'THESE WILD WOODS'-- LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD'S GRAND TOUR OF THE NORTH AMERICAN FRONTIER, 1789-90.

This article focuses on Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s travels across the North American frontier during 1788–1790 and their influence on his political ideas. Drawing on original letters and previous scholarship, it outlines his journey from New Brunswick through Quebec, the Great Lakes, and ultimately to New Orleans, highlighting his interactions with Native American leaders such as Joseph Brant and David Hill, through whom he was made an honorary chief of the Seneca/Bear tribe. While his daughter claimed he developed republican ideals in America, the article suggests Fitzgerald’s views were shaped by his earlier upbringing steeped in Rousseau’s philosophy and the “noble savage” concept, rather than solely by his frontier experiences. His correspondence reveals a complex engagement with the wilderness and native societies, offering insight into the formative period before his later revolutionary activities.