To Die Game: The Story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerillas of Reconstruction

by William McKee Evans

During the Civil War many young Lumbee Indians of North Carolina hid in the swamps to avoid conscription into Confederate labor battalions and carried on a running guerilla war. To Die Game is the story of Henry Berry Lowry, a Lumbee who was arrested for killing a Confederate official. While awaiting trial, he escaped and took to the swamps with a band of supporters. The Lowry band became as notorious as their contemporaries Jesse and Frank James, as they terrorized bush-whacked leaders of possses and military companies. For more than five years, with the support of local Indians and Negroes, they eluded capture. In 1872, Henry disappeared and some of his other followers were eventually hunted down and killed by bounty hunters.

Genres: History, Indigenous, Nonfiction

282 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1971

Reviews

[Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

TO DIE GAME the story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction, by William McKee Evans it was pretty good I had no ideal going into this what this story would be like well it’s probably not for everyone because it’s not historical fiction but a straight history book about a specific unique community, about the Lumbee tribe. I actually knew a little about them before I read this story but I enjoy learning more and this story didn’t disappoint and while this was more about the Lowry Band I was amazed at what an interesting unknown story it was. So doing a whole mind mapping it would go Think 1860’s 1870’s think North Carolina think river and swamp think Native Americans, think poor whites, think Blacks, think community, think War, think press-gangs, and Home Guards, and Reconstruction, and Republicans, and starvation, and stealing of food, think murder, and bandits stealing to feed the community. Think KKK, and then imagine how this will play out over years and years, it’s American history encapsulated in a long drama that I’m frankly surprised no one has turned this into a Netflix original mini series because it has all the elements of what would make a good historical fiction, but it’s even more amazing because how all our values all our prejudices and political touch stones our basic belief structures are reflected in the groups and persons that appear throughout this story. It’s one of the most interesting little history books I’ve read, and I’m really surprised that I who have read so many books about Native American history didn’t know the background of this one. I did not know Henry Berry Lowry nor did I realize that here was someone who stands in the same rank of native leaders as Red Cloud, Tecumseh, or Dekanawida most would probably disagree but He had an impact that went far beyond his time and circumstance anyway it was a very pleasant surprise give it four stars just because it’s a history book and really can’t be ranked above a really good novel but as a history book it gets a big thumbs up well researched and clearly drawn descriptive account of this robin-hood Indian outlaw that no-one has really heard about.

[Shomeret · Rating 4 out of 5]

The multi-racial Lumbee Indians of Robeson County, North Carolina were being kidnapped by Confederates into forced labor under terrible conditions that killed many of them. So any able bodied Lumbee men hid in the swamp to avoid conscript labor. This means that they couldn't plow their fields. The Lumbee were starving. The Lowry Band emerged out of desperation. They began stealing food from plantations and distributing it to their people. To Die Game is their story.

William McKee Evans is a very eloquent writer. He points out that "men who control food are the taskmasters of those who do not, no matter what words to the contrary are intoned from the courthouse door."

So the story of the Lowry Band is essentially about conflict between the haves and have nots in late 19th century Southern society.

Henry Berry Lowry survived as an outlaw because he was a very clever man. Evans tells us that in a 1967 interview his nephew D. F. Lowry revealed that his uncle once got hold of a uniform for the local militia and joined a hunt for himself. This sounds like one of the traditional Robin Hood stories. There are other stories in this book about Henry Berry Lowry's brilliant marksmanship and mastery of tactics. Evans writes in narrative form, but his book is also well-researched.

For the version of this review on my blog see my September post “Henry Berry Lowry: An Outlaw Who Became A Legend” at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To Die Game is an excellent, well-researched account of Henry Berry Lowrie and his fight against injustice in Reconstruction-era North Carolina. Reading it gave me a deeper understanding of the man behind the legend and the historical forces that shaped him.

I first became interested in Lowrie’s story after reading Beneath the Swamp’s Shadow by Kelvin Ray Oxendine, another powerful book that connects Henry Berry Lowrie’s rebellion to the later Battle of Hayes Pond, when his descendants stood up to the Ku Klux Klan. Together, these two books helped me see the continuity of Lumbee resistance across generations.

If you want a combination of scholarly history (To Die Game) and a moving narrative that ties past and present (Beneath the Swamp’s Shadow), I’d recommend reading both.

[Luke Gregson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evans' does an excellent job establishing the limbo that the Lumbee people found themselves in under Confederate rule, Sherman's final campaign, and the ensuing military occupation/reconstruction.
Henry Lowry's near mythical guerilla war against the Confederate home guard and the post-war white supremacist establishment makes for a fascinating tale.

[John Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite of mine as far as history books go, this one should not be ignored by anyone interested in Native American history, the Civil War-Reconstruction era, or by “wild west” enthusiasts looking for analogous narratives.

To Die Game is an exhilarating account of local legend Henry Berry Lowry of Robeson County, North Carolina. In the years following the Civil War, Lowry’s band fiercely resisted conservative and Klan domination of the Lumbee people in and around the swamps of southeastern North Carolina. The deeds of Lowry and his kin include guerilla warfare, blood feuds, recovery from seemingly mortal wounds, and too many jail breaks to count. Author William McKee Evans draws upon a plethora of reports from friends, relatives, foes, and the contemporary regional press, as well as broader social and political accounts.

It's a page-turner that's also a serious historical analysis.

[Jose Vicente · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly enough about Henry Berry Lowry but enough to get a good picture of his mystique and impact in the region during the era of "Reconstruction". IMO