Unconquered is a novel written by Neil H. Swanson. Released in 1947, it recounts the "conspiracy of the Pontiac". It was written in conjunction with the 1947 movie of the same name.
Characters[]
- Captain Christopher Holden - a native of the Ohio Territory and captain of the Rangers who briefly left for England after his lover married his brother.
- Abigail Martha - an orphan woman living in Cerne Abbas described as being extremely independent and forward-thinking
- Martin Garth - an enemy of Captain Holden's
- John Fraser - an old friend of Captain Holden's
- Ellerby Pollexfen - an associate of Christopher Holden's who follows him back to America.
- Jeremy John Love - an indentured servant met by Abigail on the Star of London.
- Dave Bone - one of Martin Garth's lackeys
- Jake Hesselgart - one of Martin Garth's lackeys
- Hannah Garth - Martin's wife
- Killbuck - one of Garth's Native allies
- Diana Travers - Captain Holden's former lover
- Colonel George Washington
- Sir William Johnson - a member of the "Indian Department" with ties to the Ohio Company
- Captain Valentine Arnold
- Henry Bouquet
- Nehemiah Andrews - a Quaker with ties to the Ohio Company
- Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon
- Dan McCoy - a friend of Chris
- Captain Steele
- Joe Lovatt - a friend of Chris, killed during the crossing of the Nemacolin path
- Lieutenant Stair Campbell Carre - a friend of Chris
- Jackie Fraser - John Fraser's wife
- Jeffrey Hale - a young man living in Cerne Abbas described as being treated with "a kind of amused contempt" by the townspeople of Cerne Abbas. He is Abigail's brother.
- Selden Blount - a friend of Chris
- Captain Ehrlich
- Ten Eyck - a young teacher at Pitt's Town
- Leach - an indenture agent
- Oakley Siddell - a "crimp" for the East India Company
- Jude Ingle - The owner of the Angel who essentially serves as Abigail's adoptive father
- Wynn Lulorth - a cattle-buyer from Wareham
- Sir Bernard Grenfell - a king's justice
- Captain Brookes - the Star of London's captain
- Mr. Leach - a soul-driver on the Star of London
- Susannah Ingle
Publisher's summary[]
UNCONQUERED is a big, sweeping story of the Ohio River region of America in the mid-eighteenth century, when the Pontiac Conspiracy made the vast Pennsylvania wilderness a battleground for hard-bit colonists defending their homes against a coalition of merciless Indian tribes. Frequently the Indians were incited to slaughter by renegade whites who were trying to lay rapacious hands on the riches of the New World.
It is a tale of love and greed, of great daring and great disaster.
The story of UNCONQUERED starts in a little English village, moves on to London, crosses the Atlantic to Norfolk and on to Williamsburg. It reaches out into the beautiful and dangerous Ohio wilderness and rises to a roaring climax at the siege of Fort Pitt, where its characters are caught up in the violent forces which pioneered the land. In part UNCONQUERED is a powerful and exciting narrative of how one man called Martin Garth got control of more than seven and a half million acres of the Middle Border country. In part it is the story of the little people who were swept along in the huge conspiracy and of big men, famous or unsung-Washington, Sir William Johnson, or simply Captain Chris Holden, who carried the peace belts where no other dared to go.
UNCONQUERED is based on truth that startles belief. It is an amazing story, drawn from a period when the history of America was being lived by men and women capable of amazing deeds.
Plot[]
Chapters 1 and 2[]
Our story begins in the English town of Cerne Abbas. A young woman named Abigail Martha works/lives at an establishment known as "the Angel". Early one morning, Abigail steps outside of the establishment and finds her brother Jeffrey at work nearby as a cattle-buyer named Wynn Lulorth visits the Angel. As Abigail watches, one of the geldings of a nearby post-coach sprays Wynn with water. Assuming that Jeffrey was the one who did it, Wynn and the coachman savagely beat him before a crowd assemble. They pretend to throw him into the well (which drives terror in Jeff's heart) before beginning to drown him in a horse trough.
On seeing this, Abigail attacks Wynn and the assembled crowd with a warming-pan. Though Wynn wraps his arms around her and tries to assault her, Abigail is able to get him off her by pouring coals all over her and himself. Unfortunately, this begins a fire which quickly spreads to the Angel. Jude Ingle, the owner of the Angel (who also serves as effectively Abigail's foster father) helps Abigail as she tries to put out the fire. Abigail finds that the fire has destroyed her undergarments and that the assembled crowd is peeping at her. Jude also notices this and yells at them to leave. Wynn tries to say that Jude is in love with Abigail - leading to Jude beating him.
Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6[]
Abigail is brought into the Angel, where she thinks over what Wynn said. She worries that what Wynn said is true and that Jude's wife (along with Jude himself) will hate her. She decides to run away in the middle of the night but is found by Jeffrey. Jeffrey reveals that their uncle has died and left them a house in London. Abigail is overjoyed at the prospect of living in London.
While riding through the streets of London, Jeffrey and Abigail meet a seemingly friendly journalist named Oakley Siddell who guides them to their house. He then tries to get Jeffrey to sign some papers. Abigail realizes that the man is a "crimp" and tears the papers up and throws a brick at him. On looking at the house, Abigail is dismayed to learn that it is a dilapidated wreck - the corpse of a house. Though Jeffrey is extremely pessimistic, Abigail attempts to stay hopeful. That night, Abigail wakes up to find a mob trying to pressgang Jeff into working for the Company. Abigail strikes back at them (leading to one of them accidentally being killed) and runs into the street trying to get help after the pressgang smash Jeff in the head. Unfortunately, she is found by a night-watchman who assumes she is a prostitute and arrested.
Abigail is brought before a court to answer for the death of the man she accidentally killed. While in jail, Abigail learns that Jeff died of his injuries. The court refuses to even listen to her arguments and she is found guilty. Initially, the judge sentences her to be executed by hanging but decides to be lenient and sentences her to fourteen years of indentured servitude in America. After a brief meeting with Jude, Abigail's ship (the Star of London) begins its five week long voyage. While on the boat, Abigail befriends a fellow convict named Jeremy.
Chapters 7, 8, and 9[]
As the Star of London approaches America, a man named Christopher Holden wakes up in its bowels and thinks over his exit from America (precipitated by his lover marrying his brother), a massacre at Monongahela in 1755 by one "Seneca" and a mysterious figure known as "Martin Garth" whom he has been following before getting out of bed. While still in his room, Chris watches Abigail (whose name he does not know) before meeting with an associate of his named Mr. Pollexfen. The two talk about Garth and Chris' family.
Shortly after this, Chris watches as Garth tries to start a private auction to buy Abigail before the Star of London makes landfall. To anger Garth, Chris tries to buy Abigail during this auction and actually manages to win Abigail. After this sale and as the Star moves across the coast of Virginia, Chris and Pollexfen talk about how Chris' estranged lover will think of this.
Chapter 10, 11, and 12[]
After buying Abigail, Chris leaves the Star by canoe and visits his old family home - leaving Abigail outside while he enters. Once inside, he finds his old lover Diana within. She reveals that she has separated from Chris' brother and wants him to bring her to a ball. Chris purposefully avoids introducing Diana to Abigail and (after leaving the house) finds that Abigail has fled.
The next day, the Star of London arrives in Norfolk and attracts a large crowd. Holden wakes up in a market-house and discovers that Mr. Pollexfen has already left the ship. He also learns that he has a letter from one "John Fraser". While opening the letter, Chris spots Garth meeting with one of his lackeys (Dave Bone) and argues with the two of them. After this argument, Chris meets with an indenture agent named Leach and convinces the agent to mark Abigail as being freed by him despite her status as a murderer.
Chapters 13, 14, and 15[]
After returning to his cabin, Captain Holden reads the letter from Pollexfen (which reveals that he has left for a tour of the local region and will reunite with Chris in three months' time in Philadelphia) and from John Fraser (which perplexes him, though he is able to make out most of what it means - that he has received the letter than Chris sent him from London and that something big and disastrous is to take place, presumably in the Conococheague settlement) before returning to the deck of the Star. While on the deck, he is noticed by Abigail and reveals that he plans to free her. While they are talking, Diana rides up to the Star in a longboat and notices the two talking. Diana (barely) hides her anger at this and leaves with Chris. Once they have left, Abigail briefly talks with Jeremy - who tells her to visit Leach. While the two talk, Garth visits Leach and attempts to buy off all the crew members - including Abigail. At first, Leach refuses to allow Garth to buy the young woman but Garth threatens the indenture agent seemingly into doing it.
While riding through the James River, Chris and Diana (with a slave named Jez'bel seemingly asleep in the longboat) talk about their possible relationship before briefly stopping near a plantation that Chris plans to make thrive alongside an old slave named Jason (whom Chris plans to free and make into his business partner). After passing by the plantation, Diana begins talking about her relationship with Chris but realizes that Jez'bel is not asleep anymore. She threatens to torture Jez'bel if she reveals anything she said to anyone. This shocks Chris but he is even more shocked when Jez'bel calls Diana "Mrs. James Holden". Realizing that Diana is already married to his brother, Chris breaks off any relationship which was brewing with her and leaves the longboat.
Chapters 16 and 17[]
Shortly after leaving Diana, Chris gets extremely drunk in the company of one Selden Blount. After getting drunk, he rides in a wagon through Williamsburg - seeing the various hawkers and entertainers who mass on the city streets. During this voyage, he finds two friends named Dan and Joe. He also finds John Fraser fighting a man dubbed "the Terrible Turk". Due to being distracted by Chris, John is hit by the Turk on the head with a sapling. Though this could have killed John, he miraculously survives (though it leaves him concussed for a brief moment).
After Chris briefly talks with Dan and Joe, John recovers and begins talking to Chris. He reveals that a Native tribe known as the Ottawa are planning an attack in the summer - and are possibly working with Martin Garth. John asks that Chris reveal this to Colonel Washington but Chris is hesitant to do this. After discussing this, the two talk about Chris' failed relationship with Diana and foul drinks from England known as "fustian" and "asses' milk".
Chapters 18, 19, 20, and 21[]
After this meeting, the two sight Martin Garth joining into a meeting of shareholders in the Ohio Company. Also in this meeting is Colonel Washington (whom Chris and John meet shortly before joining into the meeting). During this meeting, an officer named Johnson reveals that two surveyors named Mason and Dixon were stopped by the Native tribes. All the figures within the meeting are worried that this is the first sign of a new war with the Native tribes. Garth attempts to convince the people at the table that the tribesfolk were simply booting "trespassers" out of their land. This angers Chris, and he begins to spill accusations against Garth. He reveals that he followed Garth's business dealings while in London and accuses him of supplying the Ottawa with weaponry through fake names. Though he cannot supply evidence of this at the moment, he reveals that he will supply evidence given them. He then reveals the Ottawa war-belt that John gave him.
While Chris is at the meeting, Abigail (along with the rest of the convicts on the Star of London) is brought to an indentured servant auction by David Bone and Jake Hesselgart. Once the auction begins, Abigail initially tries to have herself sold to escape Bone and Garth but derails the auction when Bone tries to separate two married convicts. Enraged by this, Bone whips Abigail.
Instead of being convinced by the war-belt, the members of the Company are disgusted by what it represents and absolutely refuse to listen to Chris. Due to this, Chris sulks while the members of the Company speak with Garth. Garth seemingly has their complete confidence until Bouquet begins talking about not warning the fortresses about the incoming war. Washington rebuffs Bouquet and Chris returns to the discussion. He goads William Johnson into confessing that the Indian Department has received war-belts from the Ottawas for months but has kept it a secret. This enrages John Fraser - who sets off to warn the forts. While Sir William plans to return a war-belt to the Ottawa, Captain Washington asks Holden to rejoin active service.
Chapter 22 and 23[]
Shortly after the meeting, Garth visits the auction and stops Dave Bone from whipping Abigail. Though angry at Bone for whipping Abby, the two discuss their plans to ambush Holden as he traverses the "Nemacolin path" and the upcoming meeting of the Native tribes set up by Johnson. Once they finish, Garth meets with a Native ally known as Killbuck and discusses the affairs of the tribes. With these discussions finished, Garth turns his attentions to Abby. He cleans out her wounds and tells her that he will "rescue" Abby from Bone's clutches by marrying her. It is shortly after this that Abby meets a Native woman named Hannah - who just so happens to be Garth's wife.
Meanwhile, Holden and Fraser eat dinner with Washington. While doing this, Chris discusses his plans to traverse the Nemacolin path. While Fraser is extremely afraid that Garth's enemies will cut him down before he can cross the path, Holden plans only to bring along Dan and Joe. Shortly after this, Washington reveals that Fraser and Holden have been returned to active service and Holden attempts to convince Washington to help him buy Jason's freedom.
Chapters 24, 25, and 26[]
While traversing the Nemacolin path, Joe discusses his scorn for the name and the "path" before an arrow slams into his chest - killing him instantly. After grabbing a bag of warbelts from Joe's corpse, Holden and Dan flee a horde of Garth's Native allies. While fleeing through the woods, Dan accidentally slams into a log and Holden kills one of the Natives by throwing a knife into his neck.
For eleven days, Holden runs alone through the woods until he reaches Pitt's Town. By this time, Holden has become completely disheveled. While approaching Pitt's Town, Holden notices someone who he assumes to be one Will Ramsey but he is proven wrong. The figure is actually a young teacher named Ten Eyck. While riding in a boat in the river surrounding Pitt's Town, Holden learns from Eyck that Ramsey died some time ago from smallpox. He also deduces that the teacher is somewhat cowardly. After departing from Eyck's boat, Holden runs to Fort Pitt. Once inside, he demands to see Captain Ecuyer. Though the sentry he talks to assumes he is nothing more than a drunk, a Captain sights Holden and has him brought him. Though Holden initially assumes this Captain is Ecuyer, it turns out that this is not Ecuyer.
The captain introduces himself as Captain Steele and begins launching into a tirade about the untrustworthiness of the Ohio Company and his refusal to believe the claims of the Native tribes massing for war. Holden attempts to convince Steele of the coming war and the importance of warning the nearby forts but Steele flat-out refuses (believing that it is nothing more than a ruse constructed by the Ohio Company). Shortly after this, Holden stops paying attention to Steele's rantings and (after he talks about a Major named Leslie that Holden vaguely knows) bursts into laughter before falling unconscious.
Chapters 27, 28, and 29[]
Holden wakes up the next day to find himself shaved and naked in John Fraser's cabin. He soon finds Fraser's wife Jackie ironing his clothes. Holden learns from Jackie that a friend of his named Lieutenant Stair sent John Fraser to find Lieutenant Ecuyer and that there are already numerous signs of the upcoming war. While examining his baggage, Holden finds a newspaper from London and (while discussing the bond-servants that recently arrived on the Star of London with Jackie) learns of a rambunctious red-haired woman who arrived in Pitt's Town at the same time as Garth's allies. Though Holden initially assumes this is not Abigail but changes his mind and decides to visit Garth's "stronghold" within Pitt's Town, a place known as the "Gilded Beaver".
Once at the Gilded Beaver, Holden hides just out of sight and surveils its interior. He finds Bone and Hesselgart along with Abigail. He also finds a Mingo with McCoy's powder-horn (implying that McCoy is dead). Holden emerges from his hiding spot and holds up the Gilded Beaver and escapes with Abigail - bringing her to Fraser's house. While there, Holden attempts to interrogate Abigail about Garth's camp but learns little from her besides that Garth convinced her that he had her best interests in mind. Holden realizes that he will have to kill Garth and (once John Fraser arrives), he reveals that he plans to bring Abigail to an upcoming ball to lure Garth out and then challenge him to a duel.
Chapters 30, 31, and 32[]
While approaching the ball in the dress that Chris planned to give to Diana, Abigail remembers a dream about a visit to a ball. Before Chris and Abby can enter into the ball, Chris is summoned by Ecuyer and finds that Garth is meeting with him. Garth attempts to have Chris arrested for "stealing" Abby away. Though Chris escapes arrest, Garth reclaims Abby. Ecuyer attempts to raise Chris' spirits by telling him that Abby is in safe hands but Chris remains completely unconvinced.
Chapters 33, 34, 35, and 36[]
After spiriting Abby away to the Gilded Beaver once again, Garth tries to force himself on Abby but is interrupted by Bone. Bone reveals that Guyasuta and a group of his allies (including Garth's wife, Hannah). Guyasuta asks for Garth to make Abby his daughter's personal slave. Though Garth is hesitant to do this, he realizes he has no choice and allows this. While the Natives attempt to take Abby, Jeremy tries to spirit her away but is thrown down a well in the confusion. Guyasuta's men then depart, with Bone and Garth discussing recent attacks as they leave.
While a drunken local doctor entertains people within the ballroom, the ball is interrupted by the arrival of several disheveled and bloodstained people entering. These are survivors of a Delaware attack on a plantation which left only four survivors. Though unsure if the Natives plan to attack Pitt's Town, Ecuyer decides to prep the town for an attack by tearing down the houses on the edge of the fortress to take away any hiding places for invaders. While this is going on, Chris and Fraser break into the Gilded Beaver. There, they find Jeremy and pull him out of the well. Jeremy reveals that Guyasuta's men departed for a nearby Native town - emboldening Chris to visit the town on his own to see if Abby is still alive.
Soon, Guyasuta's men arrive at the Seneca town - which Abby discovers is even larger than Pitt's Town. They bring her into a massive communal house and have her stripped. Two old women then bring Abby outside where several stakes have been prepared. Abby realizes that she is to be burned alive, which the old women confirm. As the Natives begin to torture Abby by burning her, she notices that Chris has arrived at the town.
Chapters 36, 37, and 38[]
After drawing Guyasuta out by using the Seneca's legends to insult the chieftain, Chris uses the chieftain's inexperience with compasses to convince him that the compass is an otgon (or black magical) object that will kill him. While Guyasuta and his men's attentions are held by the compass, Chris sneaks away and frees Abby from being burnt. The two are able to reach their canoes and begin sabotaging them before the Seneca realize Chris' deception and find him with Abby in one of their canoes. While the Seneca fire at him, Chris realizes that the only way for him to "escape" is to drive the canoe through a nearby waterfall - an almost certain death sentence. Once they reach the waterfall's edge, Chris finds a tree and tries to grab for it. He is knocked out while doing this and wakes up some time later slightly dazed from his injuries further down the waterfall.
Chapters 39, 40, and 41[]
Chris wakes up in a crevice somewhat further down the waterfall right next to Abby - who soon wakes up. At first, both think that they are trapped in the waterfall and will die in it. Some time into this captivity, Chris finds a possible exit. Though Chris wants to leave immediately after finding the exit, Abby asks him to wait a day.
Chapters 42, 43, 44, and 45[]
After a perilous climb down the waterfall, Chris and Abby spend several days tracing streams in an attempt to reach Philadelphia and finds the remains of a Native attack on a farmstead. While examining the farmstead, Chris discovers it belonged to one "Ben Salter" and takes some provisions. Once outside, Chris and Abby find the Salter family's dog - which Abby wants to take with them but Chris leaves behind while he departs with Abby in a canoe.
While floating near Fort Venango, Chris and Abby briefly pause in a small ravine. While in the ravine, Chris sees that Fort Venango has been ransacked by Guyasuta's armies. While surveying the Fort, he finds a survivor that tells him that the Native armies used a false flag of peace to get into the Fort and then massacred its peoples. The survivor tells him to warn Fort Pitt about this. Though Chris is hesitant to do this (wanting to travel east with Abby), he is convinced and decides to travel to the Fort.
Chapters 46 and 47[]
After departing from Venango, Chris and Abby travel to Fort Pitt. Chris finds that Guyasuta's armies have begun besieging the Fort. He is attacked by Natives while outside the walls and is nearly scalped but is saved by Abby and pulled up the Fort's walls by Fraser, Carre, and some of his friends. From them, Chris learns that Guyasuta's armies have attacked various other forts before Chris notices Garth approaching with a small militia to take Abby.
Chapters 48, 49, and 50[]
Though Chris plans to shoot Garth, Carre is able to convince him not to do so - as Abby is safe within the woman's barracks. Carre also gives Chris a journal revealing Guyasuta's attacks and Ecuyer's use of smallpox blankets as chemical warfare.
As the siege rages on, Ten Eyck is killed while trying to chop down a tree while Hannah is killed by the vengeful and grief-stricken widow of a farmer who was killed while trying to rescue a horse. Shortly after this, Guyasuta's armies attack the Fort en masse using flaming arrows. Ecuyer is hit in the knee with one of these arrows early on in this assault. Though these arrows are able to start a series of fires, the Fort is not set on fire by these arrows. As such, Guyasuta's forces begin trying to tunnel underneath the Fort and using canoes to traverse the river before making a mad dash for the Fort. During this assault, Fraser is wounded and knocked out. Shortly after this, Chris is arrested and brought to the Fort's dungeon.
Chapters 51, 52, and 53[]
From Carre, Chris learns that he is being held on trumped up charges of desertion. Though Chris thinks that it will be career suicide, Carre decides to defend Chris in court as no one else Chris trusts is available. In the hopes that it will keep Abby from being forced back into slavery if he is executed, he hastily marries her.
Once the trial begins, Captain Ehrlich begins interrogating Holden's associates. While it seems as though Ehrlich is simply trying Holden for desertion at first, he reveals that he is trying Holden for not presenting peace belts to various tribes and instead giving them to Abigail after interrogating her. Due largely to the testimonies of Garth and Dave Bone, Chris is found guilty and thrown into the cells. Before he can be executed, he is broken out by Jeremy John Love. While walking outside the fort, Chris sees the remains of a battle between Highlanders and Guyasuta's armies before meeting Bouquet - alongside Pollexfen, who joined Bouquet's company several days earlier.
Chapters 54 and 55[]
Shortly after Holden sneaks out of the fort, Guyasuta and his closest associates visit Fort Pitt to host negotiations. Though at first it seems as though Guyasuta will surrender, he demands that the people of Fort Pitt surrender. Though it seems like Steele might consider this, Chris and Pollexfen manage to breach Guyasuta's forces and reveal that Bouquet is arriving with a large army. Shortly after hearing this, Garth tries to escape with Dave Bone but is shot dead by his ally.
Three days later (presumably once the fighting has completely died down), Chris is released from his jail cell. Upon exiting, he learns that Steele is to be executed (for desertion and stealing money to repay debts to Garth) and muses upon the effect of the battle upon its veterans (whom he considers changed enough to count as a new breed of American) before leaving to be married again to Abby.
Notes[]
- In his preface, Swanson describes Unconquered as a companion novel to his previous novel The Judas Tree and tying into around thirty novels (many unpublished when Unconquered was published) recreating "the advance of the American frontier from the Atlantic to the Mississippi".
See also[]
| Title | Author | Release date | Signifigance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Conspiracy of Pontiac | Francis Parkman | 1851 | A nonfiction book on Pontiac's War |
| Mason & Dixon | Thomas Pynchon | 1997 | A novel featuring Mason and Dixon |
| Logan | John Neal | 1822 | A Gothic novel whose plot is focused around Native peoples |
| The Safe Bridge | Frances Parkinson Keyes | 1934 | A historical novel set in the wilderness of America written around the same time |
| Forth to the Wilderness | Dale Van Every | 1961 | A nonfiction book on the wilderness of America |
| Swear by Apollo | Shirley Barker | 1958 | A novel partially set in the wilderness of America written around the same time |
| Blackrobe | Robert E. Wall | 1981 | A novel set in the wilderness of America |
| The Bastard | John Jakes | 1974 | A novel set in the wilderness of America |
Sources[]
- Wikipedia
- Goodreads