This thoroughly researched account of John Smith T is much more than a biography. The reader is introduced to an unsettling chapter in American history when the thirst for wealth and power resulted in treachery, murder, and warfare under the guise of westward expansion for the common good. Insight is offered into the ties between Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas power brokers as well as the inablility of the Federal Government to control land-grabbing conspiracies. "Frontier Swashbuckler" paints and intirely different picture of early settlement than the noble mountain man and covered wagon we're more familiar with.

This book is a MUST read for those interested in USA and/or Missouri frontier history. Dr. Steward has a penchant to use highly descriptive word usage, which adds greatly to the reader's learning experience.

Dr. Steward explores the code duello as it developed in Missouri. Were the roots of violence in Missouri persuaded by the South's chivalry, or by the individuality of the new frontiersmen in the area? As Steward so eloquently describes, the new form of violence was a combination of the two, and the roots can still be prevlently seen today.