Young Anthony Wayne climbed on top of the barricade—triumphant, waving his grandfather's old rusty sword. Indians had chased him through the rooms of his grandfather's stone house. Now with his cornstalk gun he had shot them dead on the staircase. It didn't matter that the "Indians" were his four cousins and that he was only playing his favorite game of "Grandfather." Anthony was a brave and fearless fighter—no one could say that he wasn't.

  It was the year 1753 and Pennsylvania stirred with the threat of an Indian war. The Delawares lurked in the woods around Anthony's father's farm on Sugartown Pike, watching him and his cousins as they swam and rode their ponies. But the boys were too busy entertaining their cousin David from Philadelphia to notice them. They taught David how to play "Grandfather" and how to gallop over the farm. They even tried to make him pet Anthony's tame rattlesnake. David was a shy little boy, and Anthony often grew impatient with him when he would not join in all their lively games. But when David saved Anthony from being kidnapped by an Indian they became fast friends. Now Anthony knew that David was brave, too, only in a different way.

  One day the boys and their cousins rode their ponies up to the top of a mountain near Sugartown Pike. As they stopped to look over the beautiful green countryside, a shot rang out in the forest. David's pony bolted off down one of the most treacherous trails on the mountain. The boys were frightened—all except Anthony. He crawled to the very edge of a big rock that hung over the trail. He dropped off right in front of David's runaway pony, broke a branch from a tree, and began to wave it wildly to stop the animal. His first thought was for his cousin. After the pony was halted and David was rescued, Anthony's cousins all cheered his brave and daring act which had saved the smaller boy.

  All his life Anthony was to be brave and daring. When he served in the Revolutionary War on the staff of the Commander-in-chief, George Washington usually chose him to lead difficult attacks against the British. He knew the young general had the courage and daring needed to ensure victory. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, as the reckless general was called by his men, was famous for his capture of Stony Point. Later, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, he defeated the Indians and made a treaty of peace that paved the way for the peaceful development of the Northwest Territory. He was an American the young nation admired and honored.

  Anthony Wayne: Daring Boy is Augusta Stevenson's thirteenth book for the Childhood of Famous Americans Series, a notable record for a notable writer. Her expert storytelling makes of Anthony Wayne's childhood a book all children will enjoy. A robust and exciting tale of a brave lad who became one of America's most fearless military leaders, it is indeed a welcome addition to the series.

From the dust jacket