Indian Peter is the remarkable story of Peter Williamson, who, in 1743 at the age of 13, was snatched from an Aberdeen quayside and transported to the burgeoning American colonies to be sold into indentured servitude. Unlike many others who found themselves in similar circumstances, Peter was fortunate to be bought by a humane man who left him money when he died, enabling him to buy his own farm after marrying. According to Peter's own account, his farm was attacked in 1754, during what became known as the French and Indian War, and he was captured by the Indians, who forced him to travel with them as a slave. After escaping, he joined the British Army to fight the French and their Indian allies but his regiment was forced to surrender and he was taken to Canada as a prisoner of war. When he was eventually freed, Peter made his way back to Scotland and tracked down the men who were behind his initial kidnapping. He accused them publicly and took them to court in a landmark case that exposed the scandal of slave trading. Once settled in Edinburgh, Peter became a publican, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. He developed Edinburgh's first Penny Post system, launched a weekly magazine and shamelessly exploited his experiences for profit. Brimming with action and adventure, Indian Peter is a true-life tale of abduction, war and courtroom drama. It is an inspiring story of courage, fortitude and one man's determination to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds.

"A fast-moving tale of courage, cruelty, hardship, and savagery."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette In North America's first major conflict, known today as the French and Indian War, France and England--both in alliance with Native American tribes--fought each other in a series of bloody battles and terrifying raids. No confrontation was more brutal and notorious than the massacre of the British garrison of Fort William Henry--an incident memorably depicted in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. That atrocity stoked calls for revenge, and the tough young Major Robert Rogers and his "Rangers" were ordered north into enemy territory to exact it. On the morning of October 4, 1759, Rogers and his men surprised the Abenaki Indian village of St. Francis, slaughtering its sleeping inhabitants without mercy. A nightmarish retreat followed. When, after terrible hardships, the raiders finally returned to safety, they were hailed as heroes by the colonists, and their leader was immortalized as "the brave Major Rogers." But the Abenakis remembered Rogers differently: To them he was Wobomagonda--"White Devil."

Part of a six-title set on Scottish thought and culture in the late 18th-century, this book reveals personal visions of the thought of this period. William Smellie, Edinburgh printer and natural philosopher, left behind a rich archive of correspondence and manuscripts.

An account of his first official mission, made as emissary from the Governor of Virginia to the commandant of the French forces on the Ohio, October, 1753-January, 1754.

Four essential accounts of war in the New World This book will be a joy to all those-academic and casual-who have an interest in the Seven Years War as it was fought in America in the middle of the eighteenth century-the conflict we now know as the French and Indian War. These narratives are too packed with action and incredible events to give details here. They are all shorter works which, without companions, would have been unlikely to see publication individually, but joined together the reader can immerse himself in the times and be enthralled by the voices of those who experienced these momentous times. Here are Rogers, Israel Putnam and other famous Rangers who weave their presence and deeds through each account. Here are the Provincials and the Regulars-the Royal Americans and the Highlanders. Here are Fort Bull, Fort William Henry, Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Here are Monroe, Amherst, Howe, Johnson and many others. This is the experience of war against the French and their fierce Indian allies in the deep woods of the American Frontier. Raids, ambushes, flights, captures, ordeals and escapes fill all the pages of this truly indispensable book!

A transcript of the 1758 edition of Peter Williamson's book French and Indian Cruelty which recounts his kidnapping from Scotland and transportation to America, where he was sold as a slave. His capture by Indians and service as a soldier in the French and Indian Wars. Includes a new foreword which provides an account of his remarkable life following his return to Scotland.

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