Lewis Wetzel was an important participant in the 20 year war in the late 18th century between the woodland Indian nations and the settlers of western Pennsylvania, western Virginia, and Kentucky--called the Boone of northwestern Virginia. The novel is based mainly on actual incidents and features the rich history of the upper Ohio River valley. It is a balanced portrait of frontier warfare that exhibits the courage and skill of the Native Americans defending their territory and the determination of the frontiersmen trying to establish homesteads.