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

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.

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!

After spending a lifetime watching Westerns this was an eye-opener for me. I was a history major in college (back in the ice age) and there was very little information about Native American culture available. A great follow-up to the book about captive children in the late 1800s by Zorn.

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.

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.