The blue smoke still hung in the air No one stood when the cops got there... Frontier Partisans posted on this on December 11, 2015: It was one of the deadliest shootouts in the wild history of Texas. It didn’t happen during the violent post-Civil War era. It didn’t involve the Regulators and the Moderators or the gunslingers of the … [Read more...] about No Judge, No Jury, No Hangman, No Justice Down In Old Waco
Oregon Sends Its Regrets
The State of Oregon has officially expressed regret over one of the nastiest and costliest episodes in Frontier Partisans history. It took hundreds of troops, a great measure of blood and treasure, and the death of an American general to defeat a tiny band of highly capable Modoc fighters holed up in a natural fortress of lava beds just over the … [Read more...] about Oregon Sends Its Regrets
Shelter Me From The Powder And The Finger
I had a dream in the early hours of Wednesday morning that featured “Powderfinger.” Haven’t listened to it or played it for years. Weird. Supposedly Neil Young wrote the song for Lynyrd Skynyrd (he and Ronnie Van Zant became friends after the “Hope Neil Young will remember” shot in “Sweet Home Alabama”). I remember spinning this over and over … [Read more...] about Shelter Me From The Powder And The Finger
Working The Trapline — April 2019
• Back in the day when I was heavy into muzzleloaders and such, I did some shopping through a catalog outfit known as James Townsend & Son. Based out of Indiana, they were an important resource for authentically styled 18th and early 19th century clothing and accouterments for the discerning … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — April 2019
Yes, We Have No Bananas
This is going to make me feel like an old coot grousing that things ain’t as good as they were back in my day. That’s because I am an old coot grousing that things ain’t as good as they were back in my day. Last weekend, Ceili and I did a quick recon at Banana Republic. Stylewise, she considers BR her wheelhouse and she is scheming to raid it … [Read more...] about Yes, We Have No Bananas
Cossacks and Nazis
Russia fascinates me. Every once in a while, I plunge into the forests and steppes of the Wild East and lose myself there for weeks. I recently found myself sucked into the 2017 miniseries Trotsky, which I found on Netflix, and I wrote on the strange, surreal dieselpunk fable for Running Iron Report. This, of course, led me down other trails and … [Read more...] about Cossacks and Nazis
’Half The Territory They Possess’ — The Battles Of The Long Knife — Part IV
“I have given the United States half the territory they possess, and for them to suffer me to remain in poverty, in consequence of it, will not redound much to their honor hereafter.” — General George Rogers Clark, Letter to General Jonathan Clark George Rogers Clark’s life didn’t fall apart all at once. It broke down piece by piece over a … [Read more...] about ’Half The Territory They Possess’ — The Battles Of The Long Knife — Part IV
Arthur — Celtic Warlord
Properly told, the tale of the warlord Arthur’s defense of a Roman-Celtic Britain from invading Angles and Saxons is one of the great Frontier Partisans epics of all time. When I say properly told, I’m talking about hill forts and trading villages, barbarian raiders and Celtic light cavalry. Forest and fen and the old magic of Britain. None of that … [Read more...] about Arthur — Celtic Warlord
‘A Fair Opportunity Of Making An Impression’ — The Battles Of The Long Knife — Part III
George Rogers Clark’s March to Vincennes (in modern Indiana) stands as one of the great epics of the Ranging Way of War. With 170 light infantry and no artillery, he set out to recapture Fort Sackville from British Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton, who not only held a fortified position but also outnumbered Clark’s force with a garrison of British … [Read more...] about ‘A Fair Opportunity Of Making An Impression’ — The Battles Of The Long Knife — Part III
‘A Few Men Well Conducted’ — The Battles Of The Long Knife — Part II
“I carry in my right hand war, and peace in my left... Here is a bloody belt and a white one. Take which you please.” — Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark to assembled chiefs at Cahokia, Illinois, 1778 * Clark’s big reveal of the mission of his tiny force did not go particularly well. A score of his men deserted that night and attempted to make … [Read more...] about ‘A Few Men Well Conducted’ — The Battles Of The Long Knife — Part II
