The Ballad of Daniel Boone tells the story of his adventurous life across the mountains on the rowdy frontier west of the Colony of Virginia. He was a calm, soft-spoken man who exhibited grace under pressure and courage in the face of death. Boone learned from his youth how to live in the wilderness with nothing more than his rifle, hunting knife, tomahawk, and keen intelligence. His story takes place before, during, and after America's Revolutionary War with Great Britain. Boone became a great warrior against the British and against the Native Americans who sided with them as they opposed American settlers who fought for independence. Few men have ever experienced such harrowing adventures and narrow escapes as he. Though he lost two sons and a brother to hostile natives, he never betrayed bitterness toward them. He respected them as worthy opponents. He treated his fellow men of all races with human dignity. Boone's story is a distinctively America story that exhibits character traits of initiative, courage, honesty, and faithfulness. The story is written in ballad form. It is a biography in verse.