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The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier

Scott Zesch,

Grover Gardner (Reading)

4.02 · Rating details · 2,457 ratings · 323 reviews

On New Year's Day in 1870, ten-year-old Adolph Korn was kidnapped by an Apache raiding party. Traded to Comaches, he thrived in the rough, nomadic existence, quickly becoming one of the tribe's fiercest warriors. Forcibly returned to his parents after three years, Korn never adjusted to life in white society. He spent his last years in a cave, all but forgotten by his ...more

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Hardcover, 384 pages

Published November 10th 2004 by St. Martin's Press (first published January 1st 2004)

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Aug 24, 2015 Cathrine ☯️ rated it really liked it

4.5
Fascinating well balanced account of how just a few months with native Americans could so drastically alter childrens lives forever. The author’s many times great uncle was an Indian captive and like many of the others taken did not wish to return to his family. Why? The stories profiled attempt to answer that question. Once rescued and returned many of the captives spoke well of their treatment and lifestyle and disparagingly of the army when recounting their experience to relatives and ...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Jason Koivu rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, non-fiction

Don't let the title fool you, this is not just a single story. There are numerous stories about abduction on the western frontier in The Captured, and most of them are written with all the enticement of a newspaper headline w/photo.

WHITE BOY CAPTURED BY ENGINES!!!
description

Okay, that was a little too sensationalistic...not to mention racist.

However, there is a load of action and gruesome imagery in The Captured, as many of the abductions were the result of raids during which there were casualties on ...more

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May 09, 2017 Kelli rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: not-fiction, audio

This book was equal parts eye opening, terrifying, informative, and truly sad. As well-researched as is possible, the book oozes of the author's passion for and dedication to uncovering the truth about his great uncle's capture. This results in a long, storied history that details life in the Texas wild country, raids, politics, Indian relations, and the kidnapping and return of many captive children. I could feel the author's deep desire to understand why his uncle and many other captives ...more

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Aug 14, 2017 David Eppenstein rated it liked it

Shelves: history, american-history, non-fiction

About a month ago I read "News of the World", a book with a rather popular following. I thought the book was okay but was otherwise not terribly impressed. However, I was intrigued by the subject of white children being captured by Native Americans and then being reluctant or even hostile to the opportunity to return to their white families. In her end note the author suggested that if the reader were interested in the psychology of captive children then they should read Scott Zesch's "The About a month ago I read "News of the World", a book with a rather popular following. I thought the book was okay but was otherwise not terribly impressed. However, I was intrigued by the subject of white children being captured by Native Americans and then being reluctant or even hostile to the opportunity to return to their white families. In her end note the author suggested that if the reader were interested in the psychology of captive children then they should read Scott Zesch's "The Captured". Sounded like good advice and Amazon made another sale from yours truly. Now that I've read "Captured" I am rating it 3 stars which by no means indicates that I thought this was a less than satisfactory book. In fact it is a very good book but it failed to deliver what I had hoped to learn from it.

The book begins as a search by the author into the experience of his great uncle who was in fact a child captured by the Comanche Indians. Because there is very little in the way of written records of the experiences for most of these children the author had to resort to extrapolating his uncle's ordeal from the lives of other children from the same area and for which there was more available in the manner of documentation. The author is able to use the stories of about half a dozen boys and two girls in order to give the reader an idea of what these kids went through and how their "Indianization" occurred. Now this would have been useful except, through no fault of the author, the sample body of children is too small and for the most part they are from the same immigrant German community of the Texas Panhandle. The German community was reputed to be hardworking and no nonsense. Their children were not coddled and were expected to pull their weight in the family. The Germans were also said to be rather cold and undemonstrative. A child taken from an environment like that might easily have preferred life in an Indian tribe where children were never punished, were doted upon, and were taught things a white child might have found to be fun and adventurous. So was the refusal to return to their families really the result of some sort of mind control practiced by the Indians or was this simply a reaction to a harsh ethnic culture? The author is unable to say but the effects of their captivity did seem to last into their return and into adulthood.

As I was reading this, and especially as the lives of the boys was described, I couldn't help but think the psychology involved was a combination of that of the Lost Boys of "Peter Pan" fame and the boys in "Lord of the Flies". Captured boys were very soon instructed on those skills needed for them to become Indian warriors. While some of this instruction was rigorous and even painful the rest would have been great fun for a young boy. Being taught about horses and how to ride them; learning how to build a bow and arrows and how to shoot them, how to survive in the wilderness, etc. After acquiring the necessary skills these white Indians actually participated in raids on other whites and either witnessed or actually took part in some of the rather extreme violence. The reader should be warned that some of the described actions by whites and Indians are very violent and extreme. Further, males did absolutely no work in the camp. All labor in the camp was the domain of the women and that is why having only two girls in this book is unfortunate. It is also unfortunate that the captivity of these girls was no where near as long as that of the boys. The stories of the girls might have been different had they reached maturity while with the Indians and that might have resulted in different outcomes. Nevertheless, while the book really didn't reach any definitive determination for the cause of "Indianization" it was definitely an interesting book and the lives reported were worth reading about. ...more

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Nov 19, 2013 Anthony Whitt rated it it was amazing

This is a great book and an interesting read. The author's narrative flows in an easy reading manner that will keep the readers attention from beginning to end. Zesch is from the area of the abductions and does a thorough job of describing the sometimes brutal attacks on the settlers from that time period. His knowledge of the Texas Hill Country and kinship with his pioneer ancestors add a unique personal perspective to his story. The final work is well worth the read and sheds light on the ...more

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Jul 21, 2014 Jeanette rated it really liked it

This non-fiction reads like a history book. It's clear writing and thorough research. But it is so fact-filled in the who, what, where, how, & why that the scope of people (numbers alone) in far flung spheres of location (huge expanses of the American Plains to Southern fringes of Texas) becomes a dry and difficult read.

Most of the prime and most documented to voiced experience cases were in the period 1840-80, with the most highlighted in most detail for 5 or 6 cases during and in the This non-fiction reads like a history book. It's clear writing and thorough research. But it is so fact-filled in the who, what, where, how, & why that the scope of people (numbers alone) in far flung spheres of location (huge expanses of the American Plains to Southern fringes of Texas) becomes a dry and difficult read.

Most of the prime and most documented to voiced experience cases were in the period 1840-80, with the most highlighted in most detail for 5 or 6 cases during and in the decade after the American Civil War. One of these was for the author's grandmother's grandmother's brother. Whose eventual grave (in age, not in youth)was stuck in the far corner of a white American settler cemetery. Not with any other family as he had ended as a hermit in a cave.

Clearly it was a narrow range of age that were captured/kidnapped and lived to either return to settler life, or return to American Indian tribal adulthood. That age was between 8 to 14 years upon capture. Both boys and girls after that age usually were killed outright by the Indians, as too untrustworthy for adoption, or just too hard to physically control. Under 7 or 8 they were also usually killed outright because of the difficulty in fast and long journey movement that was intrinsic to their strategy. That middle age worked for new tribal members and for hostage fees in exchange (profit)both.

Large tracts of the book concern the Indian tribal and White Germanic (spoke German, not English) settlers' different meetings for compromise and treaty pow-wow. Most of the time neither side had any idea who the other side's authority covered in the first place (usually it was just 1 faction of a single tribe) nor did they ever understand each others' languages.

What is so interesting to me is that in my Cognitive Psychology background, the question of a child's memory and assimilation to language/ culture was a core question. And it seems that this book illustrates how a period of more than 14 months, usually GUARANTEED that the human child (both sexes)would never concede to the return to the American Settler lifestyle, but would either return to tribal life or completely segregate. Most of them returned to Comanche sect or Apache tribal faction living in the full sense, even after their exchange or return to settler life.

Emotionally this is also a difficult book to read, because the children were trained in a way, well harsh is saying it mildly. Much detail is given to this and to tribal clothing and tee-pee lodging. But also in the process of being traded back or "rescued" they also had to say good-bye in heart rending fashion from a Comanche Mother. (Possibly the only Mother they remember in a couple of cases.) In one such case, the adopted daughter was the only tent "child" of that widowed Mother. And in another case the losing Indian Mother raged and knifed others and herself.

From the language avenue, it was shocking that most children taken away longer than 6 to 12 months at ages of 8 to 12- STILL could not voice any English or German upon return. They could understand parts but could never reply in whole words, not until a long "re-learning" period. Their original language replaced very quickly.

This area of abduction highlighted in this book did not encompass just Texas. The 3 Plains Indians groups took many all the way North- all the way to Colorado, most in Oklahoma.

The photographs were fabulous in this hard cover. Not only of the prime Indian chiefs, pouncing warrior groups in dress, leaders of searching parties, kidnappers of fame, owners, go-betweens who traded kids back, and also cave pictures of a particular place a returnee chose to live in neither society.

What comes across so huge, is that neither side had any perception of "eyes", nor context, nor words, or worldviews for what the opposite group was suggesting or demanding or offering. And also that if you were a child who cried visibly or often, you would not be adoptable and would not survive long on the returning to Indian village trek. ...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Kurt rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, history, native-american, civilization

The stories of six boys and two girls who were kidnapped (in separate incidents) by Indians (Comanche and Apache) from their homes in the hill country of Texas during the 1860's. The events surrounding their capture are shocking and disturbing because of their brutality. Yet, on the other hand, the lives these children led after being assimilated into their new families and tribes were exciting, adventuresome, and fulfilling to such a degree that they all suffered greatly upon being forced back ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Catherine rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, history, 2017

After reading News of the World and The Son this year, I was intrigued by the real-life accounts of kids who were kidnapped and adopted by the Comanche, Apache, and other Southern Plains tribes in the late 1800s. The real stories were every bit as sensational as the fictionalized accounts, and I could definitely see where the authors of those novels drew on historical accounts.

My take-away:
Both sides were pretty brutal, but the Native tribes got screwed the hardest in the long-run.
Being a ...more

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Jul 15, 2012 David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: frontier-history, texas, indians, group-a

Scott Zesch is a relative of Adolf Korn, a well-known Indian captive of the 1870s. Korn's captivity and the subsequent efforts to bring him back to his family excited much comment at the time. What is less well-known is that Korn never adjusted to white life after being an Indian. He became a hermit, living in a cave above the Llano River. The Captured is Zech's effort to make sense of great-uncle Adolph's experiences. Zesch compares the stories of many Texan child-captives, detailing Indian ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 John Allgood rated it liked it

The book looks at the lives of children captured by the Comanche and Apaches in Texas during the 1860s-70s. Most of these children rapidly assimilated into their captors lives and even when returned to their original families never were the same. A tragic story about the clash between two cultures. While interesting, I found it a bit repetitive at times.

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May 27, 2017 Joyce rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, sense-of-place, nonfiction, history, biography, sense-of-times, multicultural, westerns

Before participating in a book discussion on Pauline Jiles's News of the World--still the most memorable book I've read this year--a friend suggested I read Captured as background into what the young woman being returned "home" in Jiles's book must have felt. So I did--it's a fascinating look at several captives, taken in Texas and then returned to their families. What their lives were like with the Indians and how they adjusted--or mostly didn't--to life back with their "real" families. For the ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 Renae Hinchey rated it really liked it

A few months ago, I read “News of the World,” the story of a young white girl captured in the hill country of Texas by Native Indians in the late 1860’s and then resisting her return to her family. This piqued my interest on the subject of settler’s children being captured by Indians (Comanches and Apaches) and not wanting to go back to their white families, so I took the author’s recommendation to read Scott Zesch’s “The Captured.”

Zesch’s book is so well researched on the kidnapping of settler’ A few months ago, I read “News of the World,” the story of a young white girl captured in the hill country of Texas by Native Indians in the late 1860’s and then resisting her return to her family. This piqued my interest on the subject of settler’s children being captured by Indians (Comanches and Apaches) and not wanting to go back to their white families, so I took the author’s recommendation to read Scott Zesch’s “The Captured.”

Zesch’s book is so well researched on the kidnapping of settler’s young children during the period of 1860-70’s in the hill country of Texas. The author was drawn to write this true story because he had little knowledge of his great uncle’s (Adolph Korn) experiences while captured by Indians, as well as his difficult adjustment back into the “civilized” society of the the white man.

Zesch does a wonderful job in showing both sides of the story. This is a tragic time in American history. As German immigrants moved into Indian territory taking Indian land and buffalo hunters killing most of the buffalo for the sale of the hides, the Indian’s lost their home and food supply. To survive, the Indian’s attacked the settlers homes taking cattle and horses, as well as capturing young children between the ages of 7 to 14 to replenish their numbers due to the mortality rate.

Zesch researched 8 young white children who were captured and eventually returned to their families. These children, both boys and girls, conformed to tribal life so quickly and completely that they never were able to adjust to their Anglo/German families upon their return and throughout their lives, with some returning to live with the Indians years later. All of those captured said they were treated well while captured and were adopted into Indian families. Due to a treaty between the U.S. government and the Indians, those captured had to be returned even if they did not want to leave their Indian families.

This book brings the question of why these children preferred the Indian way of life. Perhaps it was the freedom that they had, from learning to ride horses and hunting to making bows and arrows and learning how to use them. This was very different from their lives as children of rigid and poverty stricken German immigrants where they were made to work hard on the farms all day with no time for fun or games. The Indians led a more care free life of freedom with hunting, riding horseback, games, dancing, singing, stories, etc.

This was a very engaging read about time in American history. My only criticism is that rather than stick to the story of each of the 8 captured he writes about, he continues to bring them up at different times in their lives throughout the book, making it difficult to follow at times. Besides that, I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about that time period.
...more

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May 30, 2018 TXGAL1 rated it it was amazing

A riveting telling of Texas children abducted from their frontier homes by raiding and murdering Indians during the latter part of the 19th century.

Loved the honest portrayal of the captives thoughts on life with their "adoptive" families and existence on the frontier. Well done!

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Aug 01, 2017 Vonze rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history

The book, at its heart, is about the author's step relative who was abducted as a child. From family legends, the author knew that his relative, once returned to his family, had a difficult readjustment to the 'white' society he was born. He never lost the lessons and ways of his one-time native family. Through his research, author Zesch found many examples of other children who felt the same way. They never blamed or hated their adopted families.

Zesch does his best to show both sides of the ...more

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Mar 20, 2017 Patricia Doyle rated it it was amazing

The Captured is a true story about white children being captured and “Indianized.” It was mystifying as to how little time it took for them to reject their own white race and choose to live with their captors. In at least one instance – Harman Lehmann – the Indian raiding party passed by his old home. Herman was urged to go in and see his mother. He refused.

Anthropologists differ in their beliefs in the making of a white Indian. Some believe early age of abduction contributes to children ...more

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Jul 24, 2013 Melinda rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, texas, real-life-adventures, american-history, western, worth-owning, history, non-fiction, 2013

Wow. This was very hard to read. Tragic on so many levels.

American Indians as a way of life stole children from neighboring tribes. They experienced a high mortality rate among their own people for various reasons, and used kidnapping as a way to replenish their numbers. When non-Indians moved into the Indians territory, the Indians continued their means of building up their numbers and kidnapped White, Mexican, and Negro children. For the parents to try to retrieve those children was something ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 Lisa Reads & Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, western

Well researched and written. Zesch compiled the story of several captives and examined them as a group, comparing and contrasting details from their families to their capture, experiences during captivity, and their life after they were returned to their family. Details of peace treaties, clashes of cultures, and how the American government treated the Indians were described objectively. I appreciate the work going into the book. I feel I've learned quite a bit from it.

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Jul 29, 2011 Steven Howes rated it really liked it

At the age of 12, the author's great uncle Adolph Korn was abducted by Commanche Indians in Texas on January 1, 1870 and eventually returned to his family approximately three years later. After hearing stories about his uncle's capture, his life among the Indians, and his difficult life following his return to white society, the author researched his uncle's life story and those of eight other children abducted by Indians. Even though the durations of captivity ranged from about 6 months to over ...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Reiden rated it it was amazing

Shelves: native-american, history

The Captured is similar to Empire of the Summer Moon, but tells the accounts of several captured children instead of one single story. This book was well written and does a great job at recreating the atmosphere of life in Texas during the mid 1800’s. It was hard to know who to feel sorry for at times: the parents of the kidnapped children, or the children who were then forced to return to their biological families. Most of captives wanted nothing more than to remain with the Indians who they ...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Jed rated it it was amazing

Fascinating! About white kids, mostly children of German settlers, in Texas, who were kidnapped by Indians in the 1860's & 1870's. Almost all these kids, once returned to their families, viewed their time with the Indians, whether a few months or a number of years, as the best of their lives. And that view continued into adulthood. And they had that view even when the raid in which they were kidnapped resulted in the torture & death of their family members.

And that view is ...more

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Aug 31, 2008 J.R. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history

There have been captivity narrative books before including some by former captives. Zesch went beyond many of these in his quest, interviewing surviving relatives, digging into dusty archives and meeting with Comanche elders to gain a better understanding of tribal ways. He does not romanticize about the hardships of life on the frontier or that of the Native Americans. Nor does he mince in showing that compassion and brutality were not restricted to one side.

While Zesch found scanty records to ...more

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Mar 07, 2014 Tom rated it it was amazing

Great synthesis of a variety of sources into an easily readable and enjoyable account of the captivity of 5 "white indians". Very personal at times. Enlightening and perhaps provocative contrast of parenting behaviors of German settlers and Native Americans. One of the best I've read describing Native American culture and behavior. Perhaps more interesting to me because I had great aunts and uncles born in Oklahoma Indian Territory while the main players in this account were still alive. Easy ...more

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Jan 11, 2019 Yibbie rated it liked it

Shelves: history

The personal stories compiled in this history are significant in their own right, but when they are combined with family history it becomes very compelling. Zesch does his best to combine all the disparate biographies chronologically, inserting his Uncle Adolph’s story into that timeline as accurately as he can. He draws that story from family legend and the clues sprinkled throughout other histories. So why did Uncle Adolph accept the lifestyle and beliefs of the people who kidnapped him? Why The personal stories compiled in this history are significant in their own right, but when they are combined with family history it becomes very compelling. Zesch does his best to combine all the disparate biographies chronologically, inserting his Uncle Adolph’s story into that timeline as accurately as he can. He draws that story from family legend and the clues sprinkled throughout other histories. So why did Uncle Adolph accept the lifestyle and beliefs of the people who kidnapped him? Why couldn’t he ever fully abandon them? Will we really ever know?
It is a very thorough history. It covers the political, economic, and social issues that precipitated the Indian Wars and subsequent kidnappings. Then as best he can he reconstructs the lifestyle the children adapted too. The last part of the book follows their struggles to adapt to their original culture and then to the changing times following the turn of the Century.
One thing I dreaded when I started this book was that Zesch would over-romanticize the Native way of life. After all, his stated goal was to try and understand why his ancestor preferred their lifestyle. Instead, it was a wonderfully balanced book that just tries to understand what happened and how it affected those involved. He doesn’t lionize the settlers and demonize the Indians, nor does he romanticize the Indians and denigrate the settlers. He points out the atrocities committed and the noble acts of friendship on all sides.
Parts of this book were overwhelming and hard to listen to. So many people were brutally murdered on both sides of the conflict. Several massacres are clearly detailed. The most heartbreaking parts were the descriptions of the babies’ murders. It's not written for shock value, or to promote any particular narrative. Instead, it's a plain presentation of hard facts.
I would recommend it as a good study of the tumultuous times, and their complicated aftermath.

Cleanliness, Maturity level
Gruesome killings were described in some detail.
There were a few curse words.
The intimate side of Native married life is discussed delicately.
One of the Native names includes the proper name for an animal’s sexual organs.
...more

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Jan 09, 2020 CHM rated it it was amazing

Rarely do I assign 5 stars but I hand it to this author and his ability for showcasing each side of the conflict and each captives story, as much as he could confirm, yet maintaining a good story. His passion for the subject of white Indians and his captured ancestor comes through. Intense research done to write this book.

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Mar 03, 2018 Laura Jean rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library, non-fiction, texas, 2018

Wow! If you've read News of the World by Paulette Jiles, this is a must read. This is a fascinating read about several Texas children taken captive by the Comanche and the Apaches. The author also attempts to explain why most of these captives were unable to re-adapt to Texan society.

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Aug 03, 2017 Bob Box rated it really liked it

Fascinating portrait of frontier life and the Indian abductions of white children. Filled with all kinds of interesting information.

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Apr 05, 2017 Kristine rated it it was amazing

As a native Texan with many German-Texan ancestors and multiple family ties to the Texas Hill Country this book captured my attention. It is a good read, with lots of historical information regarding Texas and Native American relations, sometimes with too much information that bogs down the story. Many times this book made me disappointed with the manner in which the Native American were treated. Learning about the captives lives after they were returned to their families was interesting, ...more

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Sep 18, 2019 Abra Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, non-fiction

Fascinating stories of children taken by the Indians of the Texas frontier and adopted into their culture. Zesch tells the stories of multiple abductees and what they and their white families went through. After not necessarily being with Indians (primarily Commanche and Apache) very long, they were often recaptured and sent back to their white families and most never became comfortable with white culture. Zesch examines why and how they became so thoroughly comfortable with Indian culture and ...more

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Dec 20, 2018 John rated it it was amazing

Shelves: western, history, documentary

An exceptionally well told true story of several children abducted by Apache and Cheyenne Indians on the Texas frontier. What is very cool about the stories is how quickly the children 'became' Indian and forgot about their white, mostly-German heritage. It's no real surprise though, seeing as how these kids were able to give up tedious chores and live lives of high adventure. Great story!

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May 20, 2016 Kavan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story of Adolph Korn had the makings of an American tragedy. A German-American farmboy Adolph was kidnapped on New Year’s Day 1870, and taken to live among the Comanche’s. For the next three years he lived amid the Native Americans in their last few full years of freedom, before he was returned uncomfortably to his family. Korn’s post captivity years were ones of struggle and disappointment. He never fully assimilated back into society, and ended his days living in a cave purposefully The story of Adolph Korn had the makings of an American tragedy. A German-American farmboy Adolph was kidnapped on New Year’s Day 1870, and taken to live among the Comanche’s. For the next three years he lived amid the Native Americans in their last few full years of freedom, before he was returned uncomfortably to his family. Korn’s post captivity years were ones of struggle and disappointment. He never fully assimilated back into society, and ended his days living in a cave purposefully separated from civilization.

Adolph’s distant relative author Scott Zesch was curious about what happened to him during his time with the Comanches & decided to research his life. Recognizing that a lack of documents & artifacts limits his ability to fully know Adolph, Zesch explored the story of other captives or as Zesch refers to them Indian Whites as a means of exploring what the captives experienced. Zesch’s approach is to survey the lives of the captives before, during, and after captivity as a means of determining how their lives were and were not changed. His results are both surprising and unsettling.

In particular, Zesch focuses on the disparity between life in the German-American Texas communities, and the more easy going and adventurous lifestyle of Comanches and Apaches. He argues that once a child had lived more than a year with Native Americans they demonstrated little desire to return. Family ties and memories, he argued, were obliterated by the excitement and freedom of Native American life. Much of the post-captivity actions he argues were slanted by the fact many of the captives believed themselves Comanches and had little desire to return to a life of hard work and little reward.

Most intriguingly Zesch considers why supposedly ‘good’ children were so readily and often utterly willing to engage in raiding, and horse stealing. More painfully he also shows the death throws of the Comanches plains lifestyle, and how even when the captives yearned to return they recognized that the life they had loved was gone forever. Indeed, Adolph Korn’s cave looked out on the lands the Comanches once ruled, lands that were by his later years empty. The free living life of the Comanches ended and Korn was left staring at the empty visage of what once was and would never be again.

This is a very provocative book and one that does not necessarily offer easy answers. However it is compulsively readable. And it will leave you more understanding of why so many of the captives maintained a lifelong fondness for the tribes that kidnapped them and for the life they so briefly glimpsed before it was signed away forever. ...more

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