In 1895, two young men destined to make their mark on American life, Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, discovered they shared a common interest in the remarkable way ordinary Americans demonstrated the real character of the young nation. They were convinced that the brilliance of American liberty could best be found in the lives of everyday heroes.

These two men researched and wrote the twenty-six inspiring stories in Hero Tales. From great battles of the War for Independence to the intrepid explorations that opened up the western frontier, from the struggles of the early pioneers to the tragedies of the Civil War, these stories capture the essence of the American spirit.

Especially moving is the last chapter, on Abraham Lincoln, in which narrator Patrick Cullen reads Walt Whitman's poem for Lincoln, "O Captain, My Captain," as well as two of Lincoln's speeches, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address.

1. "Washington" by Henry Cabot Lodge2. "Daniel Boone and the Founding of Kentucky" by Theodore Roosevelt3. "George Rogers Clark and the Conquest of the Northwest" by Theodore Roosevelt4. "The Battle of Trenton" by Henry Cabot Lodge5. "Bennington" by Henry Cabot Lodge6. "King's Mountain" by Theodore Roosevelt7. "The Storming of Stony Point" by Theodore Roosevelt8. "Gouverneur Morris" by Henry Cabot Lodge9. "The Burning of the Philadelphiai"by Henry Cabot Lodge10. "The Cruise of the Wasp"by Theodore Roosevelt11. "The General Armstrong Privateer" by Theodore Roosevelt12. "The Battle of New Orleans" by Theodore Roosevelt13. "John Quincy Adams and the Right of Petition" by Henry Cabot Lodge14. "Francis Parkman" by Henry Cabot Lodge15. "Remember the Alamo" by Theodore Roosevelt16. "Hampton Roads" by Theodore Roosevelt17. "The Flag-Bearer" by Theodore Roosevelt18. "The Death of Stonewall Jackson" by Theodore Roosevelt19. "The Charge at Gettysburg" by Theodore Roosevelt20. "General Grant and the Vicksburg Campaign" by Henry Cabot Lodge21. "Robert Gould Shaw" by Henry Cabot Lodge22. "Charles Russell Lowell" by Henry Cabot Lodge23. "Sheridan at Cedar Creek" by Henry Cabot Lodge24. "Lieutenant Cushing and the Ram Albermarle"by Theodore Roosevelt25. "Farragut at Mobile Bay" by Theodore Roosevelt26. "Lincoln" by Henry Cabot Lodge