REFLECTIONS on the WAR

With the SAVAGES of NORTH-AMERICA. [Annexed to the Account of Col. BoUQUET's Expedition.]

TH

HE long continued ravages of the Indians on the frontiers of the British colonies in America, and the fatal overthrows which they have fometimes given our best disciplined troops, especially in the beginning of the late war, have rendered them objects of our confideration, even in their military capacity. And as but few officers, who may be employed against them, can have opportunities to obferve the true caufes of their advantages over European troops in the woods, it is with the utmost pleasure that we now proceed to lay before the public the following valuable papers, which have been communicated by an officer of great abilities and long experience, in our wars with the Indians.

As fcarce any thing has yet been published on a fubject now become of the highest importance § to our colonies, these papers will undoubtedly be an acceptable present to the reader; and the remarks contained in them may be more and more improved by the future care and attention of able men, till perhaps a compleat fyftem is at length formed for the conduct of this particular fpecies of war.

Of the Temper and Genius of the Indians.

THE love of liberty is innate in the favage; and seems the ruling paffion of the state of nature. His

§ It will appear by the account of Indian tribes and towns, that they are neither contemptible in numbers or ftrength. See Major Rogers's Account ante.

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defires

defires and wants, being few, are easily gratified, and leave him much time to spare, which he would spend in idleness, if hunger did not force him to hunt. That exercise makes him ftrong, active and bold; raifes his courage, and fits him for war; in which he ufes the fame ftratagems and cruelty as against the wild beafts; making no fcruple to employ treachery and perfidy to vanquish his enemy. Jealous of his independency and of his property, he will not fuffer the leaft encroachment on either; and upon the flightest fufpicion, fired with refentment, he becomes an implacable enemy, and flies to arms to vindicate his right, or revenge an injury. The advantages of thefe favages over civilized nations are both natural and acquired. They are all tall and well limbed, remarkable for their activity, and have a piercing eye and quick ear, which are of great fervice to them in the woods. Like beafts of prey, they are patient, deceitful, and rendered by habit almoft infenfible, to the common feelings of humanity. Their barbarous cuftom of fcalping their enemies, in the heat of action; the exquifite torments often inflicted by them on those referved for a more deliberate fate; their. general ferocity of manners, and the fucceffes wherewith they have often been flushed; have confpired to render their name terrible, and fometimes to strike a panic even into our braveft and beft difciplined troops.

Their acquired advantages are, that they have been in red to bear the extreams of heat and cold; and from their infancy, in winter and fummer, to plunge themfelves into cold ftreams, and to go al moft naked, expofed to the fcorching fun or nipping frofts, till they arrive to the ftate of manhood. Some of them deftroy the fenfation of the fkin by fcratching it with the fhort and fharp teeth of fome animal, difpofed in the form of a curry-comb, which makes them regardless of briars and thorns in running through thickets. Rivers are no obftacles to them in their wild excurfions. They either fwim over, or

crofs

cross them on rafts or canoes, of an eafy and ready conftruction.

In their expeditions they live chiefly by hunting, or on wild fruits and roots, with which the woods fupply them almost every where. They can bear hunger and thirst for feveral days, without flackening, on that account, their perfeverance on any propofed enterprize. By conftant practice in hunting, they learn to shoot with great skill, either with bows, or fire-arms; and to fteal unperceived upon their prey, purfuing the tracks of men and beats, which would be imperceptible to an European. They can run for a whole day without halting, when flying from an enemy, or when fent on any meffage. They fteer, as if by instinct, through tracklefs woods; and with aftonishing patience can lie whole days motionlefs in ambush to furprife an enemy; elleeming no labour or perfeverance too painful to obtain their. ends.

They befmear their bodies with bear's greafe, which defends them against rains and damps, as well as against the ftings of mofquitoes and gnats. It. likewife fupples their limbs, and makes them as flippery as the antient gladiators, who could not be held faft when feized in fight.

They fight only when they think to have the advantage; but cannot be forced to it, being fure by their speed to elude the most eager purfuit. Their drefs confifts of the fkin of fome wild beaft, or a blanket; a fhirt, either of linen, or of dreffed fkins; a breech-clout, leggins, reaching half way up the thigh, and faftened to a belt, with mokawfons on their feet. They ufe no ligatures that might obftruét the circulation of their blood, or agility of their limbs. They fhave their head, referving only a small tuft of hair on the top; and fit the outer part of their ears, to which, by weights, they give a circular form, extending them down to their fhoulders. They adorn themselves with ear and nofe-rings, bracelets

of filver and wampum, and paint their faces with various colours. When they prepare for an engagement they paint themselves black, and fight naked.

Their arms are a fufil, or rifle, a powder-horn, a fhot-pouch, a tomahawk, and a fcalping knife hanging to their neck. When they are in want of firearms, they fupply them by a bow, a fpear, or a deathhammer, which is a fhort club made of hard wood. Their ufual utenfils are a kettle, a fpoon, a lookingglafs, an awl, a fteel to ftrike fire, fome paint, a pipe and tobacco-pouch. For want of tobacco, they fmoke fome particular leaves, or the bark of a willow; which is almoft their continual occupation. Thus lightly equipped do the favages lie in wait to attack, at fome difficult pafs, the European foldiers heavily accoutred, harraffed by a tedious march, and encumbered with an unwieldy convoy.

Experience has convinced us that it is not our intereft to be at war with them; but if, after having tried all means to avoid it, they force us to it, (which in all probability will often happen) we fhould endeavour to fight them upon more equal terms, and regulate our manœuvres upon thofe of the enemy we are to engage, and the nature of the country we are to act in.

It does not appear from our accounts of Indian wars, that the favages were fo brave formerly as we have found them of late; which must be imputed to their unexpected fucceffes againft our troops on fome occafions, particularly in 1755; and from the little resistance they have fince met with from defenceless inhabitants. It is certain, that even at this day, they feldom expose their perfons to danger, and depend entirely upon their dexterity in concealing themfelves during an engagement; never appearing openly, unless they have ftruck their enemies with terror, and have thereby rendered them incapable of defence.— From whence it may be inferred that, if they were beat two or three times, they would lofe that confi

dence

dence inspired by fuccefs, and be lefs inclined to engage in wars which might end fatally for them. But this cannot reasonably be expected, till we have troops trained to fight them in their own way, with the additional advantage of European courage and discipline.

Any deviation from our established military system would be needless, if valour, zeal, order and good conduct, were fufficient to fubdue this light-footed enemy. These qualities are confpicuous in our troops; but they are too heavy to be employed alone in a deftructive service for which they were never intended. They require the affiftance of lighter corps, whose drefs, arms and exercises, should be adapted to this new kind of war.

The learned jefuit †, who has obliged the world with a treatise on the military affairs of the ancient Romans; tells us, from Salluft, that this wife nation, our masters in the art of war, were never hindered even by the pride of empire, from imitating any foreign maxim or inftitution, provided it was good: and that they carefully adopted into their own practice, whatever they found useful in that of their allies or enemies. So that by receiving fome things from one, and fome from another, they greatly improved a system even originally excellent.

But without going back to the ancients, we have seen this maxim adopted in our days. Marshal de Saxe, finding the French army harraffed by the huffars and other Auftrian light troops, formed alfo feveral corps of them of different kinds: and the king of Pruffia, in his first war, introduced them into his army, and has augmented and employed them ever fince with fuccefs. We have ourselves made ufe of them in the two laft wars in Europe: but the light troops wanted in America must be trained upon different principles. The enemies we have to deal with

+ Vid. Joannis Antonii Valtrini, libr, de re milit Vet. Rom. 1