Zebulon Butler

This is a comprehensive study of the life of Zebulon Butler, a participant in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the intercolonial confrontations known as the Yankee-Pennamite Wars. Butler migrated to Pennsylvania in 1769 and soon became the military and civil leader of the Connecticut settlers in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania. During the Revolutionary War, he served in one of the most dangerous theatres of the war—the isolated Susquehanna frontier of Pennsylvania—where the struggling settlers were subject to Indian-Tory attacks and the hostility of the Pennsylvania government. After the war, Butler sought peace with the Pennsylvania authorities and exercised a steadying influence on the Wyoming community. When the longstanding land controversy between Connecticut and Pennsylvania again erupted in civil war and sparked a separate state movement encouraged by Ethan Allen, Butler counseled peace and assisted Timothy Pickering in the establishment of Luzerne County.

"The authors have related skillfully their account of events in Butler's life and in the Wyoming Valley with developments on the national level during the Revolution and Confederation periods. Carefully researched and clearly written, this study is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of the Wyoming Valley and of the American frontier in the Revolutionary era."- Raymond W. Champagne Professor of History University of Scranton, "This is local history at its best--a tale of strong personalities, set against a specific political and cultural landscape, that illuminates a number of the larger issues of early American history. The book will certainly find a ready audience among students of Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania history--and it will bear reading by all who enjoy the interaction of local and national themes in revolutionary and early national studies. It's a convincing study, effectively told."-George W. Geib Professor of History Butler University, .,."an invaluable asset to any American History collection."-Smoke & Fire News, ?...an invaluable asset to any American History collection.?-Smoke & Fire News, ?By tracing the public life of Zebulon Butler, the authors provide a useful study of a neglected figure in early American history. Will aid students of the period in sorting out various personalities and legislative maneuvering.?-Choice

JAMES R. WILLIAMSON is a retired army officer and a retired Professor of History and Business, Gwynedd-Mercy College. He is presently Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Scranton, and Adjunct Professor of History and Business at Wilkes University. LINDA A. FOSSLER is presently Adjunct Professor of History at Allentown College.