Captain Jefferson Kidd

Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is one of the novel’s two main protagonists. He agrees to transport the young Kiowa captive, Johanna, over a 400-mile, three week long journey to her relatives in southern Texas. He was born on March 15, 1798, and in the novel’s fifteenth chapter celebrates his 72nd birthday. Even at his advanced age, Captain Kidd is around six feet tall, and has a clean-shaven, angled face and white hair. He has been involved in three wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican War in the 1840s, and the Civil War in the 1860s. During the War of 1812, he served as a private and was promoted for his courage attempt to rescue his captain’s life in the Battle at Horseshoe Bend. At the same battle, Kidd was shot in the hip with what he believes was a spoon. Eventually, he becomes a message carrier...