Full Description
This edition of A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity rescues from obscurity a crucially important work about the bitterly contested 1862 U.S.-Dakota War in Minnesota. Written by Mary Butler Renville, an Anglo woman, with the assistance of her Dakota husband, John Baptiste Renville, A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity was printed as a book only once, in 1863, and has not been republished since. The work details the Renvilles' experiences as "captives" among their Dakota kin in the Upper Camp and chronicles the story of the Dakota Peace Party. Their sympathetic portrayal of those who opposed the war in 1862 combats the stereotypical view that most Dakotas supported it and illuminates the injustice of their exile from Dakota homelands. From the authors' unique perspective as an interracial couple, they paint a complex picture of race, gender, and class relations on successive midwestern frontiers.
This narrative provides fresh insights into the most controversial event in the region's history, and includes groundbreaking historical and literary contexts for the text and a first-time collection of extant Dakota correspondence with authorities during the war.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
A Note on Editorial Procedure
Pronunciation Guide for Dakota Iapi
Historical Introduction
Literary Introduction
A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen Addenda
H. D. Cunningham's Statement
Appendix A: Correspondence between the Dakota Camps and Authorities, September-October 1862
Appendix B: Selected Correspondence of John B. Renville and Mary A. Renville, 1862-1888
Notes
Bibliography
Index
