Book Review: To Die Game by William McKee Evans

Introduction

William McKee Evans' book To Die Game is a worthwhile piece of scholarly literature. Fully entitled To Die Game: The Story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction, the book tells the story of the Lowry family, the ancestors of today's Lumbee Indians. Evans argues that the Lowry gang committed its acts of violence as justifiable acts of revenge against the brutal actions of the Ku Klux Klan and the Confederate Army. Ultimately, the author's substantial academic credentials, coupled with his extensive scholarly research, make To Die Game an excellent look into the lives of the Lowry Band.

Author Background and Credentials

William McKee Evans' academic background is impressive and makes him clearly qualified to undertake a project like To Die Game. Evans is an emeritus professor of history and is also the author of Ballots and Fence Rails: Reconstruction on the Lower Cape Fear. His scholarly background and academic ability make him well suited to the challenging task of recounting the history of the Lowry gang. In addition, William McKee Evans is a Lumbee himself, which brings a note of authenticity to the book while also introducing a potential for bias toward the Lowry gang.

Summary of the Book

Published by the Louisiana State University Press, To Die Game tells the story of the Lowry gang. The book begins with the murder of Calvin Lowry, the father of the gang's leader — it is this murder that sets the gang on a path of revenge. Evans follows the gang through their subsequent attempts to settle the score.

The book traces the life of Henry Berry Lowry, a Lumbee Indian who was jailed for killing a Confederate official. Lowry escaped to the swamps with a group of supporters who rapidly became notorious for their violent acts. In large part, they hid in the swamps to avoid being conscripted into labor for the Confederate Army. As Evans writes: "But as the fever ravaged the lower Cape Fear, as planters protested the harsh use of their slaves whom the government had requisitioned for building the forts, as the Yankee fleet drew closer, the Confederacy's appetite for healthy Indian bodies increased. More and more Indians were hiding in the swamps and fewer were growing corn."

The Lowry gang terrorized leaders of military companies for five years and enjoyed broad support from local Native Americans and African Americans. Henry Lowry disappeared in 1872, and bounty hunters eventually murdered many of the remaining members of his band.

Thesis and Central Argument

The main thesis of To Die Game concerns the Lumbee's fight against white suppression during the Reconstruction era. Evans suggests that the Lowrys' acts were justified by the brutal actions of the Ku Klux Klan, and that the gang acted out of revenge for the murder of Calvin Lowry. He also argues that the Radical Republicans of the period might have achieved more lasting social change had they adopted some of the Lowrys' tactics.

Conclusion

William McKee Evans' To Die Game is a worthwhile piece of scholarly literature. While Evans is clearly biased toward the Lowrys and their struggle, his ample use of primary sources lends him considerable credibility. His refusal to romanticize the gang's violent acts further strengthens the book's authority. Taken together, his extensive research and thorough treatment of the subject make To Die Game an excellent addition to the literature on the Lumbee people.

Works Cited

Evans, William McKee. 1971. To Die Game: The Story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction (Iroquois and Their Neighbors). Louisiana State University Press.