Reviewed by:

• George Rogers Clark and William Croghan: A Story of the Revolution, Settlement, and Early Life at Locust Grove by Gwynne Tuell Potts
• R. Douglas Hurt

The name George Rogers Clark often brings to mind Indian-white warfare in the trans-Appalachian West. Although Clark’s military exploits in Kentucky, the Ohio River Valley, and the Illinois Country in behalf of Virginia and the national government from the American Revolution through the War of 1812 are familiar to anyone knowledgeable about this period, his later years are less well known. Even fewer people know much about William Croghan, the Irishborn veteran of the Virginia Line of the Continental army and western businessperson. It is in these respects regarding Clark and Croghan that this new book by Gwynne Tuell Potts, former executive director and president of Historic Locust Grove, contributes to historical knowledge. Clark met Croghan during the Revolution, and they became friends for life. After the war, Clark, as principal surveyor, hired Croghan to help lay out Virginia’s military bounty lands, and Croghan stood by Clark in his efforts to secure lands in Kentucky and the Illinois Country by both peace and warfare.

After the American Revolution, Virginia wanted a leader who could suppress Native American resistance and ensure its land claims west of the Appalachians. Clark had a reputation for military skill and ruthlessness. Potts goes beyond this well-told story by pursuing Clark after his military years when his grievances festered because Virginia and the federal government declined to pay for his military expenses, at least until near the end of his life. To do so, Potts follows Clark’s efforts to raise a western army to help France overthrow the Spanish regime at New Orleans and establish a colony of Virginians on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Along the way, she notes the intrigues of James Wilkinson and Aaron Burr in the West.

Potts also traces the life of William Croghan who, in 1790, purchased 387 acres near Louisville and built a house known as Locust Grove. Croghan’s residence soon became a place of visitation for many western leaders, such as William Clark (George Rogers Clark’s brother), Meriwether Lewis, and Andrew Jackson, among others. William Croghan married the Clarks’ sister, Lucy, thereby strengthening the interfamily relationship. In 1818, George Rogers Clark, ill, penniless, and embittered, died at Locust Grove under the care of his prosperous friend. Potts acknowledges the often dysfunctional relationships of the Croghan family and the sales of Locust Grove to various nonfamily buyers. In 1961, Jefferson County and the commonwealth of Kentucky purchased Locust Grove and its remaining fifty-five acres. Locust Grove became a National Historic Landmark by virtue of the many well-known people who passed through its doors. Louisville metro government now owns it.

Overall, Potts provides a succinct survey of the interconnected lives of George Rogers Clark and William Croghan. Her portrayal of Clark’s life after the War of 1812 is a story of heartbreak and decline, and his relationship with Croghan is a testament to friendship and loyalty during good and bad times. Both men lived “socially traditional” lives for the age regarding slavery, Native [End Page 119] Americans, and national expansion (p. 2). The latter part of the book provides ample genealogical information that can be tedious to follow. Potts bases her work on primary research to consider Clark’s later years when his military exploits largely had been forgotten, but when his friendship with Croghan remained unwavering. In the end, Clark contributed to securing Kentucky and the Illinois Country for the United States, while William Croghan’s Locust Grove became a physical legacy to a little-known period in American history.

审核人：

• 乔治·罗杰斯·克拉克（George Rogers Clark）和威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）： Gwynne Tuell Potts撰写的《蝗虫林中的革命，定居和早期生活的故事》
• 道格拉斯·赫特

乔治·罗杰斯·克拉克（George Rogers Clark）的名字经常使人联想起跨阿巴拉契亚西部的印度白人战争。尽管克拉克（Clark）代表弗吉尼亚州以及美国革命至1812年战争期间的国民政府代表肯塔基州在肯塔基州，俄亥俄河谷和伊利诺伊州的军事攻势对这一时期有任何了解，但他的晚年却鲜为人知。对威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）知之甚少，威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）是大陆军队弗吉尼亚线和西方商人的爱尔兰裔退伍军人。在有关克拉克和克罗汉的这些方面，历史蝗虫林的前执行董事兼总裁格温妮·图尔·波茨（Gwynne Tuell Potts）的这本新书为历史知识做出了贡献。克拉克在革命期间结识了克罗汉，他们成了一生的朋友。战后，克拉克（Clark）作为首席测量师，

美国独立战争后，弗吉尼亚州希望有一位领导人能够压制美洲原住民的抵抗，并确保其土地在阿巴拉契亚山脉以西。克拉克因军事技巧和残酷而闻名。Potts超越了这个广为人知的故事，在他的军事生涯结束后继续追逐Clark，当时他的不满情绪恶化了，因为弗吉尼亚和联邦政府拒绝支付他的军事开支，至少直到他生命的尽头。为此，波兹跟随克拉克（Clark）的努力，筹集一支西方军队来帮助法国推翻新奥尔良的西班牙政权，并在密西西比河西岸建立弗吉尼亚人殖民地。一路上，她注意到了詹姆斯·威尔金森（James Wilkinson）和亚伦·伯（Aaron Burr）在西方的阴谋诡计。

波茨还追溯了威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）的生活，威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）在1790年购买了路易斯维尔附近的387英亩土地，并建造了一座名为Locust Grove的房屋。克罗汉的住所很快成为许多西方领导人的​​探访场所，例如威廉·克拉克（乔治·罗杰斯·克拉克的兄弟），梅里韦瑟·刘易斯和安德鲁·杰克逊，等等。威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）与克拉克斯的姐姐露西（Lucy）结婚，从而加强了家庭之间的关系。1818年，生病，身无分文，精神不振的乔治·罗杰斯·克拉克（George Rogers Clark）在他富足的朋友的照顾下在蝗虫林（Locust Grove）逝世。Potts承认Croghan家族之间经常失调的关系以及Locust Grove出售给各种不带家属的买家。1961年，杰斐逊县和肯塔基州购买了蝗虫林及其剩余的55英亩土地。蝗虫林由于许多著名的人闯入而成为了国家历史地标。路易斯维尔市政府现在拥有它。

总体而言，Potts对乔治·罗杰斯·克拉克（George Rogers Clark）和威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）相互联系的生活进行了简洁的调查。她对克拉克（Clark）在1812年战争后的生平的描述是一个令人伤心和衰落的故事，他与克罗汉（Croghan）的关系证明了在好事和坏事期间的友谊和忠诚。两人在奴隶制，原住民时代都过着“传统上的社会生活” [End Page 119]美国人和国家扩张（第2页）。本书的后半部分提供了足够的家谱信息，这些信息可能很繁琐。Potts将她的工作立足于基础研究，以考虑Clark的晚年时代，当时他的军事功绩已被广泛遗忘，但当他与Croghan的友谊保持不变时。最后，克拉克为美国的肯塔基州和伊利诺伊州的安全做出了贡献，而威廉·克罗汉（William Croghan）的《蝗虫林》（Locust Grove）成为了美国历史上鲜为人知的时期的物质遗产。