next decade of their lives with the Apache, honing their skills in music and in fighting with deadly accuracy. The DeVine Devils unwittingly become the most famous band of their time, thundering out a rhythm on guitar and drums that brings them notoriety, whiskey, women, and trouble. Will the brothers abandon their promise of revenge for a life of fame and fortune? Or will they use their talents to execute savage retribution? Follow the DeVine Devils on their dangerous and dark journey filled with colorful characters and compelling music. This adventurous tale will have you hoping the words and music never stop. "Jeremy does an amazing job of using that [musical] bond as a backbone to a dizzying adventure--one that deals with life, death, humor, loss, prejudices, love, and of course music. I very simply loved it." -Eric Church, Country Music Artist "The DeVine Devils is an exceptionally well-written and fantastically entertaining novel. Jeremy Spillman shines as an author with this release, pushing forward a fast-moving and wholly engrossing narrative, particularly in the dialogue of his characters. The plot is original, something that's not easy to find when talking about Western literature. "-- Readers' Favorite "Prolific country songwriter Spillman moves into narrative fiction with a unique spin on the Wild West genre, combining outlaw violence with rock-star fame. . . Nonstop action, with two murderous heroes that Western fans will love."--Kirkus Reviews "I read Jeremy Spillman's book because I know him and am a fan of his as a songwriter and as a man. I also love westerns although they usually disappoint me as they are often formulaic and have no interesting female characters. I may have opened Jeremy's book with a sigh of trepidation, but I closed it with a sigh of true disappointment that it was over. It is funny, unpredictable, musical, mysterious and yes! There are strong female characters! Badass even! You will not have read another Western like it! Enjoy!" -- Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award Winning Actress and Film Producer "I've been a fan of Jeremy Spillman as a songwriter for as long as I can remember. Like his songs, his debut book illustrates the perfect landscape across the imagination. You can almost feel the midwestern heat on your skin. The DeVine DeVils is a fresh new story, yet reads like an American classic we've all grown up with." -- John Osborne, Country Music Band Brothers Osborne "I grew up in Arizona and I devoured every Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour book ever written. Jeremy has taken that genre which I loved so much and added a new exciting energy! The characters were so dangerous and likable all at the same time. I never quite knew where it was going, which was so appealing to me as a reader. I was blown away. I seriously loved it."-- Ted Danson, Emmy Award Winning Actor "Spillman has managed to take the classic Wild West genre and deliver an absolute page turner with a brand new spin. An intoxicating journey with two brothers who must learn to navigate love, lust, vengeance, violence, and even religion all with the only companion they know to trust . . . music." -- Brandon Lancaster, Country Rock Band LANCO Available where music is streamed and sold, the Devine Devils EP features songs written and produced by author and award-winning songwriter Jeremy Spillman and performed by the DeVine Devils. Also available is the full cast audiobook as narrated by Hall of Fame songwriter Dean Dillon. For more on this extraordinary literary and musical experience, visit www.jeremyspillman.com.




Ill-Starred General


Book Description

A rare combination of documented fact and good storytelling, Ill-Starred General is the biography of a much maligned man from one of history’s most vital eras. The career of Edward Braddock began during the court intrigues of Queen Anne and George I, gained momentum in continental military campaigns in the early 1750s, and ended abruptly in the rout of his American army near present-day Pittsburgh in 1755. This highly acclaimed biography reveals the man—and the politics—behind his defeat, one of the major setbacks to British imperial power in the American colonies. “Braddock was the first English general that Americans had ever seen in action, and although he lost his life fighting for them, they detested him...What [McCardell] has done is to replace a historical puppet with a credible human being, and...to explain how a carefully planned colonial expedition can go wrong.”—Naomi Bliven, The New Yorker “The breadth, depth and care of McCardell’s research on Ill-Starred General are amazing and delightful. He has labored with that fidelity which every honest historian must display and with that luck which crowns the efforts of the fortunate.”—George Swetnam, Pittsburgh Press “A first-rate biography.”—Lynn Montross, New York Times “A genial and readable interpretation that will revivify an important figure in early American history. It is the kind of well-documented book that will appeal to both the general reader and the historian.”—W. R. Jacobs, American Historical Review