Girty

Simon Girty was an Irish immigrant who was captured by the Senecas as a teenager and lived among them for several years. He was branded as a traitor for siding with First Nations and the British during the Revolutionary War and fought fiercely against Continental Army forces in the Ohio River Valley. This classic work by Richard Taylor artfully assembles a collage of passages from diaries, travel accounts, and biographies to tell part of his story, using the voice of Girty himself to unfold the narrative through interior monologues.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 03 November 2020
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky

Simon Girty, the son of an Irish immigrant, was raised on the western Pennsylvania frontier but was captured by the Senecas as a teenager and lived among them for several years. This able frontiersman, who might be seen today as a defender of Native Americans, was branded as a traitor for siding with First Nations and the British during the Revolutionary War. He fought fiercely against Continental Army forces in the Ohio River Valley and was victorious in the bloody Battle of Blue Licks.

In this classic work, Richard Taylor artfully assembles a collage of passages from diaries, travel accounts, and biographies to tell part of the notorious villain's story. Taylor uses the voice of Girty himself to unfold the rest of the narrative through a series of interior monologues, which take the form of both prose and poetry. Moments of torture and horrifying bloodshed stand starkly against passages celebrating beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Throughout, Taylor challenges perceptions of the man and the frontier, as well as notions of white settler innocence.

Simon Girty's bloody exploits and legend made him hated and feared in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, but many who knew him respected him for his convictions, principles, and bravery. This evocative work brings to life a complex figure who must permanently dwell in the borderland between myth and fact, one foot in each domain.

Weight: 268g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813180380