On the morning of February 23, 1779, — 240 years ago this day — 19 young soldiers walked through the gates of Fort Laurens in the Ohio country to cut wood and round up some stray horses. They were chilled and hungry and many of them were suffering from toothaches and other aches and pains that were the common afflictions of life and work on the … [Read more...] about Tactical Trauma
A Man Named Cornplanter
As I palaver with the ghosts of the Red Road, I am coming to know people who have mostly been just names to me. Among them is a man named Cornplanter. The name of the Seneca War Captain has long been familiar, but I did not know the man. I did not know until recently that he was the son of a Dutch trader, one Johann Abeel, the scion of a … [Read more...] about A Man Named Cornplanter
George Croghan — Forgotten Giant Of The Middle Ground
Reading Dale Van Every’s Forth to the Wilderness the other night, I realized with a start that in the more-than- seven-year history of the Frontier Partisans site, I have never mentioned the name of George Croghan. This is a terrible sin of omission — one that is illustrative of a broader historical phenomenon. There was no more significant figure … [Read more...] about George Croghan — Forgotten Giant Of The Middle Ground
Frolic At The Fish House — Sir William Johnson’s Life Of ‘No Restraint’
Think of this as your Frontier Partisans Valentine’s Day post. For surely no Frontier Partisan practiced the arts of love more ardently and prodigiously than the Great MacShane — Sir William Johnson. * Handsome Billy, they called the strapping Irish youth who ventured out into the wilds of New York’s Mohawk Valley to manage his uncle’s … [Read more...] about Frolic At The Fish House — Sir William Johnson’s Life Of ‘No Restraint’
The Battle Of Lake George
The battle that earned Sir William Johnson his Baronetcy and made his considerable fortune was a messy affair. The mission was to take control of Lake Champlain from French forces at Crown Point's Fort Saint-Frédéric, under the command of Baron Ludwig August Dieskau. Johnson’s army was a motley collection of militia and Mohawk. The militiamen from … [Read more...] about The Battle Of Lake George
The Great MacShane — Sir William Johnson, Celtic-Mohawk Baronet
Ah, the Great MacShane. No Frontier Partisan has ever loomed so large. In the decades leading up to the Revolutionary War, Sir William Johnson was perhaps the most important man in the Colonies — and one of the richest. As the British Crown’s Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern colonies, he was responsible for maintaining the key … [Read more...] about The Great MacShane — Sir William Johnson, Celtic-Mohawk Baronet
Indigenous Ability
Western Martial Arts has seen a tremendous surge in interest over the past 20 years, as enthusiasts have resurrected old blade combat manuals and discovered that — surprise! — the hyper-martial cultures of Europe weren’t just bashing at each other with sharp implements, but actually had martial arts systems as throughly thought-out and effective as … [Read more...] about Indigenous Ability
Conflict Archaeologist
A friend of mine believes that it is important in one’s professional life to have a quick, intriguing “elevator pitch” to define yourself. He likes mine: “I’m a storyteller...” Gets people intrigued, wanting to know more, etc. You get the picture. Well, here’s one that simply can’t be beat: “I’m a conflict archaeologist.” Ain’t nobody gonna hear … [Read more...] about Conflict Archaeologist
Simon Kenton — The Archetype
“There are Homeric men in every age… men whose every action attracts the attention of their fellow men… Simon Kenton was such a man… he was an individualistic embodiment of the expanding spirit of the American border… Follow Kenton down the Ohio, and one follows the settlement of the West in its wildest extent. His life epitomizes his time and his … [Read more...] about Simon Kenton — The Archetype
For Just One Time, I’ll Take The Northwest Passage
Frontier Partisans! Dog brothers! I bid thee raise a tankard this weekend to the shade of the great Canadian folksinger Stan Rogers. And give him a listen. I spent an hour or so early Friday morning listening to that fine baritone spin out tales of Canada and the sea (and the Witch of the Westmoreland). Ah, ’tis fine stuff. Rogers died in … [Read more...] about For Just One Time, I’ll Take The Northwest Passage
