TV Review: “Frontiersmen” Is A Strong Follow-Up To “The Men Who Built America”

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A look at the lives of iconic pioneers such as Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Tecumseh, Davy Crocket and Andrew Jackson as they traveled across America.

First debuting in the Fall of 2012, the successful and excellent “The Innovators: The Men Who Built America” chronicles the story of the great industrialists who revolutionized modern society. In the same recent tradition, the A+E History Channel takes another noteworthy slice of American history and makes it robustly compelling.

The four-part, eight-hour documentary entitled “The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen,” begins airing Wednesday, March 7th at 9 pm Eastern time. The series of four episodes details the exploits of key early American pioneers that include Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Lewis and Clark, Kit Carson, John Frémont and Andrew Jackson. In addition, efforts by Native Americans such as Shawnee warrior Tecumseh, who united Indian tribes while attempting to resist European expansion, are also explored.

At stake for the frontiersmen was 2.5 million square miles of raw wilderness beyond the thirteen colonies, relatively sparsely populated by Native Americans in the vast remaining, largely uncharted land we now know as the continental United States. Stretching from the Appalachian Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, this territory would form the basis for a new nation.

Narrated once again by Campbell Scott, the docuseries draws on interviews from historians that include such prestigious universities as Columbia, Yale, Texas at Austin, Colorado at Boulder, Cornell, Penn State, North Carolina and others.

Episode 1 of the series begins in the forests of Appalachia with American Indians pursuing Daniel Boone, who had been trapping animals for the fur and pelts he needed to pay debts. Returning home empty-handed, Boone’s initial foray westward nonetheless made him uniquely qualified to subsequently lead an assemblage of pioneers across the Appalachian Mountains. Taking the group through the Cumberland Gap, they formed the settlement of Boonesboro, located in modern-day Kentucky.

Establishing permanent settlements west of the Appalachians was in direct defiance to the King of England. Further, the founding of Boonesboro takes place against the backdrop of American rebellion against the British along the Eastern seaboard.

Boone’s wife and eight children accompanied him to the frontier. It is there that two stories, in particular, secure Daniel Boone’s lasting legacy in the pages of history. The first deals with the abduction of his eldest daughter Jemima by Indian raiders. In response, Boone leads a party that tracks and locates the kidnappers, then brings back his daughter, along with two other women who had been taken as well. The tale of Jemima’s rescue, in modern parlance, went “viral.”

The second event occurred when Boone and his men were captured by the Shawnee, who were allied to the British. Boone eventually escaped, emerging alone from the wilderness in time to warn Boonesboro of an impending attack. As these and other stories accumulated, they further added to Boone’s legendary stature.

After Boone returned to the fort at Boonesboro, the Shawnee, led by the warrior Blackfish, attacked relentlessly. Despite eleven days of round-the-clock fighting to no avail, and with the imminent arrival of the Virginia militia, Blackfish was compelled to withdraw. The retreat of the Shawnee was one of the few bright spots for the early American colonists in their fight against the British. 1778 was a tough year for Americans when the Continental Army was forced to winter at Valley Forge while regrouping from advancing British armies.

Once the Virginia militia had arrived to reinforce Boonesboro, they then tried to enlist Boone to strike out at the Indian villages in revenge. Their plan was to destroy tribal homelands by attacking indiscriminately, including women and children. Boone, however, rejected this notion of warfare, which in turn put a wedge between him and the other settlers. Boone instead joined American forces fighting the British. Once again, because of his uncommon courage on two fronts, Boone’s reputation was further burnished.

Regardless, without Boone, the Virginia militia went on the march against the Shawnee in Chillicothe during May of 1779. Blackfish was killed in the melee, but his adopted son Tecumseh survived and lived to fight another day.

One year after the death of Blackfish, the Continental Army turned the tide of war. With the aid of the French, the American colonists prevailed over the British. By 1783, the Americans, French and British signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the war and formally recognizing the sovereignty of the United States. In effect, the treaty extended the U.S. border west to the Mississippi, north to Canada and south to Florida. This opened the floodgates for American settlement after men like Daniel Boone had blazed the trail westward. Native Americans, however, never surrendered and many battles were yet to be fought.

Episode 2 airs on March 14th and follows the Shawnee warrior Tecumseh, while Lewis and Clark make their legendary expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

Episode 3 airs March 21st and details the exploits of General Andrew Jackson defending the frontier, but also giving rise to a fierce rivalry with Davy Crockett.

Episode 4 debuting on March 28th highlights Davy Crockett’s stand at the Alamo, as well as the secret mission of John Frémont and Kit Carson, which ignited a war for California and the Pacific.

The docuseries is a nicely-framed segment of American history that can seemingly never be re-told too many times. This second set of installments of “The Men Who Built America” continues to provide historical content that both captures the imagination and lends keen insight into the American spirit of discovery.

New docuseries premieres Wednesday, March 7th on HISTORY