Kittanning

In the brutal crucible of the mid-18th century North American frontier, where the French and Indian War rages, emerges the gripping tale of Kittanning: A Baptism of Fire. This historical fiction thrusts Scottish-born surgeon Hugh Mercer into the heart of a devastating conflict: the Kittanning Raid of September 1756. A man of intellect and learning, Mercer finds his European sensibilities challenged by the raw savagery of frontier warfare and the moral complexities of a punitive expedition against the Lenape (Delaware) village of Kittanning. As whispers of retribution fill the stifling air of Fort Shirley, Mercer, bound by duty, embarks on a relentless march deep into the Allegheny wilderness alongside Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong's provincial forces. Haunted by grim counsel from the seasoned frontiersman Lachlan MacLeod, Mercer struggles with his role as a healer amidst impending carnage. Meanwhile, unknown to the approaching forces, the skilled Lenape warrior Memechen, intimately connected to the land, senses their coming, preparing his people for a desperate defense. When dawn breaks, Kittanning explodes into a maelstrom of fire and blood, forcing Mercer from surgeon to desperate survivor. Through his eyes, and the interwoven perspectives of those whose lives intersect with his-from the steadfast quartermaster Philemon Thorpe to the cynical private Silas Crane-the novel delves into the profound misunderstandings and brutal realities of clashing cultures, where survival means shedding idealism and confronting the deepest psychological tolls of war. Kittanning is a meticulously crafted, multi-perspective narrative that immerses the reader in an unforgiving landscape where the echoes of conflict forever shape those who endure.