Serendipity Sunday – Smoke and Mirrors

I found this interesting book while I was researching my husband’s ancestors.

General Philip was a Union General during the American Civil War.  It seems he instructed Captain W P Clark to write his account of the “customs and peculiarities” of the American Indians and the meaning of their “gesture” language. Captain Clark recounts his time living with the Indians for a few years and how he often used his knowledge of their language as a check on unreliable interpreters.

Besides the explanations of the hand gestures,  proper names and phrases, he writes about signals by pony, blanket, smoke and mirrors.

The Indian Sign Language, with explanatory notes of the gestures.