Pioneer, fur trader, and frontier diplomat, Christopher Gist, the first Colonial explorer of the Ohio territory, is also Annosanah - speaker of true words. In spite of his Wyandot title, he knows he must deceive the very Indians who have named him. In the guise of an emissary inviting the Ohio tribes to a conference, he searches the Ohio Valley for land best suited for white settlement. On this first journey in 1750 for the Ohio Company, he seeks to replace his lost inheritance through land speculation, thus setting the stage for the eventual displacement of these Indian people. In the next decade, France and England fight the last of the French and Indian Wars. A willing participant, Gist sees the destruction of his home, a stormy relationship with an arrogant young George Washington whose life he twice saves, a fiasco at Fort Necessity, and the annihilation of General Braddock's Redcoats. But this life of adversity only prepares him for the most challenging task any frontiersman could face: liaison between two peoples as different as the worlds from which they come.
"THIS STORY IS A WINNER"
"Some lovers of history are wary of historical novels because they aver that 'it is hard to know where history ends and the novel begins'. This issue will not surface when the reader enters the world of Christopher Gist as portrayed by Christian Wig. In ANNOSANAH . . . Mr. Wig consistently remains close to the historical record, yet he richly embellishes the onsite action and inter-personal relations with a fertile - but authentic - imagination.
"Christopher Gist is one frontier scout who has caught the fancy of lovers of the colonial period; deservedly so. His reputation will surely be enhanced by the efforts of Christian Wig. At the same time, readers will be introduced to this remarkable, multi-talented personality in a new, more complete way."
Allen Powell, Professor Emeritus HCC
Author: Christopher Gist: Frontier Scout, Maryland and the French and Indian War, Forgotten Heroes of the Maryland Frontier
Christian Wig
(2004, 2006), 2015, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, 280 pp.
ISBN: 9780788431951
101-W3195
