War Chiefs and Generals: The Transformation of Warfare in the Eastern Woodlands

摘要

In this thesis, I examine how military strategies and tactics of Native Americans and Euro Americans changed over time after they came into contact with each other in the Eastern Woodlands. I accomplish this goal by covering in detail three conflicts: Hernando De Soto’s expedition into the Southeastern United States, King Philip’s War, and the Northwest Indian War. By using these three conflicts, I examine this transformation from both a temporal and spatial perspective. I approach this point of inquiry by using a variety of primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources come from a variety of fields, but mainly history and ethnohistory. I explore the weapons, armor, and leaders in each conflict. I also describe in detail each of the essential campaigns to illustrate a combatants’ strategies and an assortment of battles to illustrate the combatants’ tactics. Each individual conflict serves two purposes. The first is to find any small-scale changes that occurred within the timeline of the conflict itself. The second purpose is to use these wars as measuring sticks for broader changes that happened over several centuries of contact and conflict. In the conclusion I demonstrate common themes of change that can be explained by using these particular conflicts. Each chapter reveals something new and interesting about Native and Euro-American Warfare that relates to the transformation of military thought. In the conclusion, I cover themes I believe exemplify the change and continuity of warfare in the Eastern Woodlands. Some of these themes include usage of firearms, Native fortifications, and use of war animals.