TO OUR READERS:

The people you will meet in the story of the mysterious swamp rider lived quite a long time ago — when our country was very young. The American Colonies were fighting to become the United States. The War for Independence was almost won.

Captain Canolles was the leader of a band of Virginia swamp riders. The swamp riders were soldiers, but they did not belong to the United States Army. They fought to protect their homes. Their battles were with enemy troops which raided many Virginia homes and towns. In this way they helped to win the War for Independence.

This is an adventure story. It does not stop to tell much about the people of those days and how they lived. Some parts of the story may seem strange unless you have read other books about those days. You may wonder why the officers and soldiers were so polite. In those days people took time to be polite, even in war. An officer was supposed to be a man of honor as well as a gentleman. He was expected to keep his word to a foe as well as to a friend.

The soldier's code of honor was well known to the man who first wrote the story of Canolles. This man lived about a hundred years ago. His name was John Esten Cooke. He served on the staff of General Stuart in our War between the States. After Stuart's death he served with General Lee. He knew every foot of soil in the Virginia valley that he wrote about. He also knew all about how people lived at the time of our War for Independence.

Knowing about people of those days makes it easier to understand the story. It makes it more interesting too. That is why LIFE IN THE YOUNG REPUBLIC has been written. It tells interesting facts about people who lived in the time of Canolles. It explains how they lived and why they did not use such things as flashlights or automobiles. These facts will help also when you read other stories about the War for Independence or about people who lived in the days when the United States was a young republic. 

From the book