KITTANNING

A Baptism of Fire

In the brutal crucible of the mid-18th century North American frontier, where the French and Indian War rages, emerges the gripping tale of Kittanning: A Baptism of Fire. This historical fiction thrusts Scottish-born surgeon Hugh Mercer into the heart of a devastating conflict: the Kittanning Raid of September 1756. A man of intellect and learning, Mercer finds his European sensibilities challenged by the raw savagery of frontier warfare and the moral complexities of a punitive expedition against the Lenape (Delaware) village of Kittanning.
As whispers of retribution fill the stifling air of Fort Shirley, Mercer, bound by duty, embarks on a relentless march deep into the Allegheny wilderness alongside Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong’s provincial forces. Haunted by grim counsel from the seasoned frontiersman Lachlan MacLeod, Mercer struggles with his role as a healer amidst impending carnage. Meanwhile, unknown to the approaching forces, the skilled Lenape warrior Memechen, intimately connected to the land, senses their coming, preparing his people for a desperate defense.
When dawn breaks, Kittanning explodes into a maelstrom of fire and blood, forcing Mercer from surgeon to desperate survivor. Through his eyes, and the interwoven perspectives of those whose lives intersect with his—from the steadfast quartermaster Philemon Thorpe to the cynical private Silas Crane—the novel delves into the profound misunderstandings and brutal realities of clashing cultures, where survival means shedding idealism and confronting the deepest psychological tolls of war.
Kittanning is a meticulously crafted, multi-perspective narrative that immerses the reader in an unforgiving landscape where the echoes of conflict forever shape those who endure.