Peter Williamson, French and Indian Cruelty

This book is the first scholarly edition of the most popular Native American captivity narrative published in eighteenth-century Britain, that of Peter Williamson, known as 'Indian Peter'.

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This book is the first scholarly edition of the most popular Native American captivity narrative published in eighteenth-century Britain. In this fully annotated modern version, Timothy J. Shannon re-acquaints modern readers with this popular North American captivity narrative, featuring a Scottish protagonist. He tells the story of Peter Williamson, a native of Aberdeen, who claimed he was kidnapped into indentured servitude in North America, lived as a captive among Indians there, and then fought as a soldier in the Seven Years' War until he was taken prisoner by the French. After returning to Britain, Williamson peddled his tale while dressed in Indian costume, and he eventually settled in Edinburgh, where he became known as 'Indian Peter'.