This is a historical novel by Winston Churchill, the guy born in St. Louis and who lived in Cornish, NH, not to be confused with Sir Winston S. Churchill, the former British Prime Minister. The Cornish Churchill was a popular author around the turn of the 20th century. He wrote a number of historical novels, and then some which probed social problems. He's a quite good author and the three of his books that I have read are all engaging.

This book deals with the time around the time of the Revolution, as the colonialists expended from the coastal colonies into the interior. In order to secure Kentucky from the Native Americans, who were being roiled up by the British, it was important to cross the Ohio River and secure the so-called Northwest Territories, i.e. Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Once that had happened, there was the problem that the Spanish had taken over Louisiana from the French and had closed off New Orleans from the Americans. That meant the settlers in Kentucky and environs had no good trade route for their goods, i.e. tobacco, wheat and so forth.

So the book deals with moving into Kentucky, securing it from the Native Americans, then clearing the way to Louisiana. I didn't realize that the Spanish had seized control of Louisiana from the French, but apparently they did. As nearly as I can tell, the author did a fairly careful job of getting the basics of the history correct. He just gave it a human face by telling it through the life of someone who was allegedly involved.
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good