Carl the Trailer

"Carl the Trailer" by Harry Castlemon is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story follows young Lieutenant Parker and his guide, Carl, as they embark on an adventurous expedition to gather fresh game for a military outpost. Set against a backdrop of tension between Native Americans and the U.S. military, the narrative explores themes of bravery, survival, and the complexities of human relationships in a changing frontier. The opening portion of the book introduces Colonel Dodge, who, upon realizing his fort is running low on fresh meat, decides to send Lieutenant Parker into the mountains to hunt game. The colonel appoints Carl, known as "the Trailer," to serve as the guide for this mission. Parker is depicted as a determined young officer eager to prove himself, while Carl is portrayed as resourceful and skilled, having earned his nickname through remarkable tracking abilities. Their interactions establish an initial camaraderie, setting the stage for the challenges they will face together as they navigate the treacherous terrain and potential threats posed by the Sioux Indians and other dangers of the American West. The narrative foreshadows tension and conflict, notably with the mention of the Ghost Dance and its implications for an uprising against the whites. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Austin Fosdick, better known by his nom de plume Harry Castlemon, was a prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels, intended mainly for boys. He was born in Randolph, New York, and received a high school diploma from Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, acting as the receiver and superintendent of coal for the Mississippi River Squadron. Fosdick had begun to write as a teenager, and drew on his experiences serving in the Navy in such early novels as Frank on a Gunboat (1864) and Frank on the Lower Mississippi (1867). He soon became the most-read author for boys in the post-Civil War era, the golden age of children's literature.