The Skulking Way of War: Technology and Tactics Among the New England Indians

The Skulking Way of War came to my attention shortly after the paperback was published in 2000. I paged through it quickly, so I set it down again. I was reading on the French and Indian War, but 17th century New England held no interest for me. I should have kept reading! Although focused on King Phillip's War, the text can also aid in the study of woodland Indian military actions of the 18th century: FIW, Pontiac's Rebellion, and AWI. As the author puts it: "In studying the tribes of southern New England, a scholar must sometimes draw inferences from known practices of other tribes." For a general history of King Phillips War, one must look elsewhere. Much like the content of one of Osprey Publishing's Men at Arms* titles, Malone's book is concerned with details of the Indians' and Puritan's respective military systems, logisitcs, tactics and weapons technology. Attention is paid to the fusion of these two traditions: The Indians were very quick to employ European latest weapons and the European's will to completely destroy one's enemy. The English, on the other hand, were very reluctant to apply Indian fighting methods and long suffered for it. In the end, the American colonists acquired a great appreciation for the Indian's "skulking way" of forest warfare. Their use of high mobility, stealth, surprise, and individual marksmanship would serve them well in their future wars against other Indians, the French, and the English. Chapters: I. The Aboriginal Military system II. The Arrival of the White Man III. The Arming of the Indians IV. Proficiency with Firearms: A Cultural Comparison V. Technology, Tactics, and Total Warfare *I should note that the text does not include full-color illustrations like an Osprey Book. My comparison applies only to the detailed subject and the concise, well-organized writing. The book does feature many charming contemporary engravings.

In light of the present situation faced by our military - conducting special operations across the globe, Malone's book ties nicely into what we have now coined "modern combat". In Afghanistan, we have seen our special operations forces "going native" and "skulking" through the bush - adopting native cover and customs to fight an elusive enemy. Malone's seminal work on Native American tactics purports perhaps a vision of what we will see our military conduct in future combat in Iraq. "Red Mike" Edson was obviously a genius of military tactics during WWII and Malone's work should be a must for all present and future military leaders heading into harm's way. The lessons that Malone outlines along with the lessons we learned in Vietnam, must surely be applied in the near future in order for us to successfully locate, close with, and destroy those who use terror as a weapon. A great read!

In The Skulking Way Of War: Technology And Tactics Among The New England Indians, Patrick Malone (Senior Lecturer in the American Civilization department of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island) surveys the weaponry and tactics among the Native Americans of New England and how they changed after the arrival of the European settlers and the introduction of gunpowder. Borrowing and modifying the flintlock musket for their own use, Native American fighters developed superior tactics and became a deadly force in forest warfare. During King Philip's War (1675-1677), Native American groups wrought intense destruction upon European (largely British) settler's colonies, forcing the whites to adopt the same mode of forest combat. These new tactics would re-emerge during the Revolutionary War against Britain and in subsequent American wars down to this very day, altering combat throughout the world. The Skulking Way Of War is very highly recommended reading for students of American history, military history, and Native American studies.

This book really is a must for any one who reads military tactics or combat. The Skulking Way of War is the assigned term to the Native American's form of warefare. Adopting it for themselves, the colonists of the early new world were able to win both the French and Indian war and eventually their war for Independence. For anyone intrested in the recent trend of movies, such as The Patriot, or even Last of Mohicans, this book outlines the emergence of the gun in both the colonists and the Native American's way of life and how both groups changed their tactics over time

If you're a film buff of Last of The Mohican's or most recently The Patriot, this is a book to read. Not for the thrilling fast paced adventure story that it is not... but it gives you reasons why the colonists won the war against the Indians. Building on this new war technique that the colonists established, the skulking way, they were able to defeat the British in this same manner. It's a must read for any military historians as well, mainly because it outlines the history of the colonists war stradegy.