Cashin (history, Augusta State U.) provides students and general readers with this historical account of the Chickasaw Nation and notes how these people were instrumental in developing trade economies and alliances in South Carolina and Georgia in the years prior to the American Revolution. The author, who passed away just after this book was completed, discusses the important role the Chickasaws had in opening trade routes between Mississippi and the Atlantic coast and details the military, political and social interactions that led to the settling of the Southern Frontier. Cashin also provides biographical profiles of such Chickasaw leaders as Squirrel King, the Doctor and Mingo Stoby. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)