The story of the prodigious war, made by the spirits of the invisible world upon the people of New-England, in the year 1692, hath entertain'd a great part of the English world with a just astonishment. And I have met with some strange things, not here to me mentioned, which have made me often think that this inexplicable war might have some of its … [Read more...] about Horrid Sorcerers And Hellish Conjurers
More From The Trapline — September 2019
One of my favorite Frontier Partisan artists has recreated a scene I imagined vividly in my youth, when I imbibed the ur-myth of the American Frontier like wine. “On his first long hunt, Daniel Boone amassed a fortune in otter, beaver and deer skins. He was headed back east when Shawnee warriors led by Captain Will Emery surprised him. Captain … [Read more...] about More From The Trapline — September 2019
Colonel Townsend Whelen – American Rifleman And Soldier – Part I
By Rick Schwertfeger, Captain, Frontier Partisans Southern Command, Austin, Texas This is the first of a two-part article on Colonel Townsend Whelen (1877-1961), known as Mr. Rifleman. Part I addresses his work as a marksman; soldier; and designer and tester of rifles, cartridges, and everything related to firearms. Part II will explore his … [Read more...] about Colonel Townsend Whelen – American Rifleman And Soldier – Part I
Shiver And Hum
I mean, hell: In the song “Copperhead Road,” Steve Earle tells the story of three generations of the Pettimore family in less than five minutes. A writer doing the same thing would need hundreds of pages. That’s sorcery. — Alex Bledsoe * Sisters Folk Festival 2019 is in the books — and a fine one it was. As I anticipated, the highlight of the … [Read more...] about Shiver And Hum
Blue Gun Blues
Season 4 of Outlander featured an eye-catching detail. One of the Cherokee warriors encountered by the Frasers in the North Carolina backcountry is depicted carrying a blue-painted trade musket. This is a nice, authentic touch — some of the cheap, lightweight muskets manufactured for the Carolina deerskin trade were, in fact, painted blue. … [Read more...] about Blue Gun Blues
The Murder Of John Bozeman
John Bozeman met a violent end right in the middle of the epic fracas created by the trail he blazed running from Fort Laramie northwest to the Montana goldfields. A little over a year after the December 21, 1866, destruction of Col. William Fetterman’s command — even as the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho continued their harrying of the Army posts … [Read more...] about The Murder Of John Bozeman
Working The Trapline — September 2019
This one is a music-heavy trapline. It’s Sisters Folk Festival month, after all. The band that brings the most “frontier” to the festival is Le Vent du Nord. Ceili wrote a profile of the band for The Nugget, which you can read here: The traditional Quebecois band, Le Vent du Nord is an award-winning group considered leaders in the … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — September 2019
The Slaughter Of The Jesus Indians
“You recall the time when the Jesus Indians of the Delawares lived near the Americans, and had confidence in their promises of friendship, and thought they were secure, yet the Americans murdered all the men, women, and children, even as they prayed to Jesus?” — Tecumseh to Gen. William Henry Harrison The American Legends Podcast is a … [Read more...] about The Slaughter Of The Jesus Indians
Gentleman Joe McKay
Stumbled across a few shots of a flamboyant Frontier Partisan who played a key role in the fight that sparked the Northwest Rebellion in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1885: Gentleman Joe McKay. I wrote of this frontier conflict in a chapter on the great Metis war leader Gabriel Dumont in Warriors of the Wildlands. The Metis of the Canadian … [Read more...] about Gentleman Joe McKay
Must Be A Certain Kind Of Fool — An Appreciation Of ‘Desperado’
It is de rigueur in the hipper circles of Americana music to shit on The Eagles at every opportunity. After all, the icon of all that is hip and holy — Gram Parsons — once described The Eagles as “a plastic dry-fuck.” Well, I love Gram Parsons’ music and we are forever in his debt for his introducing Emmylou Harris to the world — but he was a nasty … [Read more...] about Must Be A Certain Kind Of Fool — An Appreciation Of ‘Desperado’
