John Underhill, Captain of New England and Netherland

This magnificent and seminal biography of one of the most controversial and influential figures of the early colonial period of New England and New Netherland stands on a par with Boswell's Johnson, taking the reader through John Underhill's extraordinary ancestors and the political, religious, military, and adventurous milieu surrounding this energetic military and administrative master. The work directly confronts Underhill's most criticized and notorious acts as a military commander in both English New England and Dutch New Netherland, as well as his earned and unearned reputation for political opportunism. In the end, Jon Underhill's impact on the development of early Massachusetts and its neighboring colonies and the government and society of New Netherland cannot be overstated. Any student of this period and these colonies should reach this engaging work.