The Skulking Way of War by Patrick M. Malone essays

The Skulking Way of War by Patrick M. Malone essays "The Skulking Way of War" is an examination of the culture of warfare of the Native Americans in Southern New England during the period of 1600-1677. This academic work is mainly a chronicle of the technological developments and advancements of the Southern New England Native tribes and how European influence and trade acted as the catalyst. Moreover, it investigates the military tactics used by the Natives during this period and how they developed over time with the arrival of the Europeans and how their influence transformed the Indian concept of war. At the beginning of this book, Malone states that technology has been the most influential component in shaping warfare from the beginning of time. It has had a dominant role in sculpting and evolving the way military's have fought and will fight wars between each other. Those who lack the technological superiority in battle will have the disadvantage, and most likely will be wiped out. Technology is a limiting factor. That is, warfare is limited by a militarys technological abilities. Malone introduces one more component that shapes warfare and is especially cardinal when examining the Southern New England Indian warfare, and that is geography. In the exploration of the transformation of Native warfare in New England, Malone integrates two major wars between the colonists and the New England Indians: the Pequot War and King Philips War. Through analysis of these two wars, a distinction can be seen in the way in which they were fought by the Indians and the true impact European technology and tactics had on Indian warfare. Before Malone dives into the real analysis, he describes the trouble in such exploration of the past and the affect it has on a study like this. Unlike the English, The Native Americans in New England had no written accounts of their lives which would help us understand truly their way of thinking when it came to warfare. Although archaeologica...