Chainbreaker

by Governor Blacksnake

• ISBN13: 9780803264502
• ISBN10: 080326450X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-01
• Publisher: Bison Books

Summary

One of the earliest memoirs by an American Indian, Chainbreaker presents the recollections of a Seneca chief, also known as Governor Blacksnake. A fighter in the American Revolution who lived more than a century, Chainbreaker told his story as an old man in the 1840s to a fellow Seneca, Benjamin Williams, who translated it and committed it to paper. Epic in scale and yet intensely personal, Chainbreaker's story provides a rare Native view of warfare and diplomacy during a crucial period in American history. His account is only fully available in this edition, featuring extensive commentary by Thomas S. Abler.Thomas S. Abler is a professor of anthropology at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Hinterland Warriors and Military Dress: European Empires and Exotic Uniforms.

Author Biography

Thomas S. Abler is a professor of anthropology at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Hinterland Warriors and Military Dress: European Empires and Exotic Uniforms.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xxiii
Preface	xxv
A Note on Orthographies	xxix
Introduction	1	(15)
Chapter One Prelude to Conflict	16	(42)
Chapter Two Commitment to the King's Cause	58	(23)
Chapter Three Blacksnake Takes the War Trail	81	(70)
Chapter Four Negotiating Peace	151	(30)
Chapter Five Ambassadors to the Western Nations	181	(22)
Chapter Six The Revelation of Handsome Lake	203	(13)
Epilogue	216	(11)
Appendix 1 Introduction to the Williams Text	227	(2)
Appendix 2 Speech by Philip Schuyler, August 6, 1776	229	(9)
Appendix 3 Speeches Delivered in Philadelphia, 1790-91	238	(22)
Appendix 4 Speeches and Messages, Philadelphia, 1792	260	(7)
Notes	267	(12)
References	279	(16)
Index	295