The Skulking Way of War

Rating:
Summary: Timely Commentary
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Very highly recommended military history reading
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed, does not live up to it?s title
Review: This is another "postmodernist" history -- one that assumes that the Indians were a spiritual, peace loving, disease free people who communed with nature. Then came the big bad honkies with their diseases, guns and "total warfare."

Malone takes bits of information and constructs them in is to history. He finds an obscure record of a White who got in trouble with White authorities for selling a defective gun to an Indian. Obviously the Indian knew the gun was defective, claims Malone, he was just buying for parts and we can assume he was a technological genius.

Worse is that the book gives of very little information on the skulking tactics and technology of the Indians. For example, the Indian of was a master of deceit and subterfuge but Malone avoids that topic like a plague.

The Puritans won the war because of more men and virtually unlimited supplies, according only to Malone. Other authors such as Schultz (King Philip's War) and Leach (Flintlock and Tomahawk) tell us that the colonists were short of nearly everything, couldn't get their crops in, and faced starvation. Certainly the colonists had a larger population but fielded smaller army. The books by Leach and Schulz remain the only two good recent histories.

Researchers can use Malone's book for its references. And it's worth reading for those taking more than a casual interest in the 1775-1776 King Phillip's War.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed, does not live up to it¿s title
Review: This is another "postmodernist" history -- one that assumes that the Indians were a spiritual, peace loving, disease free people who communed with nature. Then came the big bad honkies with their diseases, guns and "total warfare."

Malone takes bits of information and constructs them in is to history. He finds an obscure record of a White who got in trouble with White authorities for selling a defective gun to an Indian. Obviously the Indian knew the gun was defective, claims Malone, he was just buying for parts and we can assume he was a technological genius.

Worse is that the book gives of very little information on the skulking tactics and technology of the Indians. For example, the Indian of was a master of deceit and subterfuge but Malone avoids that topic like a plague.

The Puritans won the war because of more men and virtually unlimited supplies, according only to Malone. Other authors such as Schultz (King Philip's War) and Leach (Flintlock and Tomahawk) tell us that the colonists were short of nearly everything, couldn't get their crops in, and faced starvation. Certainly the colonists had a larger population but fielded smaller army. The books by Leach and Schulz remain the only two good recent histories.

Researchers can use Malone's book for its references. And it's worth reading for those taking more than a casual interest in the 1775-1776 King Phillip's War.