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A Splendid Savage: The Restless Life of Frederick Russell Burnham
"Rich, detailed, and pitch-perfect, with the witty and wonderful skipping off every page." ―Maxwell Carter, Wall Street Journal Frederick Russell Burnham’s (1861–1947) amazing story resembles a newsreel fused with a Saturday matinee thriller. One of the few people who could turn his garrulous friend Theodore Roosevelt into a listener, Burnham was once world-famous as “the American scout.” His expertise in woodcraft, learned from frontiersmen and Indians, helped inspire another friend, Robert Baden-Powell, to found the Boy Scouts. His adventures encompassed Apache wars and range feuds, booms and busts in mining camps around the globe, explorations in remote regions of Africa, and death-defying military feats that brought him renown and high honors. His skills led to his unusual appointment, as an American, to be Chief of Scouts for the British during the Boer War, where his daring exploits earned him the Distinguished Service Order from King Edward VII. After a lifetime pursuing golden prospects from the deserts of Mexico and Africa to the tundra of the Klondike, Burnham found wealth, in his sixties, near his childhood home in southern California. Other men of his era had a few such adventures, but Burnham had them all. His friend H. Rider Haggard, author of many best-selling exotic tales, remarked, “In real life he is more interesting than any of my heroes of romance.” Among other well-known individuals who figure in Burnham’s story are Cecil Rhodes and William Howard Taft, as well as some of the wealthiest men of the day, including John Hays Hammond, E. H. Harriman, Henry Payne Whitney, and the Guggenheim brothers. Failure and tragedy streaked his life as well, but he was endlessly willing to set off into the unknown, where the future felt up for grabs and values worth dying for were at stake. Steve Kemper brings a quintessential American story to vivid life in this gripping biography. 8 pages of illustrations
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2016
103 people are currently reading
717 people want to read
About the author
Steve Kemper
7 books49 followersSteve Kemper is the author of Our Man in Tokyo, A Splendid Savage, A Labyrinth of Kingdoms, and Code Name Ginger. His work has appeared in many national publications, including Smithsonian and National Geographic. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 17, 2018
Frederick Burnham lived a restless life of daring and adventure. A scout and prospector, his story encompasses gunfights in the Wild West, tracking (and being tracked by) Apaches in Arizona, prospecting for gold and minerals in the frozen tundra of Alaska, fighting in wars for the British Empire against natives and Boers in Africa, and attempting to establish settlements in Mexico while fighting against bandits. And lots of interactions with famous historical characters along the way: Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, H. Rider Haggard, and others. This is a very interesting, light biography, although it has a somewhat erratic feel: one minute you are in the unexplored wilds of East Africa, and a chapter later you are nearly freezing to death in Alaska. And then you’re in Mexico in the next chapter! But such was the life of the subject. This is enjoyable, diverting train reading.
April 17, 2025
Needed a good book to get back on my Goodreads grind. This book was solid. Sometimes difficult to wrap your head around reading a book about a “hero” who did some really bad things during his life. I guess it was more so just a recount of his life and he wasn’t really a hero.
Solid read
Solid read
April 23, 2018
I confess I knew nothing of Frederick Russell Burnham until my book club picked this book 2 weeks ago. He lived 86 years, from the start of the Civil War until just after WW II. That's an amazing time period in which to live, and Burnham made the absolute most of his time. The book jacket does a nice job of summarizing his life, from the American West to Africa, To Alaska, to Mexico, and on. He essentially was an adventure seeker, prospector, and renowned tracker. He gravitated to exciting places and violent action.
This is not a book I would have picked of my own volition. That's one main reason why I enjoy my book club, it widens my book selections. I learned a lot about Burnham's time period, tracking, prospecting, the Boer War, etc. Author Steve Kemper's writing did not draw me into the narrative however. It is somewhat disjointed and at times reads like a travelog. At times too, Kemper goes way out of his way to justify Burnham's more questionable actions and practices - he always takes Burnham's side when a more neutral stance might have been called for. The epilog is entirely devoted to refuting criticisms of Burnham's questionable deeds. It leaves you wondering where the truth actually lies. I'm not sure I would recommend this book...
This is not a book I would have picked of my own volition. That's one main reason why I enjoy my book club, it widens my book selections. I learned a lot about Burnham's time period, tracking, prospecting, the Boer War, etc. Author Steve Kemper's writing did not draw me into the narrative however. It is somewhat disjointed and at times reads like a travelog. At times too, Kemper goes way out of his way to justify Burnham's more questionable actions and practices - he always takes Burnham's side when a more neutral stance might have been called for. The epilog is entirely devoted to refuting criticisms of Burnham's questionable deeds. It leaves you wondering where the truth actually lies. I'm not sure I would recommend this book...
May 31, 2022
Such a cool story about a unicorn of a man. Burnham was a dreamer, adventurer, warrior, and romantic. But, he was somehow incredibly focused on one craft in his life: scouting. For a man so present, he also struggled with depression and anxiety. I learned a lot reading about his truly rich life.
July 10, 2021
Frederick Russell Burnham, I never heard of him! Yet from 1860 until his death in 1947, he was part of the history of a young America, South Africa, Alaska, and Mexico.
His wife, Blanche is just as amazing as Burnham. This reader rates Blanche as a saint! She raised the children and kept the family together while he followed his ambitions. According to Kemper she complained little about loneliness or finance troubles. She was also ready and willing to go into danger and hardship to follow him in his dreams and schemes. You do not find many people willing to subordinate themselves to another’s ambitions over a lifetime. I wished that Kemper focused on her more in this narrative. Did she just sit and wait for his return or did she follow her own aspirations?
Steven Kemper has written not a biography; he has written a historical novel depicting the growth of America and South Africa, wars in Mexico and the search for gold in the Klondike. He uses the amazing story of Frederick Burnham to describe the American West, its Indian wars, the growth of Western States like California, Alaska and Arizona, and cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tucson, Dawson, Yukon Territory. His narrative gives a flavor and texture to these modern Cities that once were lawless and wild boom towns. He performs the same magic on his descriptions of South Africa, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe and Cities like Cape town Soweto, Kimberly, Klondike, Squaway and Durban. This reviewer got as much enjoyment from this story line as the narrative of Burnham’s adventures.
A sub story line is the exploitation of natural resources by conquering nations that subjugate and employ genocide on the American Indian and African native. Burnham took an active part in the exploitation, yet in late life he recognized his complicity and became a conservationist but retained his racist views.
Frederick Burnham is a larger-than-life adventurer who demonstrated amazing skills as a scout on two continents. The British army in South Africa rewarded him with medals and a rank of Major in its Colonial army during the Boer wars. He can possibly be characterized as obsessive and compulsive in his need to risk life and limb at every opportunity. Kemper states that Burnham was one of a few people that could get Teddy Roosevelt to shut up and listen to a story told by Burnham. I think it can also be said of Kemper, because he is a great storyteller, and his descriptions of Burnham’s exploits are riveting.
This historical novel does mention many of the movers and shakers of the nineteenth Century, and amazing enough Burnham was on a first name basis with most including robber barons and wealthy men like John Hayes Hammond, Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, and Taft the wealthy Harriman’s, Whitney’s and Vanderbilt’s. In Africa, Rhodes, Lord Kitchener, and Robert Baden-Powell.
When not scouting for the British army or fighting native populations, Burnham was a prospector. He searched for gold and silver all over The Western US and South Africa and in later years for the important medals that were needed to wage modern wars.
Burnham was employed by the robber barons and syndicates to search for riches, he provided the muscle, and they provided the money. He had a good reputation; he could be trusted and while not a mining engineer he had an initiative knack for finding precise metals. Kemper did not go into the details of the complicated contracts that Burnham entered. While he was not educated, he was not a fool. He did the hard work for the fat cats and they bankrolled his prospecting. These men would gain the most from any discoveries, yet Burnham received a salary and expenses while he risked his life and abandoned his beloved wife for long periods of time. Late in his life, with the backing of John Hammond, he did strike oil and became a wealthy man.
Kemper provided an excellent perspective on the 1914 Mexican War. Mexico sacrificed its peasants and supported the rich to improve its economy until men like Zappa, Pancho Villa and Pascual Orozco lead a revolt. The revolt cost US robber barons the loss of land and mineral holdings. The 1914 United states war with Mexico concerned the location of the border between Texas and Mexico. This issue was used by the United States to provoke the war with Mexico. The goal of the war was to force Mexico to cede or sell the southwest territories to the United States. Burnham had a stake in a Mexican land venture, and he lost money because of this war.
In addition to the adventures of Frederick Burnham, Kemper gives us America and South Africa in their unashamedly lawless growth, Alaska during the gold rush, and the robber barons of the gilded age who made fortunes in natural resource speculation and stock manipulation as our nation grew. I learned a lot from kemper’s research and excellent writing style, and I recommend this book to anyone who admires a story well told about a man in the arena.
His wife, Blanche is just as amazing as Burnham. This reader rates Blanche as a saint! She raised the children and kept the family together while he followed his ambitions. According to Kemper she complained little about loneliness or finance troubles. She was also ready and willing to go into danger and hardship to follow him in his dreams and schemes. You do not find many people willing to subordinate themselves to another’s ambitions over a lifetime. I wished that Kemper focused on her more in this narrative. Did she just sit and wait for his return or did she follow her own aspirations?
Steven Kemper has written not a biography; he has written a historical novel depicting the growth of America and South Africa, wars in Mexico and the search for gold in the Klondike. He uses the amazing story of Frederick Burnham to describe the American West, its Indian wars, the growth of Western States like California, Alaska and Arizona, and cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tucson, Dawson, Yukon Territory. His narrative gives a flavor and texture to these modern Cities that once were lawless and wild boom towns. He performs the same magic on his descriptions of South Africa, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe and Cities like Cape town Soweto, Kimberly, Klondike, Squaway and Durban. This reviewer got as much enjoyment from this story line as the narrative of Burnham’s adventures.
A sub story line is the exploitation of natural resources by conquering nations that subjugate and employ genocide on the American Indian and African native. Burnham took an active part in the exploitation, yet in late life he recognized his complicity and became a conservationist but retained his racist views.
Frederick Burnham is a larger-than-life adventurer who demonstrated amazing skills as a scout on two continents. The British army in South Africa rewarded him with medals and a rank of Major in its Colonial army during the Boer wars. He can possibly be characterized as obsessive and compulsive in his need to risk life and limb at every opportunity. Kemper states that Burnham was one of a few people that could get Teddy Roosevelt to shut up and listen to a story told by Burnham. I think it can also be said of Kemper, because he is a great storyteller, and his descriptions of Burnham’s exploits are riveting.
This historical novel does mention many of the movers and shakers of the nineteenth Century, and amazing enough Burnham was on a first name basis with most including robber barons and wealthy men like John Hayes Hammond, Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, and Taft the wealthy Harriman’s, Whitney’s and Vanderbilt’s. In Africa, Rhodes, Lord Kitchener, and Robert Baden-Powell.
When not scouting for the British army or fighting native populations, Burnham was a prospector. He searched for gold and silver all over The Western US and South Africa and in later years for the important medals that were needed to wage modern wars.
Burnham was employed by the robber barons and syndicates to search for riches, he provided the muscle, and they provided the money. He had a good reputation; he could be trusted and while not a mining engineer he had an initiative knack for finding precise metals. Kemper did not go into the details of the complicated contracts that Burnham entered. While he was not educated, he was not a fool. He did the hard work for the fat cats and they bankrolled his prospecting. These men would gain the most from any discoveries, yet Burnham received a salary and expenses while he risked his life and abandoned his beloved wife for long periods of time. Late in his life, with the backing of John Hammond, he did strike oil and became a wealthy man.
Kemper provided an excellent perspective on the 1914 Mexican War. Mexico sacrificed its peasants and supported the rich to improve its economy until men like Zappa, Pancho Villa and Pascual Orozco lead a revolt. The revolt cost US robber barons the loss of land and mineral holdings. The 1914 United states war with Mexico concerned the location of the border between Texas and Mexico. This issue was used by the United States to provoke the war with Mexico. The goal of the war was to force Mexico to cede or sell the southwest territories to the United States. Burnham had a stake in a Mexican land venture, and he lost money because of this war.
In addition to the adventures of Frederick Burnham, Kemper gives us America and South Africa in their unashamedly lawless growth, Alaska during the gold rush, and the robber barons of the gilded age who made fortunes in natural resource speculation and stock manipulation as our nation grew. I learned a lot from kemper’s research and excellent writing style, and I recommend this book to anyone who admires a story well told about a man in the arena.
April 1, 2016
A fascinating life and character-dreamer, schemer, scout, prospector. It's amazing I had never heard of him. Non stop action even as a baby-he survived the Sioux Massacre in Minnesota by hiding in a corn field. This man could not sit still. His wife is the real hero for putting up with him. They lost two children and loved each other but he loved adventure more. Burnham was all over the map from the age of 12: Arizona Territory, Alaska, Africa-all over the continent. He was the type of guy who never gave up. Always the optimist he finally got rich at the age of 64 by finding oil in the Dominguez Hills of Los Angeles at a site that had been "drilled out." Awarded the DSO and asked for by name by Lord Roberts to lead the scouts for the British Army during the Boer War. A friend of Teddy Roosevelt he was the one man could get TR to be quiet and listen to his stories. A man of his times he loved the wild and indigenous peoples but believed in the supremacy of the white race. He loved hunting but became a conservationist. He actually had a scheme to introduce African wildlife to the US since there were concerns the country was running out of food. He wanted to introduce hippos to Louisiana to eat an invasive species of plants that was choking the rivers. Good thing that didn't happen.
March 7, 2020
History is fickle and leaves many interesting stories and personalities on the precipice of Fame or are lost to our collective memory. In some cases, it takes an entertaining life story and a good biographer or movie maker to capture s personality worth knowing. (Look what David Lean and Peter O'Toole did for T E Lawrence). In Splendid Savage (what Burnham called himself) Steven Kemper brings us the amazing adventures and history of Frederick Burnham who grew to only 5’ 4”. In later life got rich in an oil discovery on Dominguez Hill in Los Angeles; then building a mansion next to the Hollywoodland sign in the 1920s. He leads a wandering life as a scout, prospector, promoter, warrior who often ended up on what we might today deem the wrong side of history. Interestingly the author Kemper spends a great deal of the book using Burnham's life to open up a discussion of the history and perspective of events as they were accepted by most (whites) at the time. Pointing out for example that Burnham was both a conservationist at the same time he accepted racial eugenics and sided with colonial white settlements in Arizona, Rhodesia, and Mexico (and wished to import African animals to set up hunting preserves on federal lands.)
Kemper sums up Burnham’s life this way. “He was endlessly willing to set off into the unknown and start over. His natural habitat was the frontier, a place of escape and hope and violence.” Here is just a shortlist of Burnham’s adventures: Born in 1862 on the Minnesota frontier whereas a baby escaped an Indian raid… he ended up living on his own in Los Angeles at the age of twelve… he became a scout and fought the Apaches… took part in range wars… prospected for gold (numerous times and places)… gave up on American (as too crowded) and moved to Africa (bringing his family which included his wife who was amazing in her own right)… in Africa, he scouted for Rhodesia and fought the Boers for the British… returned to Pasadena, Ca and bought an Orange grove (and several other ranches)… could never remain in one spot…returned to East Africa where he found the continents larges coal deposits… started up a colony of settlers in Mexico… went mining for gold in the Klondike … used his mining expertise and acquaintances to find valuable metals needed for WW! Weapons… knew Teddy Roosevelt and many notables of his time (always looking for investors and benefactors)… wrote his autobiography (the rights were bought by Earnest Hemingway who planed a TV series but who’s suicide came before he wrote a single script.)
A large part of these amazing, unsettled, adventurous life can be told because of Burnham’s wife Blanch who saved his long and detailed letters. She had to learn to live alone for long periods of time although she did join Burnham on many trips. Burnham died at 86 in 1947 his life seeing a whirlwind of change.
Although I have given the book a high rating and found it a very interesting and fact fill read I did find some sections that needed better editing and clarity. The African sections would have been helped with better maps and because I am unfamiliar with that area's geography so I found this narrative of battles and sides fought at times confusing. I much more enjoyed the descriptions of the Southwest and Alaska. Also, Kemper ends the book with a chapter highlighting many controversies about the truth of various exploits (mostly those in African campaigns as a scout). I found this interesting but it also seemed to undermine Kemper’s own belief and narrative of the events questioned. (Yet, he does a good job of debunking the attacks.) Like T E Lawrence, when one writes one’s own history the truth sometimes remains obscured by the fog of war. Botton line I am very happy I discovered Frederick Burnham even if he did participate and support some unsavory history.
Kemper sums up Burnham’s life this way. “He was endlessly willing to set off into the unknown and start over. His natural habitat was the frontier, a place of escape and hope and violence.” Here is just a shortlist of Burnham’s adventures: Born in 1862 on the Minnesota frontier whereas a baby escaped an Indian raid… he ended up living on his own in Los Angeles at the age of twelve… he became a scout and fought the Apaches… took part in range wars… prospected for gold (numerous times and places)… gave up on American (as too crowded) and moved to Africa (bringing his family which included his wife who was amazing in her own right)… in Africa, he scouted for Rhodesia and fought the Boers for the British… returned to Pasadena, Ca and bought an Orange grove (and several other ranches)… could never remain in one spot…returned to East Africa where he found the continents larges coal deposits… started up a colony of settlers in Mexico… went mining for gold in the Klondike … used his mining expertise and acquaintances to find valuable metals needed for WW! Weapons… knew Teddy Roosevelt and many notables of his time (always looking for investors and benefactors)… wrote his autobiography (the rights were bought by Earnest Hemingway who planed a TV series but who’s suicide came before he wrote a single script.)
A large part of these amazing, unsettled, adventurous life can be told because of Burnham’s wife Blanch who saved his long and detailed letters. She had to learn to live alone for long periods of time although she did join Burnham on many trips. Burnham died at 86 in 1947 his life seeing a whirlwind of change.
Although I have given the book a high rating and found it a very interesting and fact fill read I did find some sections that needed better editing and clarity. The African sections would have been helped with better maps and because I am unfamiliar with that area's geography so I found this narrative of battles and sides fought at times confusing. I much more enjoyed the descriptions of the Southwest and Alaska. Also, Kemper ends the book with a chapter highlighting many controversies about the truth of various exploits (mostly those in African campaigns as a scout). I found this interesting but it also seemed to undermine Kemper’s own belief and narrative of the events questioned. (Yet, he does a good job of debunking the attacks.) Like T E Lawrence, when one writes one’s own history the truth sometimes remains obscured by the fog of war. Botton line I am very happy I discovered Frederick Burnham even if he did participate and support some unsavory history.
June 21, 2024
One occasionally comes across an example of a person who had great fame during a certain era but whose fame is unknown to current generations. Frederick Burnham is such a person. Burnham led a life of adventure, danger and life threatening close calls while at the same time attempting to strike it rich in a variety of schemes and businesses all while maintaining a successful marriage with his childhood sweetheart. Perhaps Burnham is mostly unknown to us because his exploits were mainly on behalf of Great Britain in South Africa and in Mexico for commercial interests. Burnham learned the tracking skills of mountain men and Indians while a young man growing up in the Los Angeles area and although in his early days he cowboyed and fought Apaches he came into his own during the Boer War when he was commissioned in the British Army and served as chief scout going behind enemy lines more than 100 times, often avoiding near capture and escaping when he was captured. His business failures were many while at the same time he was close friends with such luminaries as Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and Winston Churchill. He often caught gold fever and had some success in Alaska. His finances were up and down until he successfully found oil for a syndicate of Eastern interests. Ironically, he found it near Los Angeles where he had ridden horseback as a youngster and in his sixties and until his death in his eighties lived a life of leisure. Among many interesting things about this man is that he was the inspiration for the Boy Scouts. Lord Baden-Powell greatly admired Burnham’s skills as a tracker and scout. I made it through the audio book and it was an interesting life to learn about. But it was kind of a slog. I wonder if Burnham’s autobiography, a best seller in its day, might be more interesting. That said, a look at Burnham’s Wikipedia page will give you the high points of a rather fantastic career. They don’t make them anymore like they did in the nineteenth century.
December 29, 2018
Frederick Burnham was a larger than life character who crammed more adventure and danger into his life than 100 people, well to be fair most people would have died doing what he did. He cheated death almost continually starting as a toddler when his mother hid him in a corn field to escape rampaging Sioux warriors. Burnham obeyed his mothers instructions to be silent and he survived. This would start him on a path of adventure that spanned several continents and numerous guerilla wars against various enemies coupled with a rather manic pursuit of riches through mineral prospecting.
He never struck it rich till late in life but he always seemed to have productive enough mining interests to keep him and his extended family in what would by our standards be a middle class life style (despite his often protestations of poverty and near ruin).
Burhnam's fame came because of his career as a military "scout" a kind of combination between an tracker and a modern day army Ranger. He intersected with Baden Powell and both were so disillusioned with their respective nations military preparedness that they founded the "Scouting movement" which we know today as the "Boy Scouts".
Most people don't realize that the Boy Scouts were supposed to prepare young men with the skills needed to survive in the wild during wartime. In that sense the original idea is a little closer to today's "bushcraft" movement.
Burnham admired the Apache Indians and emulated many of their skills. Something tells me he didn't envision kids in dorky uniforms sitting around roasting marshmallows and singing campfire tunes....
He never struck it rich till late in life but he always seemed to have productive enough mining interests to keep him and his extended family in what would by our standards be a middle class life style (despite his often protestations of poverty and near ruin).
Burhnam's fame came because of his career as a military "scout" a kind of combination between an tracker and a modern day army Ranger. He intersected with Baden Powell and both were so disillusioned with their respective nations military preparedness that they founded the "Scouting movement" which we know today as the "Boy Scouts".
Most people don't realize that the Boy Scouts were supposed to prepare young men with the skills needed to survive in the wild during wartime. In that sense the original idea is a little closer to today's "bushcraft" movement.
Burnham admired the Apache Indians and emulated many of their skills. Something tells me he didn't envision kids in dorky uniforms sitting around roasting marshmallows and singing campfire tunes....
May 13, 2024
A must-read for every American who is pleased to be proud of a real-life hero. His accomplishments were stellar, but it's his scouting that I found the most interesting. I have read about the expertise of Native American scouts, but never knew it was possible to track in the kind of difficult circumstances Burnham did. Trained by the very best trackers as the American west was ending, he was able to find the road he sought in enemy territory on a pitch-black night, in a deluge, thus saving himself and others. Burnham accomplished this multiple times through his skill, experience, brilliance, willingness to take incredible risks, unwillingness to panic, and sheer determination.
"I take this opportunity of thanking you for the valuable services you have rendered since you joined my headquarters at Paardeburg last February. I doubt if any other man in the force could have successfully carried out the perilous enterprises on which you have from time to time been engaged demanding as they did the training of a lifetime, combined with exceptional courage, caution, and powers of endurance."
—Lord Roberts, Commander of all British troops fighting in the Second Boer War (1900)
The Boy Scouts were begun in the hope of preserving Burnham's amazing skills. (Sadly, the organization, even at its height, never really taught scouting skills like Burnahm's, Such skills have been lost).
I haven't read a book this thrilling in a long time. Non-fiction, but reads better than fiction. Exposes all "superheroes" as weenies.
"I take this opportunity of thanking you for the valuable services you have rendered since you joined my headquarters at Paardeburg last February. I doubt if any other man in the force could have successfully carried out the perilous enterprises on which you have from time to time been engaged demanding as they did the training of a lifetime, combined with exceptional courage, caution, and powers of endurance."
—Lord Roberts, Commander of all British troops fighting in the Second Boer War (1900)
The Boy Scouts were begun in the hope of preserving Burnham's amazing skills. (Sadly, the organization, even at its height, never really taught scouting skills like Burnahm's, Such skills have been lost).
I haven't read a book this thrilling in a long time. Non-fiction, but reads better than fiction. Exposes all "superheroes" as weenies.
September 8, 2019
A Splendid Savage is a fascinating look at the expansive Western historical period between the American Civil War and World War II. Seeing this period through Burnham’s eyes as he actively helped make history is fascinating, chaotic, and often very ironic. For instance, Burnham, who was almost killed by Natives several times throughout his youth, admired them for teaching him principles of bushcraft at an early age. Burnham, sympathetic, wrote in his memoirs: “To-day recalling all the crimes of the Indians, which were black enough, one cannot but cast up in their behalf the long column of wrongs and grievances they suffered at the hands of the whites.” Burnham, however, did not show such a progressive attitude toward the natives in Africa, where his strong foundation in Native American bushcraft helped him attain legendary status as a master scout and native slayer in Rhodesia. Burnham’s plundering of resources and big game across the continents in the name of manifest destiny was a typical attitude for the strongmen of his time, yet he died an ardent conservationist. While he was quick to leav his family at the drop of a hat for the sake of adventure, Burnham kept strong, good relations with his wife and kids throughout his whole life.
For us veterans and adventurers, A Splendid Savage is a must read to appreciate times past and to remind ourselves what we’re capable of when we listen to that internal drive and follow our passions
For us veterans and adventurers, A Splendid Savage is a must read to appreciate times past and to remind ourselves what we’re capable of when we listen to that internal drive and follow our passions
November 12, 2022
Frederick Burnham may be the most interesting person you’ve never heard of. His adventures span from the wild west of the US, to the newly discovered areas of Africa, finally to the Alaskan gold rush in the Klondike. His two passions were scouting (i.e. spying) and prospecting and he does both throughout his life across multiple continents. I particularly liked his description of the scouting/tracking. His powers of observation were remarkable. He even knew that smoking would hurt his sense of smell, an advantage to a good tracker. While it was difficult to read about the attitudes of the ‘conquerors’, the author does a good job of addressing this turn of the century mentality. Burnham was often surprised that the Native Americans or Africans were hostile to having their land taken over. Huh? There is a lot of interesting history of the time brought to life through an interesting character.
April 24, 2023
Fascinating story of an American original that wouldn't be believed if Hollywood put it in a movie. Frederick Russell Burnham's life spans in the American Wild West, southern Africa in what is now South Africa and Rhodesia, the Klondike Gold Rush in Alaska, explorations of Kenya and prospecting expeditions in Northern Mexico before finally striking it rich by finding one of the largest oil fields in California.
All throughout the ups and downs of his life, Burnham kept his optimism and curiosity was able to interact equally well with grizzled prospectors and pioneers, native Americans, African tribesmen, British aristocrats, Oxford dons, and American millionaires. He knew Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Robert Baden-Powell, who modeled the Boy Scout uniform on Burnham's usual Stetson hat and neckerchief.
All in all, it's an amazing story of one of the most interesting characters you will ever find.
All throughout the ups and downs of his life, Burnham kept his optimism and curiosity was able to interact equally well with grizzled prospectors and pioneers, native Americans, African tribesmen, British aristocrats, Oxford dons, and American millionaires. He knew Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Robert Baden-Powell, who modeled the Boy Scout uniform on Burnham's usual Stetson hat and neckerchief.
All in all, it's an amazing story of one of the most interesting characters you will ever find.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2017
What and interesting life? This was an incredible tale from an adventuresome man who happened to be born in an era that suited him perfectly. From a pioneer family to becoming a scout during a time of wars with the American Indian... to traveling and exploring the American West, the Klondike, Mexico, East, West, and South Africa... ... range wars, Indian wars, Boer wars, World wars and more...
Rhodes, Churchhill, Taft, Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill, Edward Harriman, and a long list of other interesting individuals you likely have never heard of .... fortunes won and lost numerous times, but what an incredibly fascinating life to read of ... It makes the vast majority of life stories seem uneventful in comparison....
Rhodes, Churchhill, Taft, Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill, Edward Harriman, and a long list of other interesting individuals you likely have never heard of .... fortunes won and lost numerous times, but what an incredibly fascinating life to read of ... It makes the vast majority of life stories seem uneventful in comparison....
January 4, 2021
Before airplanes the only way one army could get information on the positions of an opposing army would be to have scouts go out behind enemy lines and report back--if they survived. This is a story of a man who was at the top of his skill for scouting. It follows him in the late 19th century in the American West against Indians and in South Africa in the Boer wars. He ended up co-founding the Boy Scouts of America--training them to be actual scouts--a very valued skill at the time. The stories are incredibly engaging as you follow him hiding and moving behind enemy lines and gaining a reputation with the enemy for being invisible. He had a lot of tricks for going undetected. A great read I would highly recommend.
August 10, 2023
A highly engaging book about a fascinating man who lived a singularly interesting and full life. His adventures as a scout, prospector, miner, soldier, speculator, and explorer took him all of the world and were truly remarkable. I enjoyed reading about his travels and adventures in the American Southwest, Southern Africa, Kenya, Ghana, the Klondike Gold Rush, Northern Mexico, and elsewhere. It was also fascinating reading about his interactions with other well-known people of the day such as Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, etc. Truly some remarkable stories.
Frederick Russell Burnham might just be one of the most interesting men you have never heard of before.
Frederick Russell Burnham might just be one of the most interesting men you have never heard of before.
July 16, 2024
Where to begin? Fred Burnham was a fascinating and very complicated man. He was an adventurer, soldier of fortune, dreamer, world traveler, family man, loyal friend, miner, scout, conservationist, racist, and lifelong learner. He adored his wife, but continuously left her to follow his dreams and desires. She adored him equally and encouraged him to follow his dreams and went with him whenever she could. His multitude of friends included statesmen (Teddy Roosevelt), soldiers, Indians, and a wide variety of nationalities. This is a book about a man who lived many lives full of adventure and danger. It also offers a wealth of American and African history. And, in part, it’s a love story. Burnham wasn’t all good man or bad man, but he sure was an interesting man!
November 12, 2023
This guy led an amazing life with hair-raising adventures, and seemed to be capable of anything that needed doing. Tracking Apache warriors through the desert, fighting witchdoctors in Africa, surveying the west for mineral deposits, panning for gold, and more. The first half of this book was great, then he started bouncing around a lot, his life started to get complicated, his activities became more mercenary, and his brushes with famous people seemed to lessen. I thought it was most interesting that he hung out with Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouts, who partly modeled them after him.
November 29, 2017
This book was an exceptional story about an exceptional man. I simply did not want it to end. I can't help but feel as though the author romanticized the myth of this man a bit meaning he painted a rosy picture while hinting at deep flaws, but chose not to make the flaws the focus of the story. It makes me appreciate a time in recent history when men lived very differently than we do today...and perhaps makes me feel as though I was born a century too late.
May 1, 2018
What an amazing life. Truth is better than fiction in this case. Who would have thought a person could have as many separate adventures in so few years. Additionally, he was present for so many historical events and met or worked for such famous people. Reading this was like stringing together multiple westerns. I don't think they could make it into a movie--but it might be a great mini-series.
January 7, 2019
A well-researched account of the amazing life of a forgotten American hero. FRB has so many connections with American and world history that it boggles the mind. I am pleased also that Kemper does not shy away from the controversies and inconsistencies of Burnham's life (indeed, the inconsistencies lie at the heart of Burngam's identity). He gives a fair examination of the zeitgeist of Burnham's time, cautioning readers not to be too harsh looking backward in history.
May 14, 2019
"To my friendly enemy, the greatest scout in the world, whose eyes were the vision of an empire. I craved the honour of killing him, but failing that I extend my heartiest admiration. Major Frederick Russell Burnham from Fritz Joubert Duquesne 1933. One warrior to another."
"My soul is my maker's and must be returned, my life is my country's, my heart I give to you."
And in this book I learned about Tombstone, AZ's newspaper, The Tombstone Epitaph!
"My soul is my maker's and must be returned, my life is my country's, my heart I give to you."
And in this book I learned about Tombstone, AZ's newspaper, The Tombstone Epitaph!
March 13, 2020
This man's life was an amazing adventure. It makes the book better because it isn't a novel it is this man's restless life. From the Indian Wars to Africa and much more. I will not say a lot about it but there are some really good parts about his struggle to assimilate to the modernizing world around him and an unstoppable inner need to keep going and discovering more and more. Just a fantastic book on a life that very few in history can even come close to.
July 15, 2021
Very well-written narrative of the incredible life of Frederick Russell Burnham: scout, prospector, hunter, speculator, fighter, writer, and man's man. Spans turbulent events in North America and Africa from the Apache wars to the Boer war and gold rushes around the world. Hard to believe he existed in real life. I learned a ton about turn-of-the-century history and am inspired to read more from this era.
December 30, 2019
Just read it. All the people complaining of parts jumping can have it but if your into the wilderness, camping and buisiness then this book as it all. Sure it jumps a bit but Burnham literally wrote books himself that fill in the details. This is a highlight real that puts him in virtue among greats like Roosevelt and Powell
January 7, 2020
An excellent look into one extraordinary man's life. Burnham arrives in the world towards the end of the "Wild West" and charts his own path through world history from California to the Klondike. Like so many great men, he is a man of contrasts and contradictions and his fascinating story is told beautifully by Mr. Kemper.
January 1, 2023
An interesting but superficial read about an gilded age hero who nobody knows about anymore. The ideal of manhood circa 1910 before the world altering destruction of the Great War. An American in Africa...serving the British, fighting the Boer, but always always always on the make.
3.5 stars really. Fascinating man.
3.5 stars really. Fascinating man.
February 18, 2024
10/10. Wow. I was given this book by a friend. I have never read or known any history of the "wild west" or South Africa. This book is excellently written. Weaving together letters and amazing documentation that Burnham generated over the course of his incredibly exciting and "restless" life. Both him as a character and the scenes / history that he helped shape make this a great read.
October 8, 2017
Heavens. It took me forever to read this book because it was just so exhausting. Burnham did SO. MUCH. I don't know how he did 1/4th of all the things he accomplished. The book is meticulously researched and really well written. It was engaging and informative. Just a good read all around.
November 8, 2017
Wow
Had not read much about Burnham before and did not know much about his exploits. If only half of what is reported here is true, Burnham’s life makes Indiana Jones pale by comparison. Soldier, explorer, miner, tracker and conservationist, his story is remarkable. Recommended.
Had not read much about Burnham before and did not know much about his exploits. If only half of what is reported here is true, Burnham’s life makes Indiana Jones pale by comparison. Soldier, explorer, miner, tracker and conservationist, his story is remarkable. Recommended.
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