Book description
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.
"Indian Peter' reinvented himself in so many guises - each more
flamboyant than the last - that his biography makes a rip-roaring read'
**** - The Scotsman 'Even by the dramatic standards of the eighteenth
century, the story of Peter Williamson is an extraordinary one' - The
Herald Douglas Skelton is a journalist and author of a number of true
crime books. He is married and lives in Ayrshire.
