Unlikely General: "Mad" Anthony Wayne and the Battle for America

Stockwell (history, Lourdes Univ.; The Other Trail of Tears) writes the biography of Gen. Anthony Wayne (1745–96), who, according to the author, solidified President George Washington's legacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. After a crushing defeat in southern Ohio, where almost 1,000 soldiers under the command of Gen. Arthur St. Clair died at the hands of Native Americans, Washington was forced to replace St. Clair with someone who could keep the army alive while violently clashing with indigenous peoples as they claimed the land for settlement between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. To the chagrin of Congress, that man was Wayne, an alcoholic who had been thrown out of congressional office for voter fraud. Here, Stockwell amplifies Wayne's voice and accomplishments, exploring his virtually unknown origins to his rise as a figure to study more closely. Because Stockwell tends to make assumptions about his subjects' emotions and feelings, the book reads more like a popular history than an academic treatise. Though engaging, the narrative needs more grounding in historical context.