Three Years Among the Comanches: The Narrative of Nelson Lee, Texas Ranger

Very interesting

I was born in Brownsville near Watertown, Jefferson County, New York in 1807, my father was Palmer Lee, a farmer, as soon as I was old enough I took a raft on the river down to St Lawrence to Quebic, although several years passed nothing happened to tell of, in 1831 the Blackhawk war was started, settlers were being massacred and something had to be done, volunteers were called, I joined Captain Hall in Buffalo, we were ordered in small parties to proceed westward, by the time we got to Prairie De Chien the war was over, I managed to get a Master;s mate aboard the ship Deleware sailing for New York, I was transferred to the Ontario where we departed for Brazil where we were ordered by the consul to chase after some pirates along the African coast, we caught nothing and returned joining the main squadronAfter seven years it was 1838 and I was on board the Fairfield and then to the Preble to Newfoundland, we were sent against the British, they withdrew as we approached and we returned to Boston where I resigned from the Navy, I decided to head for Texas and sailed for New Orleans, we ran into a storm and hit a reef, boats were sent out from shore and we were rescued, we were taken to Apalachicola and I went on to Galveston joining the Texan Navy, we were headed for Yucatan to draw the Mexicans from Texas, there was a fight which ended in a draw and I went back to Galveston, I travelled the prairies and joined the Texan Rangers, as long as you had a fast horse, no uniform and didn't mind a dollar a day you were in, there were forty five men and we had our first fight with Comanches, they fled but I was impressed with them, many adventures with the Rangers followed including rescuing some captured women, leaving the Rangers I starting trapping wild horses and selling them to the planters, once again I joined the Texas Rangers, at San Antonio, there was a fight where we attacked some Mexicans and took their horses, halting at the Forks we saw some Indians, they turned and fled, we chased after them and took 200 Indians by surprise, we returned to San Antonio where the Mexicans had taken the townWe took it back, in the next few weeks we had many battles with Mexicans and normally came out on top, at Gonzales during the night every horse was stolen including my horse, we trailed them and found them they had been stolen by a well know thief and murderer Christophe Rublo, there were just two of us be we opened so much fire they thought they were surrounded and fled leaving us the horses, again a large Mexican army was approaching, General Woll had 1200 men, we formed a defence but we were beaten and fled to Salado, there was an attempt to raise an army to persue them but nothing came of it, it was now 1845 and I returned to horse trading for the army, joining the Rangers again we had many battles with the Mexicans ending in chasing Santa Anna into surrendering, I returned home to JeffersonI only stayed a while before returning to horse trading it was 1856, I had made a friend called Aikens, we were going to take mules and horses to California and we hired 27 men, soon we had gathered 365 horses in our drove, we stopped 6 weeks for foaling, sleeping one night I was woken by the war cries and screams of Indians, they were everywhere, I was captured, apart from Martin, Stewart, Aikens and myself the rest were massacred, they took all our clothes replacing them with Indian dress, they were most impressed with my watch, they took us around camp to see the naked bodies of our friends, chopped up, scalped and emboweled, every night we stopped on our journey with the Indians we were staked out, we eventually reached the Indian campThe story now continues with the account of my captivity with the Indians, the horrible tortures my friends had to endure while I watched and becoming a slave among the Comanche and my amazing escape after many yearsSome of this book was not put into Kindle version, it can still be read but it is very small, a very long book, I liked it though

Cannot make my mind up about the contents of this gentleman's narrative, in today's world he would be a superhero, it is doubtful he was a Texan Ranger of the time because there is no account of him in ledgers, this could be his downfall because as he states throughout the book the white man recorded things and if he was a Ranger his time with them would be written. I nearly laughed when I read that his black stallion broke free of its captives and run all the way back to his side, now that would be super powers. I gave it 3 stars because if the contents are true well just maybe

Very interesting

This is one of a number of small novels that were written by those that lived in this time in America, all of whom had an enthralling story to tell. In a nutshell, it's a part autobiography of Nelson Lee of his life as a Texas Ranger when the Texas Rangers were in their infancy, followed by his capture by Comanche Indians, where he escaped the death that the rest of his party endured and was enslaved for three years before making a dramatic bid for freedom.Lee's story is one that, as he readily admits, befell quite a few people at that time, so it stands as a tribute to them, perhaps more as a tribute to those who did not survive. Be warned that there is some savage violence within, by the Indians but also by our hero. The reader is educated about the Texas Rangers of the period, the fluctuating political climate, the frequency of small wars occurring between the various peoples inhabiting the area and even to a degree the commerce of the region.The story is such that it would in all likelihood make a good movie (perhaps it hasn't due to a number of similar efforts in this area, not least of which is "A Man Called Horse"), but the strength of this story is that good.Many readers make note of the spelling, punctuation and general mistakes in transcription that litter this work and I can see that it would be potentially off-putting. Some of these are a result of this being written in a different time, and language, as it does, has altered since that time. As you become more engrossed in the story though, you notice this less and less. I'd say if it bothers you, persist, you'll be pleased you did. However a little money spent on putting the most obvious mistakes right wouldn't go amiss.Despite it's literary shortcomings, this is a riveting story. For a man whose work was horse trading and war, Lee tells a good story. Give it a go. You'll not regret it.

This is a fascinating story of life and death in the west. It is quite detailed and at times brutal. It is not a Hollywood Western kind of story but a tale of resourcefulness, violence, cruelty and survival against the odds while a captive of the Commanches. It has been suggested that it was not an entirely accurate story and that some of it was fiction. Whether that is true or not, it is still an interesting account of the author's adventures. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who would like to learn about how the west really was rather than accepting the John Wayne version.

A well written book. However wanting to read of Nelson Lee's life whilst amongst the Comanches, I found the book frustrating. That because the first half of it deals with his life as a sometime dealer in horses and being a member of the Texas Rangers. The second half of the book was interesting in terms of Lee's personal experiences as a captive of the Comanches, but a fair amount of detail about their day to day existence only confirms what can be found in various other publications depicting the ways of plains tribes.

Whoever editit his should be sacked, a waste of time

A great read detailing the life of a Texan from the fighting against Santa Ana to his capture by Comanche’s. This first person account of Frontier life details the harshness of two clashing civilizations. Highly recommended!

natürlich vor dem historischen Hintergrund durchaus kritisch zu sehen, ist es dch eine spannende Lektüre, die viele Einblicke in das Leben und Denken der heute so gern als Ökofans stilisierten Indianer bringt.

A very interesting account of American Indian life

Great story by a man who set out to have an adventurous life. It is told well, without bluster, of life at sea and on the Texas frontier, eventually leading to his capture by indigenous Comanche. His life as a captive is described in detail with much observation of the villages and tribes he was captive with in. He survived by good luck and cunning patients to tell the tale, but it altered his life. There is nothing better than first hand accounts of real live adventurers and this is a good one. If you like stories of the old west, the Texas frontier, Mexican War, Indian Wars, native history and insights, tribal customs, rituals, captives, inter-tribal battles, mountain men, survival, scouting, cowboys and life in the 1960, this book has some of each of these interests in it. If only some members of some of these Indian tribes had written accounts of their lives, out libraries would be richer, and what great stories they would be, as this author points out. I hope you enjoy this book!!

Ich habe dieses Buch mit Interesse gelesen. Es fiel mir schwer, das Lesen immer wiederunterbrechen zu müssen, sehr spannend.