Gunfighter

yellowdog762 · Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 46

Scouting on Two Continents
Major Frederick Russell Burnham and Mary Nixon Everett
ISBN 1-4179-2318-0

This is another book that I first heard about in one of Jeff Cooper’s writings. Rest assured, if Cooper liked it then it is probably worth reading. This one certainly is.

Major Burnham started out “herding” stock and prospecting out west near Tombstone and was peripherally associated with some of the big names we know from the era of the OK Corral. He moved on to prospecting in Alaska and then eventually to South Africa and was decorated for his heroism in the Boer War.

Major Burnham’s life story would make an awesome movie except that it is one of those tales that would be pretty unbelievable. Burnham is one of those incredible people that accomplished numerous heroic feats and yet maintained a great deal of modesty. This book was written in 1925 by Mary Everett, who was a personal friend of the Burnham family. She was the first person that the Major really opened up to and gave his personal account of his life’s story.

The Major was a true man’s man and his story deserves to be retold, especially in this day when the famous are more known for their lack of back bone and integrity. I consider myself lucky to own this book and deem it one of more important ones in my collection that I hope to hand down to future generations of my family.