From the two-time Spur Award–winning author: a classic frontier epic of a young man raised to survive any battle in a wild, savage, untamed land . . .

Young Ethan Downer may not look old enough to shave, but he was raised by his father to survive a harsh, unsettled land crawling with enemies eager to spill his blood. When Ethan joins General St. Clair's troops on a hard march toward Ohio's Wabash River, his hard-won lessons will be put to the test like never before . . .

On a cold dawn in 1791, St. Clair's exhausted army awakes to find itself surrounded by a well-planned Indian ambush. As the battle wages fiercely, the outcome is clear—there is no hope for survival. It's a slaughter on a monumental level and only a desperate, futile plan might save a few lives. And Ethan Downer is unafraid to ride straight into the jaws of the enemy, guns blazing.

Praise for Jim R. Woolard

"An impressive writer . . . Good old-fashioned storytelling." —Cameron Judd, author of The Overmountain Men

"The seminal early frontier stories of James Fenimore Cooper have found a serious rival at last." —Loren D. Estleman, four-time Shamus Award–winning author

"Jim R. Woolard has done it again . . . A 'must read' for every historical fiction fan." —Ellen Recknor, Spur Award-winning author

"Woolard knows how to tell a damn good story." —Terry C. Johnston, award-winning author of the Titus Bass novels