The Young Trailers

The Young Trailers plunges into the perilous Kentucky frontier, where boys grow into men amid war, wilderness, and the hard work of settlement. Joseph A. Altsheler follows Henry and his companions as they help raise Wareville, a fortified log town with blockhouses, a triple palisade, and a well inside the walls, all built to survive a world shaped by danger and resolve. As Henry learns to hunt, ride, and read the forest under Ross and Shif'less Sol, he discovers both the thrill of adventure and the moral unease of killing in a land where survival depends on it. The story's action intensifies in clashes with the Shawnees, including a brutal night battle, desperate rescues, and a final assault broken by disciplined rifle fire. Henry's care for the wounded Paul and John Ware's fear for his son deepen the human cost of frontier conflict. Yet the novel also celebrates triumph: fertile fields yielding wheat, corn, and gardens, and journeys through cathedral-like forests, open prairies, and wild rivers that awaken Henry's longing for the untamed world. Courage, loyalty, and endurance drive this vivid coming-of-age tale. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.