Perilous Journey: The Founding of Nashville, Tennessee, 1780-1781

Peyton Cockrill Lewis has brought early Tennessee history to vigorous life in this novel based on the daunting adventures of her great-great-great grandmother, Ann Robertson Johnson Cockrill.

In December 1779, Ann, a widow with three young daughters, sets off with the Donelson party from East Tennessee to join her brothers in a wild, new land on the Cumberland River. The group traveled by boat -- believed to be a safe route -- only to discover that their map had underestimated the distance, the rivers were wild and dangerous, the weather unbearably cold, and Indian tribes were waiting to attack. Miraculously, a large number managed to survive and help found what is today Nashville, Tennessee. And in the midst of all her troubles, Ann manages to fall in love.

It is an unforgettable tale of the physical and moral courage necessary to carve civilization out of the wilderness.