An Inspector Calls

Brings us face-to-face with the grim realities of war on the eighteenth-century frontier of Pennsylvania and Virginia. [A] vivid portrait of a fragile, fragmented society under terrible strain. - Fred Anderson, author of Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766; Admirably demonstrates how the vicious guerilla warfare practiced in the backcountry forced terrified colonists to learn how to defend themselves, since it became potently obvious that British armies were unable to provide adequate protection. Not surprisingly, as shown by Ward, these individuals emerged from the conflict as hardened warriors with a general contempt for militarily impotent Great Britain.... Highly recommended. - Library Journal; A thoughtful analysis of a turbulent decade.... Demonstrates that the world war ignited [on the American frontier] 250 years ago exerted a profound and lasting impact upon the region and its diverse peoples. - Stephen Brumwell, author of Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755-1763. This is no romance; careful social-historical research supports, and fine writing conveys, the sickness, hunger, punishment, and violence that shattered thousands of lives and many struggling communities. Examining this one critical region, [Ward] bends our attention toward great weaknesses within the first British Empire, even as it reached the apogee of its military achievement. - Gregory Dowd, University of Michigan