Captured By The Indians: 15 Firsthand Accounts, 1750-1870

Living on the American frontier in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was no picnic for white settlers. Along with the usual tribulations--the need for water, food, shelter and clothing--there was also the constant fear of merciless Indian attacks. American expansion was no trivial affair. It was brutal and bloody. This fascinating book takes place over a hundred years or so beginning in 1750. It is made up of fifteen accounts written by white settlers who not only survived terrible confrontations with Indians but who then subsequently were forced to live with them. These were terrifying experiences. Many of these accounts were taken from full length books written by the survivors which, at the time, were best-sellers. Of course, people have always been fascinated by tales of survival in alien cultures and continue to be so to this day. The one thing that all of the stories have in common is that the Indians portrayed--whatever tribe, whatever time in history--were completely unpredictable. Some of them were kind, some were unspeakably cruel. All lived a savage, nomadic life. In all cases the men hunted and loafed and the women served them. A hunter might kill a deer and bring it back to camp. Or, if the animal was too big to drag or carry back, he simply instructed his woman where to find and butcher the thing. At least a couple of the accounts point out that this could be a rather idyllic existence for a male. Historically, many white settlers willingly adapted to this lifestyle. But it was not by any means civilized and was very dangerous. There was no written language, no rules, no justice. Unless you had family or friends, a particular fellow might decide he wanted to kill you and there was not a whole lot you could do about it. One of the accounts talks of a tribesman who was old and getting weak. A younger man, without any provocation, suddenly tomahawked him. The old man was able to crawl away, but he was never seen again, and the young man paid no penalty. Most Indian nations were warlike. Indeed, their individual worth was based on feats of war or the hunt. Scalps, skins, bear-claws, feathers; all were all symbols of a warrior's prowess. In one of the latter stories there is an incredible account of an encounter between the Comanches, with whom the author was ensconced, and the Apaches. The Comanches were attempting to locate a buffalo herd when they came across their hated enemy. Without a word or gesture, the two tribes immediately formed up and attacked. The battle raged for hours with many dead and wounded on either side. Eventually, without either side emerging victorious, the field was abandoned. Many young people nowadays have been taught that white people were cruel and unjust towards the Indians and there is certainly some truth to this. But the reality, as shown by these narratives, is that it was simply not possible for the two sides to co-exist. The whites wanted land, families, and organized society. The Indians wanted to retain their nomadic, carefree lifestyle. When they saw that it was being encroached upon, their reaction was of helpless rage. One of the accounts talks of how a tribe, in which the captive was held hostage, returned to its summer hunting grounds and discovered marks on the trees. They, sadly, knew what this meant: white surveyors had been there and that they would inevitably be followed by more settlers. The Indians reacted in the only way they knew. White men, women and children were indiscriminately tomahawked or shot to death and scalped; their belongings were stolen; and their dwellings burned. Some were kept alive to become slaves or to be hideously tortured to death. Of course, the white reaction was predictable as well. The fifteen tales here contain just a wealth of information about early American history. Buffalo roamed the Midwest, for example. Bears were everywhere; indeed, the entire continent was teeming with wildlife. Several historic events are recounted: the massacre at Michilimackinac in 1763 is one; the death of American colonel William Crawford, who was tortured to death by the Indians after leading a failed expedition against them in 1782, is another. Weaving in and out of this are the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolution. Indeed, all of these tales here are gripping adventures. But the most interesting aspect of the book is undoubtedly the depiction of the Indian way of life, which has now disappeared. There is a wealth of detail. It is a fascinating book about a fascinating culture. But it was a culture that simply could not continue.

This book was outstanding. Drimmer did such a phenomenal job of editing and preparing these accounts, making them such easy reading. Though this was non-fiction, it was non-fiction AT ITS FINEST. It was interesting to read and compare attacks and abductions between tribes in the eastern US vs. the western US. This book made it possible to do that. Also, the first accounts were pre-Revolutionary, making that an interesting note. As I continue researching Native Americans, particularly the Sioux, for a novel, so much of what I've read has been from extant accounts of people who had been captured and kept as prisoners/slaves. It's been fascinating, as though these people are truly speaking to me from the past. For anyone intrigued by Native American tribes, this is a great read.

In the book "Captured by the Indians" you will find fifteen articles that were selected and edited by the author. Some historians will certainly note that a few of these articles have been utilized by Hollywood screenwriters for TV Movies and on the big screen as well over the years. Commander John Houston certainly enjoyed reading these stories and they gave him many ideas over the years of hollywood film making. The Library of Congress is also a great source to find many accounts buried deep within its book cases which are recorded from first person accounts. In this book, the reader has a number of excceptional adventures to read. There are some stories that the reader may find too difficult to read, however true. Such was life in the wilderness of North America during 1750 - 1870 and of the families that pushed westward from the cities and townships along the coast. Some sought their fortune, others looked for their own piece of land. Destruction of forrests and cultvation of crops, westerward expansion all contributed to the pressures faced by the native americans by the settlers moving westward. Conflict bred more conflict along the wilderness. This a a book that most readers will not necessary find in their local libraries, but a great book for anyone interested in adventure, history of that period and tales of survival. The reader will certainly sit on the edge of their seat and probably not want to put the book down when they get into the first story of capture and survival. You will find heart wrenching stories of men, women and children struggling out in the wilderness, and a number of Indian attacks, and massacres, some which you may have heard before, and some you may wish to read again and again over the years. These are unique and first person accounts of survival in the wilderness.

One of the best books I've read - and I read a lot. As the title states, this book contains 15 separate accounts of encounters with Indians in America and pre-America. Technically, two of the stories were of persons who weren't actually captured; they were present at massacres and suffered greatly, but they were able to escape prior to being captured. The majority of the accounts involve the Iroquois Federation and other Indians in the Northeast. A few of the stories happen elsewhere and with different tribes or bands of Indians. These are first-hand eye-witness accounts of unbelievable extreme cruelty of the most unimaginable type perpetrated by the Indians on a variety of white people, including the people telling the stories who were able to eventually escape. [BTW: Whites were not the only victims; the Indians did the same things to their Indian enemies - which included just about every other tribe not their own.] Accounts of murder, indiscriminate slaughter, enslavement, decapitation, dismemberment, slow burning alive and cannibalism are all told with incredible and painful graphic detail. The periods of captivity ranged from days, weeks, months to multiple years. These incidents take place over a 120 year period in a variety of locals with a variety of Indians and whites under a variety of circumstances and with a variety of victims (captives). However, they are remarkably consistent on the whole. Notwithstanding what I just said, this is not a one-sided book; it is very even-handed. Most every captive (if not all) also relate the reasons (excuses) that the Indians had for perpetrating these most-evil of acts - including encroachment by the whites on the Indians' lands and way-of-life; as well as brutality perpetrated by the whites. And, except for two or three stories, all of these events take place in the pre-Manifest Destiny and pre westward expansion era of American History - a time when Indian genocide was really practiced to full effect. The captives also relate acts of kindness, intelligence and thoughtfulness by the Indians. Included are many instances of adoption of white men, women and children by the Indians of those they had captured (and even tortured prior to adoption). Ironically, even though the captives saw and witnessed unimaginable horrors perpetrated by the Indians, the captives also seemed to know why they occurred; or, at least, the captives seemed to understand the Indians' rational for doing what they did. Finally, the reader also indirectly learns about Indian culture, customs and traditions - not just the killing part. This aspect of the book is educational and very interesting. One thing the reader learns, without question: Revenge and Vengeance are the highest values of the Indian culture - at least at that time. Frightening, Shocking. Disturbing. And I highly recommend this book.

This was awesome if only just for the varied nature of the stories told. It would be fair to assume one tale of abduction is the same as the others, but these are all very unique tales. It really makes you appreciate all the different aspects and factors of early American life. Pulled from first-hand accounts, which are obviously prone to embellishment and murky recollection, this book is 15 memoirs of White life among the native North American population. I have nothing more to add. It's just an awesome action/adventure book if nothing else.

While working on our family genealogy, I became interested in the settlement of the Northwest Territory, esp. the everyday life of the settlers and the challenges they faced. And, of course, one of those challenges was confrontations with the native Americans. I was intrigued by the subject matter of this book, and by the fact that it was drawn from the experiences 15 different individuals. I figured it would give a good overall picture of the situation between the Indians and the settlers. I haven't been disappointed! What's more, it contains all sorts of information about how people in those days survived - how they hunted, fished, built canoes, traded, etc. The one thing that that has stood out to me above everything else is the style of communication from these individuals. Very little drama or exaggeration, and no self-pity. I'm amazed at how they describe their situations with such a matter-of-fact attitude. What a contrast to our generation of whiners! I would highly recommend this to anyone, and especially to history teachers and home-schoolers. I can't imagine that this material would not capture the interest of most students, even those who claim to "hate history." I truly believe this book has the potential to change some attitudes.

The subtitle of the book claims there are 15 firsthand accounts (1750-1870), united around the title "captured by the Indians." That seems to be an exaggeration at best. E.g., take "Ambush: Ransom Clark," pp. 268-71. This very brief chapter is about an uprising of the Seminoles, but no white settler is captured by the Indians. This incident also points to another problem -- many of these episodes are so short, that the reader learns next to nothing about the Indians. IIRC, there are about five accounts that are valuable and interesting (e.g., Prisoner of the Caughnawagas: James Smith, pp. 25-60). With the exception of these five stories, the rest of the stories didn't really keep my interest, because I learned so very little about the Indians. Caveat emptor.

I grew up in Central Illinois, which was populated with Indians decades ago, and on our farm I found many arrowheads and Tomahawks, which interested me my whole life

Enjoyed this book

This is an amazing book! The book has several different accounts of people that were captured by the indians, each chapter relates a different story. What is amazing in this book is that in just one book you have several different stories, from different people, in different time frames, in different tribes...some have been treated kindly and others have been treated with much cruelty, but most of all, the stories are authentic and speak of a time where there are so few true accounts left. Wish that there were more books like this one. A gem!

Some of the stories in this book are great, others are seemingly dramatized for affect. Good read though

Great read.

Very informative and interesting on how dangerous and cruel life was on the frontier. Some descriptions of torture and death by fire of prisoners and savage murder of little children left me in cold sweats.