“Reads very much like an adventure story . . . interweaving the history of the rebellion with the eventual discovery . . . of the Shaysite settlement.” —Bennington Historical Society News
The ruins of Daniel Shays’s fortified settlement reveal the hidden story of the famous rebellion. Shays and the Regulators founded the settlement deep in the Vermont wilderness after fleeing the uprising they led in 1787 in Massachusetts. Rediscovered in 1997 and under study since 2013, these remnants divulge secrets of Shays’ life that previously remained unknown, including his connection to Millard Filmore and the Anti-Federalist lawyer John Bay. As the leader of the site’s first formal study, Stephen D. Butz weaves together the tale of the archaeological investigation, along with Shays’ heroic life in the Continental army, his role in the infamous rebellion that bears his name and his influence on American law.
“An exciting story about some of the items found at the ruins of Daniel Shays’ fortified settlement, that help to reveal the hidden story of the famous rebellion.” —Albany Times Union
“Butz sets out to discover what happened to those who could not pay their taxes, who rebelled against Massachusetts, and who created an historical mystery by escaping into Vermont.” —Walloomsack Review
“Reveals a little-known side of the Shays’ Rebellion story that played out in a final confrontation in Sheffield in 1787.” —The Berkshire Eagle
