Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879: The Story of the Captivity and Life of a Texan Among the Indians

By Herman Lehmann

Book Overview

Here is a genuine Little Big Man story, with all the color, sweep, and tragedy of a classic American western. It is the tale of Herman Lehmann, a captive of the Apaches on the Southern Plains of Texas and New Mexico during the 1870s. Adopted by a war chief, he was trained to be a warrior and waged merciless war on Apache enemies, both Indian and Euro-American. After killing an Apache medicine man in self-defense, he fled to a lonely hermitage on the Southern Plains until he joined the Comanches. Against his will, Lehmann was returned to his family in 1879. The final chapters relate his difficult readjustment to Anglo life.Lehmann's unapologetic narrative is extraordinary for its warm embrace of Native Americans and stinging appraisal of Anglo society. Once started, the story of this remarkable man cannot be put down. Dale Giese's introduction provides a framework for interpreting the Lehmann narrative.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 198761884X
• ISBN13: 9781987618846
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 98 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Herman Lehmann

as a young boy (about 16 years old) a older friend recommended this book to me. after 21 years later I did not remember much about this book when I read it at age 16. after rereading this book again, this book is a must have. Herman Lehmann story is one of the few greatest told true life stories.

Right On

Herman Lehmann was a name mentioned a few times within my family as a boy growing up. Others were Korn, Fisher, etc. I was born in Texas. My Mother was Choctaw, born 1902, my father,1895, a descendent from hard core Texans that fought with Sam Houston. My Mother's people were moved from Mississippi to Oklahome where some reside today. I have read many stories concerning the lives of various tribes but I think Herman hits the nail on the head when it comes to the Apachie and Comanchie, however he does not speak for them all.In the seventies,I lived as a missionary among the Navaho and others. I found that each tribe place their values of life somewhat different. Herman's life is interesting and educational. Several college professors have used his documented eventful life as source. A good book, buy it!

Where The Arrowhead In Your Garden Came From

The older farmers of my childhood remembered the last Indians from a time before plows and pavement. Ours was an Indian land not long ago. This man's sharp memories, though not for the squeamish, are a window on that world before and while it was snatched from them. This is a fascinating book - a fast, enjoyable read.

Riveting, passionate, humorous, violent--a great read!

In events strikingly similar but less well-chronicled to those taking place on the Northern Plains, the 1870's witnessed the demise of the Southern Plains Indians--Apaches, Lipans, Commanches. Enter this young Henry Lehmann, an eleven-year old white taken from his frontier family by an Apache raiding party. Over the next ten years he matures from captive slave to fully "Indianized" warrior, only to ultimately (and reluctantly) reunite with his family. This amazing firsthand account details Indian life as it reached a violent climax with encroaching white settlement. A real page-turner and a must read for those interested in Plains Indians and Texas frontier history.