
Author Talk with Eric Sterner
Till the Extinction of this Rebellion
Event Details
Join us for an evening with author and historian Eric Sterner as he shares insights from his compelling book, Till the Extinction of This Rebellion, a vivid account of the Revolutionary War’s western frontier and the Kentucky militia’s role in shaping the early American republic.
The evening begins with a welcome reception for Locust Grove members at 6:00 PM, featuring light refreshments. To attend the reception, RSVP to Lydia Lewis at llewis@locustgrove.org.
Sterner’s talk will begin at 6:30 PM and conclude with a book signing opportunity. Copies will be available for purchase at the event. Click the button below to purchase a copy ahead of the talk.
About the Author
Eric Sterner started his career in government and public policy, working on national security and aerospace issues. He held Senior Staff positions for two Congressional Committees and then served in the Department of Defense and NASA. He continued that career as a national security analyst and senior executive in both the non-profit and private sectors. He spoke and wrote widely in the academic, trade, and popular press about those issues and contributed occasionally to historical magazines and online publications, such as Naval History, the Journal of the American Revolution, Emerging Civil War, and Emerging Revolutionary War. Now, he primarily writes about history and spends time exploring the past with his family.
About the Book
In late 1778, leading a small force of one hundred and fifty men, George Rogers Clark entered the Illinois Country where they would capture Great Britain’s major posts along the Mississippi and take British lieutenant governor Henry Hamilton prisoner to achieve one of the most singular victories during the American Revolution. Having suffered at the hands of British-supported Native American raids in Kentucky, Clark and his men embraced a confrontational approach, lumping all Native American nations together as inveterate blood enemies. For years, Clark’s daring achievement was lionized as the embodiment of American initiative. Now, in light of Clark’s treatment and participation in the subjugation of Native peoples, his legacy has reversed, with his statue at the University of Virginia recently being removed. His lack of nuance led him to misinterpret Indian responses to his military campaign and conclude that his approach produced results. In fact, many Native American nations simply used the American presence on the Mississippi to extort greater support from the British. In Till the Extinction of This Rebellion: George Rogers Clark, Frontier Warfare, and the Illinois Campaign of 1778–1779 Eric Sterner views the campaign from the American, British, and Indigenous perspectives and illustrates the wide geographic impact of the American Revolution west of the Appalachians, particularly on the French and Native American communities in the area.
