author
Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
1862–1919
Best known for brisk, action-filled historical adventures for young readers, this Kentucky-born writer turned his newsroom experience into stories set across early American history. His books were hugely popular in the early 20th century and are still remembered for their energy and sense of place.
35 Audiobooks
The Sword of Antietam: A Story of the Nation's Crisis
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Hosts of the Air
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Guns of Bull Run: A Story of the Civil War's Eve
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Rock of Chickamauga: A Story of the Western Crisis
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Forest Runners: A Story of the Great War Trail in Early Kentucky
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Lords of the Wild: A Story of the Old New York Border
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Forest of Swords: A Story of Paris and the Marne
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Texan Scouts: A Story of the Alamo and Goliad
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Shades of the Wilderness: A Story of Lee's Great Stand
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Border Watch: A Story of the Great Chief's Last Stand
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Tree of Appomattox
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Great Sioux Trail: A Story of Mountain and Plain
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Quest of the Four: A Story of the Comanches and Buena Vista
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Guns of Shiloh: A Story of the Great Western Campaign
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Free Rangers: A Story of the Early Days Along the Mississippi
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Shadow of the North: A Story of Old New York and a Lost Campaign
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Star of Gettysburg: A Story of Southern High Tide
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Eyes of the Woods: A Story of the Ancient Wilderness
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Texan Star: The Story of a Great Fight for Liberty
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Young Trailers: A Story of Early Kentucky
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Sun of Quebec: A Story of a Great Crisis
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Hunters of the Hills
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Candidate: A Political Romance
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
Before the Dawn: A Story of the Fall of Richmond
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Scouts of the Valley
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Scouts of Stonewall: The Story of the Great Valley Campaign
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Last of the Chiefs: A Story of the Great Sioux War
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
In Hostile Red
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Riflemen of the Ohio: A Story of the Early Days along "The Beautiful River"
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Masters of the Peaks: A Story of the Great North Woods
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Guns of Europe
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Rulers of the Lakes: A Story of George and Champlain
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Last Rebel
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Keepers of the Trail: A Story of the Great Woods
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The Sun of Saratoga: A Romance of Burgoyne's Surrender
by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
About the author
Born in Three Springs, Kentucky, in 1862, he studied at Liberty College in Glasgow, Kentucky, and at Vanderbilt University before building a career in journalism. He worked for the Louisville Courier-Journal and later joined the New York World, bringing a reporter’s eye for pace and detail to his fiction.
He became a prolific author of historical adventure stories, especially for younger readers. His novels often drew on American settings and conflicts, including the frontier and the Civil War, and many were published in connected series that helped make him widely popular.
He died in 1919. Remembered as both a newspaperman and storyteller, he left behind a large body of fiction that introduced generations of readers to history through fast-moving narrative.