Eagle's Cry: A Novel of the Louisiana Purchase

of the 18th century & the start of the new one. It is a good jumping off point for this prequel to David Nevin's novel, 1812. It is written four years later but his style is unmistakable. It is 608 pages long. Since it is told like a story, I felt the unabridged audio version was the best way to go. The presidential camapaign of 1800 may have been the vilest & mean-sprited in our history. It also effected a major change in our constitution. No longer would the runner-up in the presidential race become vice president as had previously been the case. It just became be too politically dificult for the president to have his major opponent sitting as president of the Senate. It was the final step into full blown political parties & conventions that we now have. Interestingly, there is no mention of political parties or conventions in our constitution as a way to nominate a presidential canidate. There are two major plots in this novel that are connected. The first is an expedition clear accross the continent to the Pacific. First mentioned in 1795 by Thomas Jefferson to his neighbor back home in Virginia. This became the Lewis & Clark Expedition of 1804-06. That neighbor was Merriweather Lewis, a Major, U.S. Army. It was a trip to the moon by today's standards. The other plot line was a the fate of New Orleans. Spanish? French?American? It was nominally owned by Spain who could not hold it much longer & everyone knew that. Much depended on the war in Europe. There was currently a truce as Naploloen pondered an invasion of England. There was a slave revolt in the French Colony of Haiti. France sent 25,000 troops. It was also a conveniant jumping off point to invade New Orleans. The United States also needed New Orleans for it controlled the Mississippi River, gateway to the vast interior of the continent, owned, at this time by France. America could not have resisted the French alone. They would need the British Navy. The British were eager to help the Americans. That would have reduced America to a vassel state beholden to England & hastened the sucession of New England ( & New York) from the rest of the union. It never came to that of course. As it turned out Napoloen lost his entire 25,000 man army in Haiti to the heat, disease & fierce native resistance. They never returned. He rethought his plan to send another 25,000 men to New Orleans. As all this was going on Major Lewis was obsessing over the expedition. He finally got the go ahead from President Jefferson. It was at first a secret. The expedition would be tresspaasing through French territory. Lewis felt it would be a long shot that the French would kmow about it much less find him. Through-out this history lesson is the drama of the personal lives of Lewis, Jefferson, James & Dolly Madison, Vice President Aaron Burr, John Ouincy Adams etc. & many fictious characters to advance the plots. What is happening in New Orleans or Paris or Washinton D.C.? The tension

Although he took some creative license when developing the characters and the dialog for Eagle's Cry and 1812, David Nevin generated more interest for me in the early years of our country then years of history in school could ever hope to accomplish. You can really appreciate the trials our young nation faced with this "great experiment" called democracy after reading his books. Because of books like this (and Jeff & Michael Shaara's for the Civil War Era), I've bought numerous other books that have helped humanize the early history of our country in my mind.

I read his other novel "1812" and was so impressed that I purchased this one as well and was not disappointed.His novels give you a ground level perspective of historical events that otherwise, to be honest, would be rather dry. I'm more of a Civil War buff, but his novels about the Lousiana Purchase and the War of 1812 got me a bit excited about those time periods.If you want to learn the ins and outs of these murky and oft-overlooked periods of American history and get a picture of just how important they were to who we now are, AND still have an entertaining read, then these are the books for you.

What wonderful timing David Nevin has had with this book. If you think our political times are crazy now (the election of 11/2000), take a dive into the politics of 1800-1804. Tomas Jefferson withstood Aaron Burr's attempt to gain the Presidency through chicanery and then set out to build a new nation based on principals different from the preceeding Federalist administration of John Adams. The book is written in first person which qualifies it as a novel, as no one knows the exact conversations that were actually held. Yet, the people, places, and actions are all historical and quite facinating. Mr. Nevin puts all the pieces of the puzzle together quite nicely and it all makes for a truly great read.

I find David Nevin's books very easy to read and enjoy. I loved 1812 and was not disappointed with Eagle's Cry. The story is of the Lousiana Purchase. The Madisons, Jefferson, Aaron Burr, Merriweather Lewis and Andrew Jackson are all in this story. They come alive and make the story. I have a friend who calls historical novels "cheap history." Enjoyable story and I can't wait for the sequel.