Chainbreaker

Memoir of the life of a Seneca chief, also known as Governor Blacksnake

A memoir by an American Indian, this title presents the recollections of a Seneca chief, also known as Governor Blacksnake. A fighter in the American Revolution, Chainbreaker told his story as an old man in the 1840s to a fellow Seneca, Benjamin Williams, who translated it and committed it to paper. His account is available in this edition.One of the earliest memoirs by an American Indian, Chainbreaker presents the recollections of a Seneca chief, also known as Governor Blacksnake. A fighter in the American Revolution who lived more than a century, Chainbreaker told his story as an old man in the 1840s to a fellow Seneca, Benjamin Williams, who translated it and committed it to paper. Epic in scale and yet intensely personal, Chainbreaker’s story provides a rare Native view of warfare and diplomacy during a crucial period in American history. His account is only fully available in this edition, featuring extensive commentary by Thomas S. Abler.