European and Native American Warfare 1675-1815

Scalp-taking

“…In some Native societies, any tribesman in good standing who had previously proven his worth in battle could organize a war party, usually after having been “inspired by a revelation in dream or vision,” 10 although only successful leaders could gather sufficient following (Smith, 1951: 355). In other tribes, the war party was more formally organized, and “[military] leaders were chosen according to merit based on courage and experience instead of privilege or purchase” (Starkey, 2002: 18). A “war chief” was entrusted with planning the expedition and led the party in battle (Driver, 2011: 299).…”

“…The surprise attack was the preferred fighting method in Native American warfare (Smith, 1951: 356). Their methods have been compared to modern guerrilla warfare (Starkey, 2002: 27): “Indian leaders taught their men to move in scattered order and take advantage of the ground, to surround the enemy or to avoid being surrounded” (Starkey, 2002: 18). The “war chief” had little to no control over the behavior of his men, who were free to operate independently (Reyna, 1994: 41), although sometimes small teams of friends would fight side by side (Hodge, 1912: 915).…”

Accounting artefacts as a means of augmenting knowledge of the past: The case of Chief Hillis Hadjo and Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Nicolls

“…Starkey (1998) argues that while historians, such as Horsman (1969), recognize the importance of the contribution of militia forces, they fail to give sufficient credit to the role played by the Native American forces. British commanders in the War of 1812, however, were well aware of the importance of the role that the Native Americans could play (see Black, 2009 andStarkey, 1999). 7 Although there is a substantial literature on Native American history, there is somewhat less in terms of their military history.…”

“…The Creek War is often merged into the historiography of the War of 1812 (see Starkey, 1999). However, it had its own causes and roots in events that predate the War of 1812.…”

“…The causes of the war and the differences between the Red Sticks and White Sticks are covered by Hassig (1974), Wright (1968 and Braund (2008). Although there are differences given in the accounts for the causes of the war there are common elements, with the catalyst being a visit by Tecumseh 8 in October 1811 (Starkey, 1999). The Creeks had a number of grievances.…”