A Narrative of the Captivity and Sufferings of Benjamin Gilbert and his Family; who Were Surprised by the Indians, and Taken From Their Farms, on the Frontiers of Pennsylvania, in the Spring, 1780

This harrowing firsthand account recounts the capture and ordeal of Benjamin Gilbert and his Quaker family in 1780, when they were seized by a band of Native Americans on the Pennsylvania frontier during the American Revolutionary War. Authored by William Walton from Gilbert's recollections, the narrative offers a rare window into the emotional and physical suffering of peaceful settlers caught in the crossfire of colonial conflict. Taken from their farms and marched hundreds of miles into what is now Canada, the Gilberts endured months of hardship, separation, and uncertainty, navigating unfamiliar terrain, languages, and customs. Yet the story is also one of survival, resilience, and—eventually—release, as the family was reunited through diplomatic intervention and returned home. The account is notable for its relative empathy and respect toward their captors, providing insight into both Indigenous lifeways and the misunderstandings that fueled frontier violence. As both a document of spiritual endurance and a cultural artifact of early American captivity literature, this book remains essential reading for students of Native-settler relations, Revolutionary War history, and early Quaker experience in North America.