Herman Lehmann
| Herman Lehmann | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Herman Lehmann June 5, 1859 Loyal Valley, Texas |
| Died | February 2, 1932 (aged 72) Mason County, Texas |
| Resting place | Loyal Valley Cemetery |
| Citizenship | American |
| Known for | Captured by Apaches Raised by Comanches Adopted son of Quanah Parker |
| Spouse(s) | 1885 N.E. Burke (div.) 1896 Fannie Light |
| Children | Five by Fannie Light |
| Parent(s) | Moritz Lehmann Augusta Johanna Adams Lehmann |
Herman Lehmann (June 5, 1859 – February 2, 1932) was captured as a child by Native Americans. He lived first among the Apache and then the Comanche but eventually returned to his family later on in his life. The phenomenon of a "white boy" raised by "Indians" made him a notable figure in the United States. He published his autobiography, Nine Years Among the Indians in 1927.
Herman Lehmann was born near Mason, Texas, on June 5, 1859, to German immigrants Ernst Moritz Lehmann and his wife Augusta Johanna Adams Lehmann. He was a third child, following a brother Gustave Adolph born in 1855, and a sister Wilhelmina who was born in 1857. Following the birth of Herman, the Lehmans had another son William F. born in 1861. Augusta had three more daughters, Emeliyn, Caroline Wilhelmina and Mathilde, but their birth order is unclear, as it is unclear whether these were children of Lehmann or her second husband Buchmeier. Moritz Lehmann died in 1862, and Augusta married local stonemason Philip Buchmeier in 1863.
On May 16, 1870, a raiding party of eight to ten Apaches (probably Lipans) captured Herman Lehmann, who was almost eleven, and his eight-year-old brother, Willie, while they were in the fields at their mother's request to scare the birds from the wheat. Their two sisters escaped without injury. Four days later, the Apache raiding party encountered a patrol of ten African-American cavalrymen led by Sgt. Emanuel Stance, who had been sent from Fort McKavett to recover the two Lehmann boys. In the short battle that followed, Willie Lehmann was able to escape, but the Apaches fled with young Herman. Sergeant Stance became the first black regular to receive a Medal of Honor for his bravery on this mission. The kidnapping site was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1991, Marker number 11283.
A few months after Lehman's capture, the Apaches lied and told Lehmann they had killed his entire family, depriving him of any incentive to attempt escape. The Apaches took Herman Lehmann to their village in eastern New Mexico. He was adopted by a man named Carnoviste and his wife, Laughing Eyes. A year after his capture, General William T. Sherman passed through Loyal Valley on an inspection tour. Augusta Lehmann Buchmeier was granted a private audience with Sherman to plead for his assistance in finding her son.
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