Kidnapped by the Comanche: What its like to be captured by North America's most brutal Indian tribe 

As a Native American myself I love these accounts as they destroy the myth of the noble savage. It brings into clear focus the reason why it took Europeans four hundred years to tame the west. Yes we were noble but we were also brutal we loved our tribes and our people but we are people and people can be inhuman to each other. We living in the modern times should remember this so we never repeat it.

As a teenager I was quite interested in tales of the American frontier. At one point I remember reading a book of short histories of the Indian Wars. One story in particular I wish I'd never read was about an American Army officer who was captured sometime in the early 1800's by an Iroquois war party. His own small band of soldiers had been killed during an ambush and he was the only survivor. The story was related by a French trapper who was friendly to the Iroquois in that area, but had no love for the Americans or British. Long story short, the Iroquois braves decided to burn the American alive. When the trapper told the officer that his fate was to be burned, he stated that he "would attempt to bear it bravely", but the trapper told him that it would be nowhere near a quick death, as the Iroquois truly enjoyed the spectacle of burning their captives slowly on a bed of coals where they would tie a man's hands behind his back and then rope him by his neck to a pole, but leave his feet and legs free. Then they'd watch him dance as he'd slowly roast to death over coals with just enough rope to allow him to put part of his body out of the intense heat, but not all of it. This led to a man "favoring" various parts of his body as the rest of him roasted in various places until the thousands of twists and turns to obtain some relief had finally caused every part of the man's surface to become charred, with the exception of his face and head; at which point the Iroquois would shove him to the ground and heap hot coals on his head to finish the deed. The "fun" was to see how long they could keep a man alive during this ordeal. The trapper related that it took this particular officer a day and a half to finally expire. I still have trouble grasping this level of evil and the knowledge that the native peoples of the Americas had been dealing out this sort of treatment to their rivals long before Europeans appeared on the scene has since destroyed any naive ideas of the "Noble Indigenous Peoples" B.S. you might hear from supremely ignorant people in our modern era.

Most people are ignorant of the true definition of the word savage. It never meant uncivilized or unintelligent. It means especially brutal or violent. When people called the natives “savages” this is what they were referring to.

There’s a great book called “Indian Depredations in Texas”, which is every Indian encounter in Texas from 1830ish-1870s. It’s wild stuff. These are great stories from the time.

"...never has to worry about serious violence breaking out ever again." Sad comment on human nature. Excellent summation. Thank you.

Read the book Empire of the Summer Moon, the great Comanche Chief Quanah Parker. It was suppose to be made into a movie but it never happened. Great book, hard to put down once you start reading it. The Comanche were the best light infantry in the world in their time. I'm a Vietnam combat veteran, (173 ABN 1966 1967) one of the guys was 99% Comanche, what guy! After all these years, we lost contact. Read the book about 12 years ago, know why he was so good and fearless. Tool point for guys he felt didn't have it that day. Nothing seemed to bother him, all business for him. He even knew when we were the "hunted!"

Just a suggestion, to improve the audio, hang heavy sheets or blankets all the way around you. It'll cut down on the echo. Bedtimes Stories does the same thing and it sounds really good. Granted, they probably have a really good mike, but they don't use a soundbooth but it still sounds like they do. Enjoyed the story, hope you have some more coming soon!

Nine Years Among The Indians...by Herman Lehmann (captured)....another awesome and eye opening read. Thank you.

The reason they were willing to make it across the Comanche range was because the Comanche were a relatively small tribe, and the range was huge and the Comanche tended to stay to the north east toward Oklahoma. Certain bands did go in other directions but these were raiding parties looking for loot etc.

Just found this channel and it's fantastic, the telling of the story is excellent and obviously well researched, thank you.

I love you dry witty humor and the learning experience 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿✊🏿💯‼️

Most Indians lived by the sword and then were put to the sword…this is the way it goes. The history with no punches pulled and excellent narration with quotes injected effectively makes this a first rate account. People who do not understand the movement of peoples need to understand “Entropy” and the universal presence of it from molecules to tribes or even bands of humans. Nothing is stagnant is this universe.

I have a cousin from South Dakota and it was incomprehensible to me that many of their neighbors and friends had ill-will toward Native Americans. We were taught in school they were peaceful, noble and agricultural people--all natives were the victims, and the white men were the brutal ones. When I got older I found my birth mother and found out that I'm part native (my grandmother was Shoshone and creek), and started researching. What we did to the Natives was brutal and horrible. But what the natives did to not only the whites, but Mexicans and other tribes, was horrifically cruel and brutal. The Comanche wiped out an entire tribe--complete genocide. They killed, raped and brutalized indiscriminately. It didn't matter to them if a girl was 12 or 20, they would rape and kill them. I'm not saying the white man was any better in some instances, but at least we realize that raping and killing women is wrong. The Comanche (and Apache) didn't seem to care about "right and wrong" or the concept of morality, or even consider those concepts. Those stories were passed down from generation to generation, about babies bashed to death, and little girls being raped and carted off never to be seen again. If they were called "savages" they earned it. Even fighting for your land and way of life is no excuse for some of the things the Comanche and Apache did to other human beings (slavery probably being the least of their sins and we consider slavery to be the worst, which they often, blatantly engaged in). The concept of the "noble savage" is a lie we were fed in school, not the reality. The reality is the West was utterly brutal in every way, with both sides committing atrocities that, today, would earn you the death sentence by lethal injection.

Goes to show: cruelty, evil, and generally being an asshole are equal opportunity human traits.

I love your use of irony, it is the soul of both history and humor!

Thanks for this Incredible history piece!

Him getting married & gaining their trust after what they put him through is the craziest part to me. I guess they believed that they had either broken him or gotten him to see himself as a part of their tribe; not exactly the wisest move from the Comanche, but then again this is also a dude who went on an expedition through the middle of Comanche territory. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Just found your site, as a youg man I grew up watching old time cowboys and Indians and now as a older man I am coming to discover my knowledge of those times are greatly flawed on both sides. looking forward for more videos. Thanks stay safe from newfoundland and labrador Canada.

I truly appreciate the time you put into this audio was a little off. This is a story that should be told & you did it very well.

A guy called willie mckay who was born near maghera in Northern Ireland was also captured. There's a book about him called 'beyond the wild missouri' it tells the story of how he eventually became chief of the tride. I live about a mile from where he was born

The similarities of the Viking culture, eight hundred years earlier in Europe are astounding. The only way the Comanche could be overcome was the post civil war union government paid to slaughter all of the Buffalo. William Tecumseh Sherman led the Indian wars and wiped out their food source as he had done to the confederates in the south. (Odd that his middle name was after a Shawnee chief who was known as a peace keeper)

The phrase " A fate worse than death", comes from this period of American history. It`s how the settlers described being captured by The Comanche.

Supremely entertaining and well-done!

All I can say is the native Americans definitely had some of the best names ever like this big wolf, rolling thunder, crazy horse, sitting Bull, Geronimo, God I love these names .

Comanche weren't noble, just savage. Even the Apache feared them, or were at least wary. Theirs was a culture of sadists. Hopefully today's tribal members are a bit more mellow.

It’s pretty amazing that the hunters were so willing to help him. Great story. I look forward to more videos!

Matamoros Mexico is south of Brownsville TX, directly across the border. Cynthia Ann Parker is my cousin, her father trekked to TX & my grandfather established the Parker-Hickman Homestead. the Homestead is now part of the Buffalo River National Park.

My great grandmother Tomasa, was captured by the Comanches. Later sold to the Mexicans. She then escaped with her brother and found her way back to the Tribe.

Excellent. First time here. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks.

Thanks for the video. Another fascinating story is that of Simon Kenton's capture by the Shawnee. Trafficked from village to village as a great prize he was forced to run the gauntlet 9 times and survived.

Love your humor, dude! Great job and keep them coming.

I enjoyed your video. I look forward to many more.

My 2nd great grandmother Elizabeth Hayley was kidnapped by the Comanche when she was 11 years old During the civil war. Here family didn’t have the money to pay their ransom until a year after the war ended She was 14 years. In history books her nickname was Squirrel tooth Alice.

Wonderful channel mate. I really hope it goes far these topics are right up my street. Brilliant stuff you deserve more my friend 🙂👍

awesome video. couldnt stop listening

This channel is going to blow up

Great account very well written and spoken . You deserve more followers bro .

Really enjoyed this. Thank you.

On his escape, his limbs swelling and weakness, poor wound healing, are lesser known scurvy symptoms.

To Los Lobos's point...all peoples across the globe have had their various histories of warfare, slavery , cruelty. The Native Americans were busy fighting each other....as were the Europeans, Africans, Asians etc. at the time of discovery and conquest. The Iroquois were wiping out tribes in the east, the Comanche establishing their lands in the southern plains, the Aztec and Inca had established dominance over tribute tribes.

Great history! The “Boy captives” is also a good book by Clinton L. Smith that tells of him and his brother being taken captive by the Comanche and the years that followed.

I laughed when you mentioned about serious violence breaking out again and the Civil War. Poor Lee, can't catch a break.

Matamoros is in Mexico, just south across the border from Brownsville, Tx. This makes sense if Lee was headed out of Corpus Christi. Distance between the 2 cities is 167 miles.

From numerous different sources I have read the name "Comanche" is a Ute tribe word with three different but similar meanings: 1) Enemy of everyone 2) Enemy forever 3) He who wants to fight me all the time. In any case, the name alone would make it advisable to avoid these savages.

Very informative, and well done. ( learned a lot!). Note: Add background textiles or sound absorption materials to the surrounding area and that will get rid of one warehouse, tinny sound on the audio (cheap also). Really enjoyed it otherwise and will subscribe!

Really cool channel, very interestingly done.

I like your work but, the microphone echo is horrendous, you can correct this by suspending carpet vertically behind the camera and by using audio foam. Well researched, just very poor audio.

My only complaint is your vocal audio. Too much "echo" from your surroundings in that room. Different acoustics? Different microphone?

The only thing that saved Lee's life when he was captured was his pocket watch's alarm feature. Something to remember the next time you go shopping for survival gear. ;-)

Thoroughly enjoyed. Love history ❤️

Great narration with some tongue in cheek humor!

Living at the southern end of Comanche territory, I’m painfully aware of the cruelty of those nomads. They were just a cruel to other tribes. Many tribes here in Texas helped track the Comanche and shut them down. They were magnificent horsemen, but a malignancy on the areas they roamed. There are historic markers throughout Texas Hill Country marking several events. The first Mayor of Fredericksburg, TX actually was the only emigrant to sign a treaty with the Comanche. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meusebach%E2%80%93Comanche_Treaty

Great granddad was a Texas ranger 1870- 80s. He kept a diary and the commanches were definitely the meanest mfers ever..

comanche are one of the reasons my people cry "stolen land"...because tribes like that were so cruel we couldnt come together. It's not all your guys' fault. Maybe the creator sent you guys here as punishment for us not living in harmony with one another. Look at us now. So many tribes from around the world and that's pretty awesome. I'd be considered a custer scout right about now ha

So glad k just found your channel. Thanks so much. I'm from Idaho so she have a lot of Shoshone and bannock natives here

I read a biography of Kit Carson . I read that on one occasion , smiling Comanches cut out a captives liver , then ate it raw while the dying victim watched .

The Matamoros you pointed to on the map is directly south of Corpus Christi about 100 miles as the crow flies on the gulf side of modern day Mexico and nowhere near Baja California. And if any Corpus Christi resident were to hear you say "some town called corpus christi...". It wouldn't be good.

They were American Mongols basically.

Just a guess, but being captured by the Comanches was probably not a very pleasant experience.

Surprised this popped up. Glad it did. Keep it up and you’ll do great. I’d get yourself a dedicated mic and run with it.

Hey maybe I heard this incorrectly but at about 6:12 mark your talking about the trip after they Comanche raided the camp. You then said the Cherokee taunted them with their tomahawks still bloodied from the night before. I think you mistakenly said Cherokee instead of Comanche.

Great stuff -- just give this man a better microphone, please.

Love this. A wealth of fascinating information. Thank you.

He survived because of the watch, but more importantly, he stayed quiet. To scream in pain is a weakness!

nez Pearce had extensive herds of horses when Louis and Clark came through in 1703 they talked about them in their journel also Russian traders brought horses to the coast traded for furs in the 1600's and maybe before tribes did get horses from the Spanish too theirs a book called ghost wind stallions about early trade with the Russians

Do you have any idea or speculation as to what happened to the watch? My assumption is that the Comanches were in possession of it when Lee made a run for it. It would make a great museum piece.

This was so interesting especially coming from South Africa where we mainly have seen and heard about the Native Americans via film.

"A broad hands width......that'll work" Love the delivery.

You’ll have to read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Probably best novel I’ve ever read. Great stuff and channel the content/pace/personality/ although you’ll have to get a mic to take away that echo bounce hard on my ears (@.20 seconds how can I find that art work?) Looks like a Comanche Chief/Warrior?

Very well done Sir.

Hey ,the episodes on the Native American are truly inspiring,especially the ones with the Apaches ,please more of those,more on that amazing culture and history,much love,oren

Great video but there was a bit of echo in the sound made it a little hard to hear.

Whew. Boy am I glad we eventually took care of those guys!

Just discovered your channel. Great video! A book you might enjoy is 'That Dark and Bloody River ' by Allan Eckert. It's a fascinating tale of the Ohio River Valley and the brutal and bloody interactions between the natives and settlers.

Will be watchin, thankya. Great content👍

Here's my 2 cents. I read that when visitors/tourists would visit the Apache Geronimo, some would ask if he regretted some of the atrocities he committed. He was said to have replied that he had trouble sleeping because he would see the faces of the children he had killed. After an attack in which the Apache had captured 2 teenage boys, they reached enough distance where the chief gave the order to his 2 second-in-commands to kill the 2 teenagers. They went to the back of the raiding party where the two boys were being held and released them. It's speculated why but nothing happened to the 2 second-in-commands.

My dad's family is/was Choctaw from Oklahoma and we recently did the paperwork for me, my dad, and my son. For what it's worth it's interesting to find out that they joined the Confederacy during the War between The States.

You mean to tell me that the beloved Native American can also be both evil and murderous?! Well hot-dignity-dog…

For future videos try upping the volume. This is sub audible and needs closed caption to understand. But good job otherwise on the editing!

I Read the book about this many many Years ago. A very well told and detailed account. Totally fascinating, very hard to put down. How some of the women were kind to him and very beautiful. Some tears when he was traded to others.

I like to hear more of these stories are there any more like this?

*“Comanches put the prisoner to work digging a hole, telling him they needed it for a religious ceremony. When the captive, using a knife and his hands, had completed digging a pit about five feet deep, they bound him with rope, placed him in it, filled the hole with dirt, packing it around his body and exposed head. They then scalped him and cut off his ears, nose, lips, and eyelids. Leaving him bleeding, they rode away, counting on the sun and insects to finish their work for them. Later, back at their encampment, they told the story as an excellent joke, one which gained them a certain celebrity throughout the tribe.”* - *Stanley Noyes, **_Los Comanches, The Horse People 1751 -- 1845_** (1993)*

Enjoyed the video but you might want use a better microphone or sound deadening or both.

Excellent history lesson. Please fix your audio. Your audio has an echo and the volume is on the low side.

Living in New York City, now that's real torture!!

There was plenty of this sort of behaviour among the tribes of the North American West. I don't think you could authoritatively conclude that the Comanche or Apache were the worst. 🤷‍♂

".... 1858, at the East coast, writing a book, Lee never has to worry of serious violence breaking out ever again" ;)) Love the irony of your last remark.

Great information and presentation. Really poor audio.

It's interesting that their thought of as a horse culture which of course they became but that had only been for a couple of centuries as we all.forget that there were no horses in the Americas until the Spanish brought them to be lost and stolen in the 1500's. I wonder what these people were prior to that introduction. Certainly much different. Horses enabling raids and captures of territory they'd been unable to have before and access to food in quantities undreamed of prior. I'm sure that the impact of this introduction and their subsequent adoption of that lifestyle played onto a more aggressive trait in the tribe.Has anyone ever done a back study of tribes like this to discover who and what they'd been prior to the horse. They changed so qwikly I'd imagine and without a written language it's likely difficult if not impossible to backtrack their evolution.

My Great Great Grandfather was Quanah Parker. I am half Kwahadi Comanche.

One Google search to find this account is highly questioned by historians.

Your videos are fascinating, if unsettling. So much for the noble savage! The echo in your studio makes it hard to understand your narration. I miss nearly half. Please use a lapel mic or a professional microphone near your mouth.

It's interesting that the most plentiful places (California, in particular) also had the most peaceful tribes. The more rugged and barren places were far more war-like for obvious reasons. Some tribes were cannibalistic, others were devoted to raiding for survival and subjugation. Anyone who wants to paint the white man as the ultimate evil without acknowledging that both sides were more or less savage is a new trend in education. Both sides were the same, but one had guns, germs, and steel. Nod to Jared Diamond.

Thank you for being respectful with our ancestors.

Terrific story telling.

Thanks for this well presented story! I have just one niggling criticism: the pictures of Native American settlements and their inhabitants don't depict Comanche. Unlike other tribes who lived on the Great Plains - like the Sioux or the Cheyenne - the Comanche didn't sport the sophisticated ornaments and embroideries of their garments or the famous eagle-feathered ceremonial bonnets and decorated tipis. The Comanche culture was very much pared down and functional. Even their myths and religious believes weren't very elaborate. In the second half of the 19th century the Comanche adopted a few customs of the northern plains tribes. They celebrated truncated versions of the sun dance, and a few chiefs like Quana Parker occasionally sported feathered war bonnets. But these were cultural appropriations from other tribes. Before the Comanche acquired horses and became stunningly brilliant horse masters and warriors, they lived in small scattered tribes as hunter-gatherers who managed to eke out a living in a very harsh and unforgiving enviroment. They didn't have time for things like ornaments and stuff, which didn't help them to survive. And when their lives changed dramatically for the better after they had learned to master horses, they became the fiercest warrior society of the North American continent. Living in peace and enjoying the good things of life was an alien concept for the Comanche because their young men needed to make their mark as warriors, and even their older men lost their authority and their position within the tribe, when they became physically impaired and couldn't take part in raids anymore.

I know exactly what's it's like being kidnapped by Comanche. I got married to Comanche. She was smart with 5 masters degrees, could speak dozen languages, but hard as nails! Like her great grandfather living through 13 bullet wounds from Texas Rangers.

All ideas of morality are predicated on religions but the human condition is much older and the personalities darker. There were very different tribes and the treatment of them was as unjust as a whole as it was individually. That said, the Comanche was not what some think. A chief of another tribe was asked and just what the name Comanche meant and he answered best he could translate, "Those who are always against us." The Comanche is well documented in the Pulitzer prize winning book "Empire of the Summer Moon." It's not at all bias. Or does it paint the noble savage for parlor chat. To get a handle on any period, one needs a grasp of psychology, sociology and philosophy. One cannot understand who people were without knowing the reasons in as much, what shaped them. It is sad to see race sold as a game of who has the most blood or even more generally, that skin color or features make the man. Many who are mixed stand unassimilated and disgraced by such talk. One cannot change what they are. Blame and credential do not define the heart and ancestor says less.

Very informative, but the audio could be improved.

Empire of the Summer Moon is an awesome read.