The Deerslayer, or The First War Path, is the final book in James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales series, published in 1841. In this book, Natty Bumppo is introduced as "Deerslayer," a juvenile outlaw in early 18th-century New York. Deerslayer opposes the practice of scalping, arguing that all living beings should adhere to "nature's gifts." Henry March and "Floating Tom" Hutter are two individuals that genuinely want to kill people. To slaughter and scalp as many Hurons as they can, Hutter and March sneak into their camp, but they are caught in the process.
After Hutter passes away, Judith sets out to identify her biological father, but her investigation only reveals that her deceased mother was of noble lineage and had wed "Floating Tom" after an extramarital affair failed. Later, Judith tries to save Deerslayer but is unsuccessful. Finally, everyone is saved when March appears with English troops and massacres the Hurons while terminally wounding Hetty. When Bumppo and Chingachgook revisit the location fifteen years later, they discover Hutt's home in ruins.
James Fenimore Cooper was born on September 15, 1789 was an American author. He wrote authentic romantic stories portraying colonist and Native characters from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. His most popular work is The Last of the Mohicans, often regarded as a masterpiece. James Fenimore Cooper was the 11th offspring of William Cooper and Elizabeth (Fenimore) Cooper. He wedded Susan Augusta de Lancey at Mamaroneck, Westchester Area, New York on January 1, 1811. The Coopers had seven children, but only five of them live to adulthood. The Last of the Mohicans (1826) was written in New York City where Cooper and his family resided. It became one of the most read American books of the nineteenth century. The series includes the racial friendship of Natty Bumppo with the Delaware Indians. In 1826, Cooper moved his family to Europe to acquire more income from his books. He became friends with painters Samuel Morse and Gilbert du Motier and Marquis de Lafayette. In 1832, he entered the list as a political writer in a series of letters to Le National. In 1833, Cooper got back to the US and distributed "A Letter to My Countrymen" where he gave his criticism of different social and political mores. He died on September 14, 1851, the day preceding his 62nd birthday. He was buried in the Christ Episcopal Churchyard, where his dad, William Cooper, was buried. Cooper's wife Susan could live by a couple of months and was buried by his side at Cooperstown.
