Captain of the Revolution: Colonel J.F. Hamtramck, His Life and Times, Volume One (1756–1783)
Frontier Major: Colonel J.F. Hamtramck, His Life and Times, Volume Two (1783–1791)
By William L. Otten, Jr.
400/477 pages, 6” X 9”, softcover: $23.95/$24.95
Reviewed by Bill Scurlock
Parallel in time to the story of Simon Girty is the story of another important figure who served the American cause during the Revolutionary War and was to become second in command of the United States Regiment in the years after the war. John Francis Hamtramck has been a forgotten figure in American history, but author William L. Otten, Jr., spent 20 years researching the story of this American hero, and these two volumes bring that story to light.
Born in Quebec in 1756, Hamtramck joined the U.S. cause on September 15, 1775. From that point, the author tells of Hamtramck’s career in the army in a concise but thoroughly interesting account. Through each major section of these books, Otten provides the background and strategic situations of the forces at war. So, you get an overall view along with the details of Hamtramck’s career.
Volume One deals with the formative years of Hamtramck’s life, from his birth in 1756 to the end of the Revolution in 1783. Volume Two deals with the middle years of his career, from 1783 to 1791. As the author states, “Those were the years when he moved to the frontier, years in which he matured into a seasoned, field grade officer. They were also years of terror, for Indian warriors scalped soldiers and civilians with equal ruthlessness. The tempo of the terror gradually escalated until no alternative remained but unrestricted, all-out war.”
Col. Otten was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and learned of the Wyoming Massacre and Sullivan’s Trail at an early age. He’s been a student of the early frontier ever since. After serving 30 years in the Marine Corps and Air Force, he taught at Midwestern University for five years. He first became acquainted with Col. Hamtramck in 1976 while doing research for a master’s degree and has continued this research to the present time.
These are two more excellent books for your Revolutionary War and early frontier library. I enjoyed them and found them well organized and easy to read. You may order them from the author/publisher at: William L. Otten, Jr., PO Box 1488, Port Aransas TX 78373.
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