Book Review: The Estelusti Trail

IndieBookView

Dec 4

The Estelusti Trail

by Roy V. Gaston

Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN: 9781645409595

Print Length: 312 pages

Reviewed by Kathy L. Brown

The Estelusti Trail recounts a little-known episode in the long line of injustices perpetuated by the United States governments (both federal and state) against the indigenous people of the continent as well as the enslaved population: 1835's Second Seminole War (Florida War). Told by an Estelusti youth, Pete Horse, this is a coming of age story wrapped up in the strategies, battles, hardships, and exploits of various conflicts.

Escaped slaves and slaves owned by the Seminole comprise the Estelusti, known by the whites as "Black Seminole." The Seminole and the Estelusti are the primary combatants in this novel, resisting government effort to remove them from Florida into the Oklahoma Territories as well as recapture the escaped slaves among them.

The Estelusti Trail opens within days of the opening volley of the Second Seminole War and focuses on events from December 1835 to January 1838. Pete Horse, his older brother John, leader of the Estelusti, and his friend, a female warrior named Willet are part of this raiding party, along with some Seminole chiefs.

A series of successful actions against a series of inept American commanders mark the early days of the war, and times seem good for the Seminole and Estelusti. They are even able to assist slaves to escape and gain additional fighters, including a man who becomes a good friend to Pete, Virgil. But the massive resources of the United States, the end of the rainy season, and a smart, ruthless American commander threaten the chances they have of being successful.