Williamson, Peter:

$12,500 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

FRENCH AND INDIAN CRUELTY; EXEMPLIFIED IN THE LIFE AND VARIOUS VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE, OF PETER WILLIAMSON, A DISBANDED SOLDIER. CONTAINING A PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND DRESS OF ... "The second edition, with corrections and amendments," issued the year after the superlatively rare first edition, of what Vail calls "the most popular of all Indian captivities." Peter Williamson was born in Scotland, but was kidnapped and sold into bondage in Pennsylvania when he was eight years old. His master proved kind and ultimately became his benefactor, leaving Williamson enough money to marry and establish himself on a farm near the forks of the Delaware. In 1754 he was captured by Indians, probably Delawares, held captive for three months, and submitted to various tortures and humiliations. Escaping in January 1755, he joined the army and was sent first to Boston, then with the expedition to defend Oswego. When Oswego was captured by the French, he was wounded and taken prisoner. Ultimately, he was paroled and sent to England, arriving in November 1756.Williamson's narrative is vivid and detailed, deserving of the interest and editions it evoked. It served as a model for many later narratives, and numerous fictional treatments stole details from it. This is the earliest obtainable edition, the first existing in only a few copies.

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