The Crossing

On the rugged North Carolina frontier, young Davy grows up in a cabin ruled by hardship, Bible reading, and the strange, learned silence of his father, Alec Trimble. Into that elemental world comes Daniel Boone, whose tales of crossing the mountains to the fertile Kentucky country ignite the boy's imagination with visions of abundance, danger, and a life beyond the Blue Ridge. As war and politics press closer, the family becomes isolated for refusing to side with the Congress, and a bitter winter ends with an abrupt departure toward Charlotte Town and the rebel cause. The journey opens Davy's eyes to plantations, enslaved laborers, storm-swept roads, and the first great town he has ever seen. In the Waxhaws, he meets a wild, red-haired Andrew Jackson, whose rough humor, fierce independence, and later emergence as a lawyer and lawman leave a lasting mark. Their paths cross again in a turbulent tavern scene amid frontier unrest, where Jackson's strength and swagger command the crowd. When Jackson helps direct Davy toward Nick Temple, the boy sets out on a hard night ride through mountains and remote cabins, driven by loyalty, memory, and the dangerous pull of family and history. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.