Synopses & Reviews
Tribal, violent, riven with fierce and competing loyalties, the American Revolution as told through the Oneida Indians, the only Iroquois Nation to side with the rebels, shatters the old story of a contest of ideas punctuated by premodern set-piece warfare pitting patriotic colonists against British Redcoats. With new detail and historical sweep, Joseph T. Glatthaar and James Kirby Martin offer a vivid account of the Revolution’s forgotten heroes, the allies who risked their land, their culture, and their lives to join in a war that gave birth to a new nation at the expense of their own.
Not only capturing for the first time the full sacrifice of the Oneida in securing American independence, Forgotten Allies also provides details and insights into Oneida culture and how it was shaped, changed, and molded throughout many years of contact with the American colonists. Above all else, it depicts the valor and determination of an Indian nation that fought with all the resolve of the rebels only to be erased from America’s collective memory. A long-overdue corrective, Forgotten Allies makes certain that the Oneidas’ story is finally told.
Review
"This is a book that will surprise and delight anyone interested in American history. It reveals in vivid scrupulously researched detail a hitherto unknown side of the War for Independence."--Thomas Fleming, author of
Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge "Riveting from its deft opening of Lafayette's return,
Forgotten Allies is a brilliant history of the Oneida Indian Nation and its complex participation in the American Revolution. Masterfully framing the cultural and political struggles of the time before plunging us into the American Revolution, this book has a message for every generation; history is relevant." --Jack Leustig, Producer, Director, Writer, Award-Winning CBS Television Documentary,
500 Nations "Two accomplished historians tell the sad, neglected, yet fascinating story, rich in detail and well written, of the Oneida, one major Indian group who backed the 'winning' side in the American Revolution." --John Shy, Professor Emeritus,
University of Michigan "A vividly revealing chronicle of the Oneidas' thankless role in the American Revolution." -- Chrispatsilelis,
Houston Chronicle "Two scholars seamlessly combine forces to tell a little-known but important and ultimately shameful story from an unlit corner of the colonies' battle for independence . . . Much research and erudition underlie a sad tale of fidelity betrayed." --
Kirkus Reviews Praise for Joseph T. Glatthaar's
Forged In Battle:
"The fullest account we have of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), those black soldiers and white officers who contributed so mightily to Union victory."--Georgia Historical Quarterly
Praise for James Kirby Martin's Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero:
"Both a biography and an extended meditation on the ironies of the Revolution, Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero is in many ways a remarkable example of the historian's craft . . . [an] indispensable guide." --Los Angeles Times
"Martin's thorough primary-source research--the best in any biography of Arnold to date--underpins convincing explanations for both Arnold's intense revolutionary zeal and his subsequent betrayal. The book offers essential lessons to modern military officers." --Journal of Military History
Synopsis
The sacrifice of the Oneida Indians in securing American independence is captured in this story that also provides details about and insights into Oneida culture and how it was shaped, changed, and molded throughout years of contact with the American colonists.
Synopsis
Combining compelling narrative and grand historical sweep, Forgotten Allies offers a vivid account of the Oneida Indians, forgotten heroes of the American Revolution who risked their homeland, their culture, and their lives to join in a war that gave birth to a new nation at the expense of their own. Revealing for the first time the full sacrifice of the Oneidas in securing independence, Forgotten Allies offers poignant insights about Oneida culture and how it changed and adjusted in the wake of nearly two centuries of contact with European-American colonists. It depicts the resolve of an Indian nation that fought alongside the revolutionaries as their valuable allies, only to be erased from America's collective historical memory. Beautifully written, Forgotten Allies recaptures these lost memories and makes certain that the Oneidas' incredible story is finally told in its entirety, thereby deepening and enriching our understanding of the American experience.
About the Author
Joseph T. Glatthaar is the author of six books and teaches history at the
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
James Kirby Martin is the author of eleven books and teaches history at the University of Houston.