of the military tactics of the north american indians.
there are two motives which stimulate savage nations to war; these are interest and revenge. the latter operates with a fierceness among rude nations, unknown among civilized people. the desire of vengeance is the first and almost only principle which the savage instils into the mind of his children. this grows with his growth and strengthens with his strength, and acquires a force and a preponderance over all other passions, which causes it to resemble the instinctive rage of a tiger or hy?na. “when under the dominion of this passion,” says robertson, “man becomes the most cruel of[23] all animals. he neither pities, nor forgives, nor spares. the force of this passion is so well understood by the americans themselves, that they always apply to it in order to excite the people to take up arms. if the elders of any tribe attempt to rouse their youth from sloth, if a chief wishes to allure a band of warriors to follow him in invading an enemy’s country, the most persuasive topics of their martial eloquence are drawn from revenge. ‘the bones of our countrymen,’ say they, ‘lie uncovered; their bloody bed has not been washed clean. their spirits cry against us; they must be appeased. let us go and devour the people by whom they were slain. sit no longer inactive upon your mats; lift the hatchet, console the spirits of the dead, and tell them that they shall be avenged.’”
animated with such exhortations, the youth snatch their arms in a transport of fury, raise the song of war, and burn with impatience to embrue their hands in the blood of their enemies. private chiefs assemble small parties, and invade a hostile tribe, without consulting the rulers of the community. a single warrior, prompted by caprice or revenge, will take the field alone, and march several hundred miles to surprise and cut off a straggling enemy. the exploits of a noted warrior, in such solitary excursions, often form the chief part in the history of an american campaign; and their elders connive at such irregular sallies, as they tend to cherish a martial spirit, and accustom their people to enterprise and danger.[28] but when a war is national, and undertaken by public authority, the deliberations are formal and slow. the elders assemble; they deliver their opinions in solemn speeches; they weigh with maturity the nature of the enterprise, and balance its beneficial or disadvantageous consequences with no inconsiderable portion of political discernment or sagacity. their priests and soothsayers are consulted, and sometimes they ask even the advice of their women.[29] if the determination be for war, they prepare for it with much ceremony. a leader offers to conduct the expedition, and is accepted. but no man is constrained to follow him; the resolution of the community to commence hostilities, imposes no obligation upon any member to take part in the war. each individual is still master of his own conduct, and his engagement in the service is perfectly voluntary.[30]
the maxims, by which they regulate their military operations, though extremely different from those which take place in more civilized and populous nations, are well suited to their own political state, and the nature of the country in which they act. they never take the field in numerous bodies, as it would require a greater effort of foresight and industry, than is usual among savages, to provide for their subsistence during a march of some hundred miles through dreary forests, or during a long voyage upon their lakes and rivers. their armies are not encumbered with baggage or military stores. each warrior, besides his arms, carries his mat and a small bag of pounded maize, and with these, is completely equipped for any service. while at a distance from the enemy’s frontier, they disperse through the woods, and support themselves with the game which they kill, or the fish which they catch. as they approach nearer the territories of the nation which they intend to attack, they collect their troops, and advance with great caution. even in their hottest and most active wars, they proceed wholly by stratagem and ambuscade. they place not their glory in attacking their enemies with open force. to surprize and destroy is the greatest merit of a commander, and the highest pride of his followers. war and[24] hunting are his only occupations, and they conduct both with the same spirit and the same arts. they follow the track of their enemies through the forest. they endeavour to discover their haunts; they lurk in some thicket near to these, and, with the patience of sportsmen lying in wait for game, will continue in their station day after day, until they can rush upon their prey when most secure, and least able to resist them. if they meet no straggling party of the enemy, they advance towards their villages, but with such solicitude to conceal their own approach, that they often creep on their hands and feet through the woods, and paint their skins of the same colour as the withered leaves, in order to avoid detection.[31] if so fortunate as to remain unobserved, they set on fire the enemy’s huts in the dead of night, and massacre the inhabitants, as they fly naked and defenceless from the flames. if they hope to effect a retreat without being pursued, they carry off some prisoners whom they reserve for a more dreadful fate. but if, notwithstanding all their address and precautions, they find that their motions are discovered, that the enemy has taken the alarm, and is prepared to oppose them, they usually deem it most prudent to retire. they regard it as extreme folly to meet an enemy who is on his guard, upon equal terms, or to give battle in an open field. the most distinguished success is a disgrace to a leader if it has been purchased with any considerable loss of his followers; and they never boast of a victory, if stained with the blood of their own countrymen.[32] to fall in battle, instead of being reckoned an honourable death, is a misfortune which subjects the memory of a warrior to the imputation of rashness or imprudence.[33]
buchanan in his sketches of the north american indians, speaking of the military tactics of the five nations observes, “previous to setting out on any warlike expedition they have a feast, to which all the noted warriors of the nation are invited; when they have their war-dance to the beat of kettle drums. the warriors are seated on two rows; each rises in turn, and sings the deeds he has performed; so that they work up their spirits to a high degree of enthusiasm. they come to these dances with faces painted in a frightful manner, to make themselves look terrible to their enemies. by these war-songs they preserve the history of their great achievements. the solemn reception of these warriors, and the acclamation of applause which they receive at their return, cannot but have on the hearer the same effect in raising an emulation for glory, that a triumph had on the old romans. after their prisoners are secured they never offer them the least bad treatment, but on the contrary, will rather starve themselves than suffer them to want; and i have been always assured that there is not one instance of their offering the least violence to the chastity of any woman that was their captive. the captives are generally distributed among those who have lost a member of their family in battle: if they are accepted, they enjoy all the privileges which the person had; but if otherwise, they die in torment to satiate the revenge of those who refuse them.
“they use neither drum nor trumpet, nor any kind of musical instruments in their wars; their throats serve them on all occasions. we find the same was practised by homer’s heroes:—
‘thrice to its pitch, his lofty voice he rears,
o friend! ulysses’ shouts invades my ears’”!
[25]
the mode of torturing prisoners taken in battle, alluded to in the preceding extract, prevails among all the indian tribes in north america. heckewelder, a moravian missionary, who had acquired a great deal of information respecting indian customs, during a residence of the greater part of his life among the indians of pennsylvania and the adjoining states, thus speaks of this custom:—
“much has been said on the subject of the preliminary cruelties inflicted on prisoners, when they enter an indian village with the conquering warriors. it is certain that this treatment is very severe when a particular revenge is to be exercised; but otherwise i can say with truth, that in many instances, it is rather a scene of amusement than of punishment. much depends on the courage and presence of mind of the prisoner. on entering the village, he is shown a painted post at the distance of from twenty to forty yards, and told to run to it and catch hold of it as quickly as he can. on each side of him stand men, women and children, with axes, sticks, and other offensive weapons, ready to strike him as he runs, in the same manner as is done in the european armies, when soldiers, as it is called run the gauntlet. if he should be so unlucky as to fall in the way, he will probably be immediately despatched by some person, longing to avenge the death of some relation or friend slain in battle; but the moment he reaches his goal, he is safe and protected from farther insult, until his fate is determined.
“if a prisoner in such a situation shows a determined courage, and when bid to run for the painted post, starts at once with all his might, and exerts all his strength and agility until he reaches it, he will most commonly escape without much harm, and sometimes without any injury whatever, and on reaching the desired point, he will have the satisfaction to hear his courage and his bravery applauded. but woe to the coward who hesitates, or shows any symptoms of fear! he is treated without much mercy, and may consider himself happy, at last, if he escape with his life.
“in the month of april, 1782, when i was myself a prisoner at lower sandusky, waiting for an opportunity to proceed with a trader to detroit, i witnessed a scene of this description, which fully exemplified what i have above stated. three american prisoners were one day brought in by fourteen warriors, from the garrison of fort m’intosh. as soon as they had crossed the sandusky river to which the village lay adjacent, they were told by the captain of the party, to run as hard as they could to a painted post which was shown to them. the youngest of the three, without a moment’s hesitation, immediately started for it, and reached it, fortunately, without receiving a single blow; the second hesitated for a moment, but recollecting himself, he also ran as fast as he could, and likewise reached the post unhurt; but the third, frightened at seeing so many men, women, and children, with weapons in their hands, ready to strike him, kept begging the captain to spare his life, saying he was a mason, and he would build him a fine large stone house, or do any thing for him that he should please. ‘run for your life,’ cried the chief to him, ‘and don’t talk now of building houses’! but the poor fellow still insisted, begging and praying to the captain, who at last finding his exhortations vain, and fearing the consequences, turned his back upon him, and would not hear him any longer. our mason now began to run, but received many a hard blow, one of which nearly brought him to the ground, which, if he had fallen, would at once have decided his fate. he, however, reached the goal, not without being sadly bruised, and he[26] was besides, bitterly reproached and scoffed at all round as a vile coward, while the others were hailed as brave men, and received tokens of universal approbation.”
